News | Entertainment
30 Oct 2025 21:13
NZCity News
NZCity CalculatorReturn to NZCity

  • Start Page
  • Personalise
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • Finance
  • Shopping
  • Jobs
  • Horoscopes
  • Lotto Results
  • Photo Gallery
  • Site Gallery
  • TVNow
  • Dating
  • SearchNZ
  • NZSearch
  • Crime.co.nz
  • RugbyLeague
  • Make Home
  • About NZCity
  • Contact NZCity
  • Your Privacy
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Join for Free

  •   Home > News > Entertainment

    Jodie Turner-Smith opted for a home birth because she feared she'd die in hospital

    The 'Queen & Slim' actress and her husband Joshua Jackson welcomed a baby girl into the world in April, and long before medical facilities began changing their processes due to the coronavirus pandemic, they knew they wouldn't be attending a hospital because of the statistics on "negative birth outcomes" for black women in the US


    Jodie said: "We had decided on a home birth because of concerns about negative birth outcomes for black women in America - according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the risk of pregnancy-related deaths is more than three times greater for black women then for white women, pointing, it seems to me, to systemic racism.

    "We never imagined that in the coming weeks, hospitals around the country would begin restricting who could be present in the birthing rooms, forcing mothers to deliver without the support person or people of their choice. Delivering at home ensured I had what every single woman deserves to have; full agency in determining my birth support."

    The last few months have also seen a wave of Black Lives Matters protest in the wake of George Floyd's death at the hands of police and while Jodie worries about having to discuss the subject with her daughter one day, she's hopeful change is on the horizon.

    She wrote in the new issue of Britain's Vogue magazine: "While my husband has been learning how to change diapers and I've been learning to breastfeed a newborn, the world has been reckoning with tragedy.

    "As a mother, I Feel everything more deeply and I honestly cannot bring myself to watch the video of George Floyd's death, to hear him crying out the word 'Mama as a police officer knelt on his neck until the life left his body. How do I prepare my daughter for the pain of seeing black bodies senselessly cut down? How do I help her reconcile Sandra and Breonna and Elijah and Eric and Philando and and and...

    "Sometimes I Wonder how I will explain to my daughter what it meant to be born in the year 2020.

    "The historic events, the social unrest and me - a new mother just trying to do her best.

    "I think I will tell her it was as if the world had paused for her to be born. And that, hopefully, it never quite returned to the way it was before."

    © 2025 Bang Showbiz, NZCity

     Other Entertainment News
     30 Oct: Liam Hemsworth is "super excited" about his engagement to Gabriella Brooks
     30 Oct: Jon Stewart is determined to remain as host of The Daily Show
     30 Oct: Kate Hudson claims "it's hard not to fall in love" with Hugh Jackman
     30 Oct: Kelsey Grammer has become a father for the eighth time
     30 Oct: Jessie J has been left "frustrated" after her second breast cancer surgery was delayed
     30 Oct: Jennifer Lawrence is planning to have a boob job because "nothing bounced back" after she gave birth to her second child
     30 Oct: Dua Lipa has topped Heat magazine's annual Under 30 Rich List
     Top Stories

    RUGBY RUGBY
    Minimal changes are expected when the All Blacks' lineup to tackle Ireland in Chicago is named overnight More...


    BUSINESS BUSINESS
    Prince Andrew’s ‘one peppercorn’ lease exposes how little is known about royal finances More...



     Today's News

    International:
    Donald Trump's campaign against Venezuelan drug boats is rooted in past failure and a hatred of Nicolas Maduro 21:07

    International:
    Trial begins for three Australians accused of killing Zivan Radmanovic in Bali villa 20:57

    Entertainment:
    Liam Hemsworth is "super excited" about his engagement to Gabriella Brooks 20:51

    Entertainment:
    Jon Stewart is determined to remain as host of The Daily Show 20:21

    Entertainment:
    Kate Hudson claims "it's hard not to fall in love" with Hugh Jackman 19:51

    Entertainment:
    Kelsey Grammer has become a father for the eighth time 19:21

    Accident and Emergency:
    Residents are being told to stay inside as fire crews battle a large fire in central Palmerston North 19:07

    Health & Safety:
    The Ministry of Health says the measles outbreak isn't at the point where they'd routinely immunise babies under 12 months 18:57

    Entertainment:
    Jessie J has been left "frustrated" after her second breast cancer surgery was delayed 18:51

    Entertainment:
    Jennifer Lawrence is planning to have a boob job because "nothing bounced back" after she gave birth to her second child 18:21


     News Search






    Power Search


    © 2025 New Zealand City Ltd