
Source: Maskot / Getty
There are several reasons why Black women die at higher rates than any other race around the time they give birth. We are more susceptible to certain diseases, have discrepancies in our access to health care, etc. But one of the reasons that keeps coming up is the fact that when Black women express their pain and discomfort in the hospital, they are often not believed or their issues aren’t taken seriously.
It’s literally a matter of life and death. But for one reason, one nurse thought it was a laughing matter and posted a skit about it on Tik Tok.
We know when y’all are faking 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/uBV9LjXN3W
— D Rose (@DamnDRoseTweets) November 19, 2019
It was tone deaf and insensitive. It also quite unprofessional filming videos for the internet in your scrubs around all of the hospital equipment.
If this woman thought the video was going to garner nothing by laughter, she thought wrong. There are Black women, mothers and other women who had experienced mistreatment in the healthcare system who were quick to let this nurse know that this little skit was not funny in the slightest.
See what they had to say on the following pages.
This video just gave me the motivation not to quit school because the world needs more compassionate nurses so thanks I guess 🙃
— Jada Pinkett Smith Alsina Shakur (@TellMeyURllyMad) November 21, 2019
This is why so many Black women have died, because doctors/nurses claimed they were over exaggerating their pain 😬
— 𝕱𝖆𝖘𝖍𝖎𝖔𝖓 𝖘𝖙𝖞𝖑𝖎𝖘𝖙 (@styledbyrati) November 21, 2019
A lot of y’all “nurses” should’ve picked a different career…
— I’m rasheeda I rap like shawty lo (@JustLOVEJas_x33) November 20, 2019
Yeah great I had shortness of breath, heart palpitations, fainted multiple times, and had a seizure in the ER waiting bc the nurses thought I was faking and on something but LOL you’re so funny and relatable 🤪
— 🌅 limbo 🌅 (@contrajackie) November 20, 2019
I swear this was my labor and delivery nurse at @OUMedicine Children's hospital when I told her I felt like I needed to push and she said I was "overexaggerating" and 3 min later I had my baby NATURALLY without an epidural like I requested because she felt as if I was "FAKING" pic.twitter.com/jjVQ1IuIRg
— Tianna👩🏽🦲🦑 (@Tianna____) November 20, 2019
I had several white doctors/nurses think I was faking some serious mofo pain, because they assumed I wanted drugs. Turns out I had an ovarian cyst burst. Not a giant emergency, but easily pain worse than childbirth (I have three kids).
So no, ya can’t!
— Joy Henderson (@Joyhenderson78) November 21, 2019
You shouldn’t be in anyone’s medical field if this is how you feel.. your attitude will cost someone their life one day.. exactly why a lot of people avoid treatment 🙄
— BLACKLIVESMATTER (@jasmaine_x) November 20, 2019
Patients leaning on the call button all day while her ass is wandering the hall looking for an empty room to make tik tok videos.
Hope she keeps her camera going when twitter finds her hospital and hospital administration puts her under review. https://t.co/wbZGs5MaPT— Naima Cochrane (@naima) November 22, 2019
I was an hour from my appendix rupturing because I writhed in pain for four hours and none of the hospital staff believed my pain was as bad as it was. Offered no pain meds or anything. Night nurse believed me and saved my life.
But go awf https://t.co/oStJyvTjYq
— #PriscillaSlater Died In Police Custody (@FeministaJones) November 21, 2019