SEASON THREE (2024)
Our third season is a 4-part series featuring multiple pairs of Black reproductive justice advocates in intimate one-on-one conversations about their work creating liberatory pathways to care beyond the Supreme Court’s 2022 overruling of Roe v. Wade.
INTRODUCING SEASON THREE
NATAL returns Thursday, November 14.
Part One: This Ain't No White Women's Movement
In our season premiere, we pass the microphone to two prolific reproductive justice organizers — Marie Leaner and Kwajelyn Jackson. With more than 70+ years of fighting for abortion access, the pair sit down for lively conversation unpacking the rich legacy of Black women organizing for reproductive freedom before, during and beyond Roe.
Part Two: The Real on Pregnancy and Privacy
We pass the microphone to physician-activist Dr. Jamila Perritt and movement lawyer Yveka Pierre for a dialogue spanning the post-Dobbs criminalization of abortion patients and providers, period tracking apps and digital footprint protections and new imaginings of privacy and care.
PART THREE: DEEP SOUTH, NORTH STAR
We pass the microphone to Jenice Fountain, executive director of the Yellowhammer Fund, and midwife Tanya Smith-Johnnson, executive director of Birth Future Foundation. From mutual aid to midwifery, they discuss their organizing work, the power of relationship building, and why the Deep South is forever their North Star.
PART FOUR: THE ABORTION STORIES WE NEED
In our season finale, we pass the microphone to U.S. Congresswoman Cori Bush (D-MO) and reproductive justice activist, abortion storyteller and writer Renee Bracey-Sherman for a heartfelt discussion about the stories we tell, believe and redefine about our bodies and abortions. The two discuss their own abortion experiences, the moments in pop culture that shaped their understandings of pregnancy, what local abortion wins (shoutout, Missouri!) mean for the future of care and so much more. This episode also features abortion doula, community organizer and reproductive justice consultant Ash Williams, who narrates an excerpt from WHOLE, a narrative for abortion freedom.
SEASON TWO (2022)
Our second season follows three Black families in rural America as they birth new lives and new meanings of home for future generations. Narrative interludes feature members of The Alabama Birth Collective.
INTRODUCING SEASON TWO
Coming Soon: NATAL heads to rural America for season two.
PROLOGUE
Hosts Gabrielle and Martina share what inspired this season.
CHAPTER ONE: GETTING IT RIGHT
Eight months pregnant during the COVID-19 pandemic, Shayla and Erick Brown return home to rural Mississippi for a chance to finally get it right.
CHAPTER TWO: FINDING HOME
Anasia Sturdivant and Ciara Hunter leave city life behind to find new places to call home.
INTERLUDE: ALABAMA BIRTH COLLECTIVE
Meet the founding members of The Alabama Birth Collective.
CHAPTER THREE: BODY TALK
The moments that (re)introduced Shayla, Erick and Anasia to their bodies.
CHAPTER FOUR: THE SOUTHERN SPARK
Fannie Lou Hamer, Southern freedom fighters and one of the oldest Black-founded towns in the country spark The Browns' most transformational decision yet.
CHAPTER FIVE: ANASIA’S JOURNEY
Taking matters into her own hands, Anasia charts new pathways to parenthood uniquely her own.
CHAPTER SIX: CIARA’S JOURNEY
Ciara explores the multitude of care options after learning she's pregnant.
INTERLUDE: THE CALLING
Alabama Birth Collective founder Jasmine Merritt on answering the call to serve.
CHAPTER SEVEN: PREGNANCY TALES
From the physical to the emotional, all four parents navigate the highs and lows of pregnancy – and for some, even during a pandemic.
CHAPTER EIGHT: THE ARRIVAL
The babies are coming.
CHAPTER NINE: METAMORPHOSIS
The parents adjust to life postpartum and the powerful transformations they've undergone.
INTERLUDE: THE SISTERHOOD
Alabama Birth Collective founding member Nadia Gramby on the sisterhood of birthwork.
CHAPTER TEN: RETURNING
We head home for a final good-bye to hear how Anasia, Ciara, Erick, Shayla and more are building new legacies exactly where they are.
SEASON ONE (2020)
Our first collection is a Black pregnancy gumbo pot featuring nine parent storytellers. We set out to explore, "What does care look like for Black birthing families in this country?" Hailing from across the diaspora and different family shapes, parents open up about patient advocacy, fertility treatments, postpartum mental health, partner support, accessing doula and midwifery care and more.
THIS IS NATAL (TRAILER)
Introducing NATAL, a podcast about having a baby while Black in the US, premiering April 22, 2020.
