Advocate For Your Care
From your first prenatal visit to your first days at home, you deserve to be heard, supported and informed. Use this page to help you ask questions, understand your rights, and find support at every stage of your care.
Before Delivery
Getting prenatal care early helps you plan, ask questions, and protect your health. Your support starts before you walk through the hospital doors.
Get Informed
- Learn about pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum care through local childbirth education classes, doulas, hospitals, and trusted providers.
- Know Your Rights: You have the right to informed consent, to respectful care, and to refuse unnecessary interventions. Learn more at the Know Your Rights resource page.
- Create a Birth Plan: Work with a doula or ask a prenatal provider to develop a birth plan that outlines your preferences for labor, delivery, pain management, and postpartum care and discuss it with your provider.
- Learn what happens at early prenatal visits and how often appointments are scheduled.
- Find more information to connect you to local providers and programs who are committed to your care before, during and after birth on the Cradle Cincinnati Community Resource Guide.
Advocate for Your Care
Build Your Support Team
Surround yourself with a community health worker, doula, and supportive family and friends who will support you in the postpartum period. To get connected to a community health worker and other free resources, reach out to Cradle Cincinnati Connections. A community health worker can help you navigate the postpartum period, connect you to services and resources, and make sure you and your baby have what you need to stay healthy.
Find Your Community
Connect with Queens Village to join Black mamas who are supporting one another and shaping better care for families like yours.
Choose a Hospital
Use our helpful hospital guides to research what local hospitals are doing and find one right for you.
Be Heard
If you feel dismissed, ask for clarification and request that providers explain their recommendations. If you’re not being listened to, you have the right to ask for a different provider.
Questions You Can Ask
How soon can I schedule my first prenatal appointment?
If I have trouble getting to visits, what transportation or scheduling support is available?
What are you doing to make sure Black mamas feel safe and respected here?
Who might deliver my baby and will I meet them ahead of time?
Can we talk about birth control before my baby is born?
During Your Birth
Your voice, your choices, and your support team should be part of your care. Every birth is unique. This section helps you understand what usually happens and how to ask for the care you deserve.
Get Informed
- Learn the stages of labor and what usually happens in each phase
- Understand pain management options like movement, breathing techniques, and medication
- If a procedure is suggested, ask what it is for, what the risks are, and whether there are other options
Advocate for Your Care
Bring Your Birth Plan
Keep a printed copy of your birth plan and make sure your care team reviews it with you. Your birth plan is more than a wish list — it’s a tool to communicate your preferences and make sure your voice is part of every decision. Don’t be afraid to revisit it as things change.
Have Your Support Team in the Room
Whether it’s a doula, a family member, or a trusted friend, having someone by your side who knows your wishes can make all the difference. Your support person can speak up for you, ask questions, and make sure your concerns are being heard.
Know Who’s Caring for You
You have the right to know who is in your room and why. Ask every provider to introduce themselves and explain their role. If someone enters and you’re not sure who they are or what they’re doing, speak up.
Trust Your Body, Use Your Voice
You know your body best. If something doesn’t feel right, say so. You deserve to be heard. If you feel like your concerns aren’t being taken seriously, you have the right to request a patient advocate or ask for a different provider.
Questions You Can Ask 
If a C-section is suggested, you can ask:
Why is this needed right now?
What are the risks and alternatives?
Can we wait and reassess?
If I need a C-section, is skin-to-skin still possible?
If a procedure is recommended, you can ask:
What are the benefits?
What are the risks?
Are there other options?
If early or elective delivery is discussed, you can ask:
Is this medically necessary?
What happens if we wait?
Preparing for your baby’s arrival, you can ask:
What level of NICU care is offered here?
What happens first if my baby needs extra help?
Will I be able to hold my baby skin-to-skin right after birth?
Who can help me with feeding questions?
Caring for Your Baby
Your baby’s first days should come with care, support, and clear information you can trust.
