Peripartum Cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a serious form of heart failure that can occur during the last month of pregnancy or within 12 months after giving birth.

Black women are disproportionately affected by PPCM and face higher risks of delayed diagnosis, missed symptoms, and barriers to receiving timely care.

Let’s Talk PPCM exists to bridge the gap in awareness, diagnosis, and support for mothers at risk for or diagnosed with Peripartum Cardiomyopathy.

We center:

• Survivor voices
• Black maternal heart health advocacy
• Healthcare education
• Equitable access to lifesaving resources

If you are pregnant or recently gave birth, talk with your healthcare provider if you experience:

• Shortness of breath (especially when lying down)
• Swelling in your legs, feet, or ankles
• Extreme fatigue or weakness
• Rapid heartbeat or chest discomfort
• Difficulty breathing at night
• Unexplained weight gain
• Persistent coughing, especially when lying down

Trust your instincts. If something does not feel right, speak up and ask for further evaluation.

If PPCM is suspected, ask your healthcare provider about:

• BNP or NT-proBNP blood testing
• Echocardiogram (heart ultrasound)
• Evaluation by a cardiologist familiar with PPCM
• Referral to a maternal-fetal medicine specialist

Health advocacy, education, and resources focused on improving Black women’s health outcomes.
Black Women's Health Imperative 

Maternal health education, doula support, and advocacy resources.
Mama Glow Foundation

A Black women-led organization advancing Black maternal health, rights, and justice.
Black Mamas Matter Alliance 

Works to improve birth outcomes and advance equity in maternal healthcare.
National Birth Equity Collaborative

Provides heart health education, screenings, and community resources focused on reducing cardiovascular disparities.
Black Heart Association 

We have partnered with the LetsTalkPPCM nonprofit organization to help eradicate Peripartum/Postpartum Cardiomyopathy (PPCM); a pregnancy induced heart condition that can be ruled out with a simple blood test.

https://lalueurhw.com/services/postpartum-services/

Therapy for Black Girls
Mental health resources and therapist directory.
Therapy for Black Girls

Sista Afya Community Mental Wellness
Mental wellness resources created with Black women in mind.
https://communitycare.sistaafya.com/press

Roots Community Health Center
Healthcare services focused on underserved communities.
Roots Community Health Center

Shades of Blue Project
Services dedicated to helping women of color before, during and after child-birth with community resources, mental health advocacy, treatment and support. 
https://www.shadesofblueproject.org/

The Loveland Foundation
Therapy support resources for Black women and girls.
The Loveland Foundation

Black Girl Freedom Fund
Support focused on investing in Black girls and young women.
https://1billion4blackgirls.org/

You can help improve maternal cardiac outcomes by:

✔ Sharing your PPCM story
✔ Educating your community
✔ Supporting survivor-led advocacy
✔ Connecting mothers with trained birth workers and healthcare providers
✔ Supporting policies that improve Black maternal health, including the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act

Together, we can create a future where mothers are heard, symptoms are recognized, and lives are protected.

Follow Our Media Pages:

@LetsTalkPPCM on Instagram, Facebook & TikTok 

Let's Connect: info@letstalkppcm.org

“Our babies need us beyond the delivery room. Protecting a mother’s heart means protecting the family that depends on her.”  — Brianna Harris-Henderson, Founder of LetsTalkPPCM

Although pregnancy should be a time of hope, Black mothers continue to face disproportionately higher rates of pregnancy-related complications and death.

• Black women in the U.S. are about 3 times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than White women.

• More than 80% of pregnancy-related deaths are considered preventable with timely recognition, quality care, and appropriate treatment.

The American Heart Association states that cardiovascular disease accounts for more than 25% of maternal deaths.

Black, Indigenous, and women of color living with Peripartum Cardiomyopathy (PPCM) deserve to be seen, heard, supported, and included in the conversation about maternal heart health.

The Black Maternal Heart Program is a survivor-centered initiative of Let’s Talk PPCM created to highlight the experiences of BIPOC heart moms and strengthen connections between survivors, families, advocates, birth workers, healthcare professionals, and communities.

Our work is expanding beyond the United States as we build meaningful connections with heart health advocates and maternal health communities in Nigeria and Haiti. By creating opportunities for shared learning and survivor voices across cultures and borders, we hope to better understand the experiences of women affected by PPCM and help bring greater visibility to maternal heart health disparities.

Your donation helps us:

• Highlight Black PPCM survivor stories and create opportunities for heart moms to share their experiences.
• Build connections in Nigeria and Haiti with survivors, advocates, birth workers, and community partners.
• Provide education and awareness about PPCM, its warning signs, and the importance of early detection.
• Connect black heart moms and families to resources and support.
• Create culturally responsive educational opportunities for communities affected by maternal heart health disparities.
• Elevate survivor voices in conversations surrounding research, healthcare, advocacy, and maternal cardiac care.

Mothers are dying from preventable pregnancy-related complications, and heart health is a critical part of the crisis.

For BIPOC communities, increasing awareness, strengthening community connections, and making survivor experiences visible are important steps toward improving maternal heart health.

Your contribution helps Let’s Talk PPCM continue creating spaces where black heart moms can connect, share, learn, and advocate while helping us build a growing global network of maternal heart health advocates.

Every contribution matters.

Whether you give $5, $25, $50, $100, or more, you are helping us amplify survivor voices and expand access to education, connection, and support.

Invest in Black mothers. Amplify Black heart moms. Help us change the story.