The heartbreaking death of Dr. Janell Green Smith, a celebrated US midwife who dedicated her life to saving mothers, has sent shockwaves across the globe, serving as a grim warning about the persistent dangers of childbirth for Black women, even for experts in the field.

Dr. Green Smith, affectionately known as the "Loc’d Midwife," passed away on January 2, 2026, due to complications shortly after giving birth to her first child. The tragedy is a cruel irony: a woman who helped bring over 200 babies into the world and championed evidence-based care for minority women could not herself survive the very system she sought to fix. [...](asc_slot://start-slot-11)Her husband, Daiquan Vernez Smith, is now left to raise their newborn daughter alone, a reality that mirrors the experience of thousands of families globally.

A System That Fails Its Own

Janell was not just a patient; she was a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) and a Certified Nurse-Midwife. If a medical professional with her level of knowledge and access can die from childbirth complications, what chance does the average woman have? Her death has reignited a fierce debate in the United States about the Black maternal mortality rate, which the CDC reports is three times higher than that of white women.

"That a Black midwife and maternal health expert died after giving birth is both heartbreaking and unacceptable," read a statement from the American College of Nurse-Midwives. "It is a profound failure of the systems meant to protect birthing people."

• The Postpartum Danger Zone: Details indicate Janell died in the postpartum period, a critical window that is often overlooked once the baby is delivered. This "fourth trimester" is where many maternal deaths occur, often due to hemorrhage, infection, or cardiomyopathy.
• A Global Resonance: While this tragedy occurred in South Carolina, it resonates deeply in Kenya, where the maternal mortality ratio remains concerning. In Kenya, 342 mothers die for every 100,000 live births. Janell’s death proves that better infrastructure alone is not enough; systemic bias and the quality of postpartum monitoring are matters of life and death everywhere.

Legacy of the "Loc’d Midwife"

Janell’s career was defined by her advocacy. [...](asc_slot://start-slot-13)She partnered with the Hive Impact Fund to support parents during early childhood and was a vocal figure during Black Maternal Health Week. Her philosophy was simple yet radical: listen to Black women. Pain dismissal—where medical staff underestimate or ignore the pain reported by Black patients—remains a leading cause of preventable maternal death.

A GoFundMe campaign launched to support her husband Daiquan has already surpassed its targets, a testament to the community she built. But money cannot replace the mother lost. As the medical fraternity mourns, the message is clear: the fight for maternal safety is far from over, and it is a battle being fought in the labor wards of Nairobi just as fiercely as in South Carolina.