THE 15 PREGNANCY QUESTIONS PROJECT
- Shantay Davies-Balch
- Mar 20
- 7 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
The “15 Pregnancy Questions” project was designed to improve patient-provider communication, elevate trust, and encourage patients to advocate for themselves with the hope of improving health outcomes and patient satisfaction.
Developed in 2022, the patient advocacy tool was one of the first pieces of BLACK Wellness & Prosperity Center (BWPC)’s Health Education Library. The list of questions aims to complement the BLACK Birth Plan also known as the BLACK Birth framework, one of the key advocacy tools developed by BWPC, specifically by Black women, for Black women. Both resources, the BLACK Birth and the 15 Pregnancy Questions, are informed by community experiences, lessons learned, and desires voiced by Black mothers, women, and girls in Fresno, reflecting their unique perspectives and priorities.
The “15 Pregnancy Questions” community resource evolved over three stages:
“You don’t know what you don’t know”
With the goal of designing a community resource that helps overcome stages of “sea of questions” and “no concerns”, BWPC collected insights and reflections, pregnancy experiences, informal conversations with community members, and reviewed frequently asked questions from various sources. The final list of questions was shaped by these interactions.
Integration into BWPC’s Work
The “15 Pregnancy Questions” has since been integrated into BWPC’s Doula Training curriculum and influenced the expansion of BWPC’s community education resource library.
Inclusivity and Increased Patient Education
Even after its launch, the questions are continuously refined based on community feedback to ensure relevancy and diversity of needs and voices and connected with culturally affirming resources.
BWPC partnered with medical providers to further develop the questions into evidence-based, accessible, and culturally affirming patient resources that include comprehensive general education to the identified questions.
While similar health education tools and resources exist from organizations such as the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), this tool retains and reflects the unique voice of Black women and birthing persons. The questions are posed in a way to allow for responses that cover a wider scope, allowing for a discussion of a wider range of subtopics related to the original question, making them an effective educational tool.
The questions are designed to be a tool to help facilitate conversations between pregnant people and their health providers, improve communication, and elevate trust between the provider-patient relationship.
High-quality, patient-centered care, which encompasses patient education strategies, is essential for delivering the high-quality care and respect Black mothers, women, girls, and birthing persons deserve but have not traditionally received.
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