Elaine Welteroth Marks Mother’s Day by Pushing for Midwifery Access.
Elaine Welteroth’s birthFUND held a Mother’s Day event to champion birth equity.
Elaine Welteroth’s birthFUND marked Mother’s Day with a family-friendly event promoting access to midwifery care.
On May 11, former Teen Vogue editor-in-chief Elaine Welteroth hosted birthFUND’s second annual “Mother’s Day Party With a Purpose.” The event celebrated parents while spotlighting the urgent need for birth equity, bringing together LA families for a day of fun, relaxation, and community connection.
“I felt driven to take action after personally seeing how broken our maternal healthcare system is,” Welteroth told the crowd.
“I say this as someone with more resources than most Black women who look like me—yet I was still terrified for my life. That’s how deeply I understand this issue. Meeting Black midwives at Kindred Space truly changed everything for me.”
Celebrity moms showed up in their best “elevated picnic” looks to celebrate with fellow parents and kids, who enjoyed face painting, a playground, and plenty of treats. Famous guests included Kelly Rowland, Sophia Bush, Victoria Monét, Karamo Brown, Tika Sumpter, Jeannie Mai, Jennie Garth, Storm Reid, Chanel Iman, and more.
This wasn’t just a star-studded event—Welteroth made sure it had purpose. With backing from sponsor Bobbie, the “Advocacy Corner” gave guests a chance to learn about maternal health and midwifery and discover ways to support birthFUND’s mission.
To keep the movement growing, Welteroth urged attendees to take action by forming birth funding circles—each group of 10 friends helping connect a mom in need with a doula or midwife.
“Each of you [has] the opportunity to start a birth funding circle, which is our heartfelt call to action,” Welteroth said. “It is the root of how we started birthFUND.”
Since launching in 2024, birthFUND has raised over $3 million to help make quality, life-saving maternal care more accessible across the country. During a special fundraising moment, Welteroth was joined by her husband Jonathan Singletary, Karamo Brown, and 4Kira4Moms Founder Charles Johnson—a powerful show of support from three Black men standing together to spotlight the maternal health crisis and the urgent need for safe, equitable care.
“My wife Kira died giving birth to our second son, Langston, nine years ago,” Johnson shared. “Since then, with the help of incredible friends like Elaine, I’ve been dedicated to making sure every family gets the safe, respectful birth experience they deserve.”
Now one year in with two successful fundraisers, birthFUND continues to grow. The Mother’s Day event highlighted its unwavering mission to improve maternal health and support families through every step of the journey—from pregnancy to parenthood.
