Pinter & Martin acquires birthing guide for Black women

Independent publisher Pinter & Martin has snapped up Kimberly Seals Allers' "positive, empowering" birthing guide for Black mothers.

Birthing in Colour: The Black Mother’s Guide to Pregnancy, Birth & Breastfeeding is "packed with everything you need to know about pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding as a Black woman", and is described by the publisher as "essential preparation for a positive, empowering and joyful experience of motherhood".

Allers is a journalist, author of five books, and a maternal and infant health strategist. She is the founder of Irth, a doctor and hospital review and rating app for parents of colour, designed to address racism and bias in maternity and infant care. She is also the host of "Birthright", a podcast about joy and healing in Black birth. A former senior editor at Essence magazine, her most recent book, The Big Letdown: How Medicine, Big Business and Feminism Undermine Breastfeeding, was published by St Martin’s Press.

She said: “In the UK, Black women are facing unique stressors while dealing with the impact of systemic and interpersonal racism in maternity care. Birthing in Colour is an important reframing and tool: part lifestyle guide book, part Black mama manifesto for birthing while Black. As the mother of two UK citizens, the future of Black birthing in the UK is also a very personal issue for me. I am honoured to lend my journalistic skills to amplifying the voices of Black birthworkers, experts, physicians and historians in the UK to produce this book. It is long overdue.”

Martin Wagner, managing director of the health and parenting-focused press, acquired world rights from the author. He said: “Birthing in Colour is an inspirational and essential addition to our wide-ranging pregnancy, birth and parenting list, and addresses crucial issues so often neglected in maternity care.” 

Birthing in Colour will be published on 21st April 2022 in paperback, e-book and audiobook formats.