Black mom from Texas reveals why she drove 1300 miles in an RV to another state to give birth

A mother wants nothing but the safety of her child. From the moment she knows she is expecting, she spares no effort in protecting her baby. The love becomes her strength and she will travel to the ends of the earth to keep her baby safe. Mimi Evans, a black mom, did the same by driving 1300 miles in an RV to give birth to her third child. The mom of 5, who is now a confident doula and birth educator, shared with TODAY about her tedious yet unique pregnancy just before she could give birth to her third child. 

Evans was firm about one thing she did not want to give birth to her third child in Texas. The 36-year-old woman who brought her now 9-year-old boy into the world had quite a journey finding the safest space for her baby to be born at the time. Evans mentioned that during her previous two pregnancies, she wasn’t quite aware of birthing and the process. She added, “I was very naive and I just kind of went in to the hospital because I thought that’s what everyone did.”

Evans then revealed that her previous pregnancies involved several struggles due to the quality of medical care provided. She mentioned how she wasn’t given many options and felt “neglected.” Evans further explained, “Thank goodness I did not have to do a C-section, but I do feel like I was given things that I did not necessarily want — like a shot of Pitocin. I didn’t get a lot of choice in how I wanted my experience to be.” The mother also revealed that she was immediately cleaned up after birth and sent to a room to handle the postpartum period alone. 

CDC reports that the increasing disparity in medical treatment for women of color has been the cause of higher deaths of pregnant black women over pregnant white women. As Evans mentioned, many women are being neglected on the basis of their race, causing hemorrhage and hypertensive disorders more in black women than white women.

Any pregnant woman knows the struggles postpartum brings physically, mentally and even emotionally. Evans has to deal with it alone. When she was carrying her third child, she decided things would no longer be the same for her baby to come. She prioritized her health and gave special attention to how her childbirth would take place. Evans purchased a 32-foot RV, registered the vehicle in Virginia and drove 1,300 miles to an RV park near the hospital. The mother of 5 mentioned that she lived in the RV for two months with her former partner only so she could avail of safe and comfortable childbirth in Virginia.

"It was very small — cramped quarters — but my kids and I were a very close-knit family and so it wasn't so bad," she said. Expressing the struggling period, the mother shared how she had to cut down on luxuries. "The baby had a tiny little bassinet -- no decorations or decor. I missed out on having a baby shower because we just couldn’t accommodate the things people typically bring to a baby shower.” She further said that giving birth in an RV seemed better than that in Texas. "To ensure the safety, health and mental health, first and foremost of myself and my baby, it was the kind of sacrifice I had to make,” Evans said.

When the time came for Evans’ little boy to be born, the mom said it was a pleasant experience. "My baby came when he felt like wanted to — at four o'clock in the morning. I was never rushed. I felt so great and had so much energy after I gave birth to him. I spent a little more time in Virginia to recover then I came back to Texas."

As a confident mother of 5, Evans works as a doula and birth educator to ensure that women don’t put up with what she did. She took up the profession to make sure that her community knows there are other and better options out there.