Get Informed
- Learn how feeding support works at your hospital
- Understand safe sleep practices
- Know early warning signs like jaundice, dehydration, or feeding difficulty
- Ask which newborn screenings are done before discharge
- Get clear information on feeding, diaper output, when, and who to call before you leave the hospital
Advocate for Your Care
Ask for Feeding Support Before You Leave
If you plan to breastfeed, pump, or combine feeding methods, ask to meet with a lactation consultant before you go home. They can help with positioning, latch, pumping questions, and early feeding concerns so you feel more confident once you leave the hospital.
Know Who to Call With Questions
Before you leave the hospital, make sure you know who to contact if you have concerns about feeding, sleep, or your baby’s health. Ask for a phone number you can call day or night so you are not left trying to figure it out at home.
Schedule Your Baby’s First Pediatric Visit
Your baby should see a pediatric provider shortly after leaving the hospital. Confirm that your follow-up visit is scheduled before you go home so your baby’s health, feeding, and weight can be checked.
Ask About Home Visiting and Parenting Support
Some hospitals offer home visiting programs, nurse follow-up, or parenting support services after birth. These programs can help answer questions, support feeding, and check on both you and your baby during the first weeks at home.
Connect With Nutrition and Support Programs
If you need help accessing healthy food, baby supplies, or breastfeeding support, ask about programs like WIC or other local resources. These programs can help support you and your baby during the early months. For additional community resources, check out the Cradle Cincinnati Resource Guide for support for mama and babies.
Questions You Can Ask
What happens first if my baby needs extra help?
Who can help me with feeding questions?
What if breastfeeding doesn’t work for me?
Can someone help me learn to pump or explore other options?
Your Health & Going Home
The first days at home after birth can feel overwhelming. Your recovery should be supported, not rushed. Before you leave, make sure you know what to expect and who to call.
Get Informed
- Schedule your postpartum checkup because your recovery matters just as much as your baby’s care
- Learn to recognize postpartum warning signs like heavy bleeding, fever, chest pain, or severe headache, and keep track of your symptoms to share at your follow-up visit.
- Know that mood changes are normal, but if sadness or anxiety lingers, don’t be afraid to ask for help from a trusted provider or support person.
- Learn about birth spacing and your contraception options
- Practice safe sleep by placing your baby on their back in an empty crib or bassinet
- Make sure feeding support is in place before you leave the hospital so you and your baby feel supported from day one at home.
- Find local providers and programs committed to your care before, during, and after birth on the Cradle Cincinnati Community Resource Guide.
Advocate for Your Care
Ask About Postpartum Doula or Home Health Support
Some families benefit from extra support after birth. Postpartum doulas or home health nurses can help with newborn care, feeding questions, recovery support, and adjusting to life with your baby. Ask what services may be available in your community.
Mommy Meet Ups
Connect with Queens Village to join a community of Black mamas who lift each other up, shape better care for families like yours, and tap into programs made just for you — including the Postpartum Support Group and Mommy & Me Meet Ups.
Connect With Mental Health Support
It is common to feel emotional after birth, but ongoing sadness, anxiety, or feeling overwhelmed deserves attention. Ask your provider what mental health resources are available if you need support.
Plan for Rest and Help at Home
Recovery takes time. Think about who can help with meals, household tasks, or caring for older children so you can focus on healing and bonding with your baby.
Build Your Feeding Support Network
Once you’re home, support is still there for you. Local lactation consultants, WIC breastfeeding services, and community programs like BOOBS and Amen Cincy can help with challenges, questions, or simply encouragement when things get hard.
Questions You Can Ask
What warning signs should I watch for once I’m home?
Who do I call if I have concerns about bleeding, pain, or fever?
When is my postpartum follow-up visit scheduled?
How long should I wait before trying to get pregnant again?
Who can I talk to if I’m feeling anxious, sad, or overwhelmed?