Mother of two and Proud Family: Louder and Prouder star Kyla Pratt recently sat down with Recipe for Change for an episode called “Revolutionizing Black Motherhood,” which explores the experiences of Black moms within the healthcare system. Tatyana Ali co-hosted this episode, and Pratt was joined by chef Nyesha Arrington, Melanie Fiona, entrepreneur Lizzy Mathis, and licensed midwife and engagement director Kim Durdin.
During the conversation, Pratt, 37, shared an experience she had during her second pregnancy.
“I remember for my second pregnancy, I went into labor early,” the former One on One star said. “Being in the hospital, I told the nurse there I was having contractions. She looked at the machine and said, ‘No, you weren’t,’ and I said, ‘Yes I am. I’ve done this before; go get my doctor.’”
She continued, “Luckily, standing up for myself in that moment, my daughter is here now. She went to get my doctor; my doctor said, ‘You’re 6-centimeters dilated, and we have to do an emergency C-section. But because I was so small, it wasn’t showing up on the machine. In that moment, I didn’t really recognize when people weren’t listening to me because I was young, because I am Black, because I am a woman.”
Pratt continued to recount how the nurse dismissed her, however she pushed back, emphasizing how important her child’s safety was. Black women being ignored and dismissed is a recurring issue within the healthcare system in the United States. Maternal mortality rates for Black women are significantly higher than that of Hispanic and White women and conversations about it are presently taking place because April 11-17 is Black Maternal Health Week.
The actress has two daughters—Lyric Kirkpatrick, 13, and Liyah Kirkpatrick, 10. She shares her daughters with her longtime partner, rapper and tattoo artist Danny Kirkpatrick who appeared on Black Ink Crew: Compton. The couple began dating in 2005.
