A midwife’s death days after childbirth complications reignites the conversation around Black maternal health

By Leah Asmelash, CNN (CNN) — When Janell Green Smith first announced her pregnancy this past summer, her family was ecstatic. After participating in more than 300 births as a certified nurse-midwife and doctor of nursing practice in South Carolina, with a particular focus on helping Black women give birth safely, she was looking forward