A mom says “I don’t feel well,” and the room keeps moving. Hours later, she’s in emergency surgery after losing more than two and a half liters of blood. That gap—between what Black women say and what systems hear—is where severe maternal morbidity takes root, and it’s where our conversation with Jasmine Winters refuses to look away.

We open with clarity on morbidity versus mortality and why the distinction matters for Black maternal health. Jasmine walks us through her IVF pregnancy, a placenta previa diagnosis that was later minimized, and the moment her instincts were dismissed as “normal.” She shares the physical spiral, the emotional whiplash of being sedated against her wishes, and the shock of being told to “go be a great mom” hours after a near-death event. We talk openly about postpartum depression, the silence that follows survival, and how founding Peaceful Minds Haven helped her translate trauma into advocacy focused on maternal wellness and mental health.

This story is also about partners and protection beyond the front door. We spotlight fathers in the delivery room and at home, exploring how to advocate when something feels wrong, how to recognize postpartum changes, and how small acts—like presence, snacks, and steady words—can make a life-saving difference. Jasmine introduces the Healing Playbook, a practical way to bring spouses into maternal health conversations with real skills and shared language. Along the way we lean into storytelling as a form of community care, encourage documentation and debriefs, and push for respectful, responsive care that listens the first time.

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