November 20, 2025

Screaming to be Heard: The Urgent Fight to Save Black Moms and Their Babies (Karrie Jones and Mercedes Wells Horrifying Experinces with Birth in the US)

39 minutes

Two Black women. Two different states. One shared, terrifying experience: being ignored by the very people sworn to care for them.

Why are Black women in 2025 still screaming to be heard? In this episode of The Gritty Nurse, Amie Archibald-Varley, a former L & D nurse and Maternal Health Expert (Masters in Women's Health) breaks down the viral birth stories of Karrie Jones (Dallas) and Mercedes Wells (Indiana)—two harrowing cases of medical racism & gaslighting that have shaken the nursing & medical world. We analyze the 54-million-view footage, dissect the latest maternal mortality stats, and discuss actionable steps for nurses to become better allies.

From Karrie's screams being dismissed during intake to Mercedes being discharged only to give birth in her car eight minutes later, we are breaking down exactly what went wrong. We discuss the failure of the nurse and nursing teams, the weaponization of hospital policies, and the "weathering" effect that is keeping Black maternal mortality rates 3.5x higher than white counterparts.

In this episode, we cover:

The Receipts: A minute-by-minute breakdown of the viral videos from Dallas Regional and Franciscan Health.
The Stats: Why 2025 data shows the gap is widening for Black maternal morbidity.
Medical Racism & Medical Gaslighting 101: How nurses can spot implicit bias in real-time and the "fight languages" needed to advocate for patients.
The Momnibus Act: An update on the legislative fight for health equity.

Key Takeaways for Nurses:

Pain is Subjective, Vital Signs Are Not: If a patient says the baby is coming, believe them.
Documentation is Defense: How patients are using video to protect themselves when the chart doesn't tell the whole story.
Silence is Complicity: Your duty to intervene when a colleague dismisses a patient.

Resources & Links:

Learn: CDC "Hear Her" Campaign
Act: The Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act Status
Tool: Irth App (Yelp for Black birth experiences)

Join the Conversation: Have you witnessed medical gaslighting on your unit? Share with me your stories!

#GrittyNurse #BlackMaternalHealth #KarrieJones #MercedesWells #NurseTwitter #HealthEquity #MedicalGaslighting #NursingEducation #PatientAdvocacy

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By Amie Archibald-Varley

4.4

2929 ratings