Meet Naomi, Florida

At 6 ½ months pregnant, Naomi struggles to find health insurance and compassionate prenatal care.
Naomi was 6 1/2 months into her second pregnancy when she moved from South Carolina to Florida to live near her sister. Unable to find work and childcare for her one-year-old son, Naomi applied for Medicaid, food stamps and cash assistance to help pay for maternal healthcare, food and diapers.

Before she could receive any public assistance in Florida including prenatal healthcare however, she had to cancel her South Carolina Medicaid and apply for jobs through the Work Force program. Naomi says, “Honestly, no one’s going to hire a woman who is about to give birth.” When Naomi turns to midwife, Jennie Joseph and The Birth Place for prenatal care, she knows she won’t be turned away despite her gap in insurance coverage.

Naomi’s first baby was born by C-section and she’s planning to have a repeat C-section. She’s grateful for her midwife’s non-judgmental support. Naomi says, “At the Birth Place, it’s whatever you’re most comfortable with. Even though I wanted all natural with my son, I don’t feel like I’m treated any differently with this pregnancy knowing I want a C-section. They’re all about what you want and what is best for you.”

Like 17 million other women in America, lack of insurance stood in the way of Naomi getting the prenatal care she needed and the compassionate care she knew she deserved. Millions of other mothers in the U.S. don’t get the kind of care that Jennie Joseph provides, which puts them at high risk for pregnancy and birth related complications.

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