ONE: MYESHIA’S STORY
Myeshia is a married, 34-year-old cis Black queer woman with a PhD. Two weeks after giving birth to her first child, things take a turn for the worse in a Southern California emergency room.
THE PRELUDE
NATAL Executive Producers Martina and Gabrielle share what inspired the podcast, and what you can expect this season.
TWO: ROOTS OF THE BLACK BIRTHING CRISIS
Martina explores the historical roots of modern obstetrics and gynecology. Dr. Joia Crear-Perry and Dr. Mimi Niles explain how flaws in medical education and research contribute to the Black birthing crisis.
THREE: MIKAH AND CECILIA’S STORIES
Facing unplanned pregnancies in their 20s, Mikah and Cecilia's hospital births reveal how access to childbirth education, support systems, and the lack of standardization of care shaped their individual journeys to becoming parents for the first time.
A MESSAGE FROM NATAL
In solidarity with the uprisings, and in honor of the countless victims of police and state-sanctioned violence, we are holding off on publishing this week's episode. We'll return Wednesday, June 10.
FOUR: SHELLIE’S STORY
After trying to conceive for 10 years, Shellie was finally having her dream baby, but the challenges of motherhood slowly evolved into a silent struggle with postpartum depression. Reproductive psychiatrist Dr. Sinmi Bamgbose shares how she's working to expand mental health resources for Black birthing parents.
CROSSPOST: KALALEA’S STORY
Today we’re airing a special episode from the Bodies podcast. Their show follows women and non binary folx on their journeys to solve the mysteries of their bodies. In this episode you’ll hear from Kalalea. After more than a decade of suffering, KalaLea discovers that the cause of her painful periods is common for Black women, but far from normal.
FIVE: MARILYN AND YVONNE’S STORIES
Marilyn and Yvonne are two parents determined to grow their families. When pregnancy loss disrupts their plans, they turn to their faith. Please note, this episode contains graphic details about miscarriage and stillbirth.
SIX: BRITTANY’S STORY
Unable to find an OBGYN that reciprocated the genuine excitement and warmth she felt about becoming a mother for the first time, Brittany pursues prenatal care with a midwife. In this episode, we explore alternative care models, the vital role of partners and loved ones, and hear from Demetra Seriki, a midwife in Colorado, who is determined to make sure all Black birthing parents can afford quality, affirming full spectrum care.
SEVEN: ALEXIUS’ STORY
This week we’re at home with Alexius Hill, a Memphis-based young mother who chose to give birth at home despite her family and friends’ concerns about doing so. We discuss the stigma around home births, and explore the radical work of full-spectrum doulas and the ways they strive to provide quality perinatal support for all birthing parents.
EIGHT: TRISH’S STORY
In our season finale, Dallas-based mother and doula, Trish, demonstrates what agency from day one looks like for Black birthing parents: Trish shares what inspired her to become a birthworker, as well as the story of her home birth experience, including the phenomenal care she received from her Black midwife and doula. And Congresswoman Alma Adams (D-NC), co-founder of the Black Maternal Health Caucus, tells us why care for Black birthing parents is personal for her and how she's fighting on Capitol Hill to improve policy and protections for them.
THE NATAL SUMMIT: BIRTH EQUITY ADVOCATES
Welcome to the NATAL Summit! In this bonus episode, Birth Equity Advocates from the non-profit sector to government discuss how they're advancing public narratives, alongside effective data-informed public policies that result in better health outcomes for Black birthing parents.
THE NATAL SUMMIT: PROVIDERS & BIRTHWORKERS
Welcome to the NATAL Summit! In this bonus episode, medical providers and birth workers share steps needed to create a more integrated model of care that empowers Black birthing parents and protects the sacredness of the childbirth process.
THE NATAL SUMMIT: OUR PRODUCTION TEAM
Welcome to The NATAL Summit! In this bonus episode, our very own production team offers a behind-the-scenes look at what it means to produce Black stories with dignity and how the team approached the season from a craft perspective.
THE NATAL SUMMIT: PARENT STORYTELLERS
Welcome to The NATAL Summit! In this bonus episode, several parent storytellers from NATAL Season One gathered in a multi-generational conversation about the value of oral traditions, agency, and healing for Black birthing parents.
NATAL X NPR LIFE KIT: NAVIGATING LIFE AFTER PREGNANCY LOSS
Despite how common pregnancy loss is, families often suffer in silence. In honor of Black Maternal Health Week (#BMHW21), we teamed up with NPR’s Life Kit to share stories from parents who have experienced loss, and expert advice about how to support loved ones through grief.