Kyla Pratt claims a nurse’s dismissal resulted in an emergency C-section

Mother of two and star Kyla Pratt recently sat down with Recipe for Change for an episode titled “Revolutionizing Black Motherhood,” which explores the experiences of Black mothers in the health care system. Tatyana Ali co-hosted the episode, and Pratt was joined by chef Nyesha Arrington, Melanie Fiona, entrepreneur Lizzy Mathis, and licensed midwife and engagement director Kim Durdin.

During the conversation, 37-year-old Pratt shared her experience during her second pregnancy.

“I remember that with my second pregnancy, I went into labor early,” the previous star said. “While in the hospital, I told the nurse I was having contractions. She looked at the machine and said, “No, you weren’t,” and I said, “Yes, I am.” I’ve done this before; go get my doctor.”

She continued: “Thankfully in that moment of standing up for myself, my daughter is here now. She went for my doctor; my doctor said, “You’re 6 centimeters dilated and we need to do an urgent cesarean section.” But because I used to be so small, it wasn’t visible on the machine. At that time, I didn’t really recognize when people weren’t listening to me, because I used to be young, because I used to be black, because I used to be a woman.

Pratt continued to inform the story of how the nurse fired her, however the nurse pushed back, emphasizing the importance of her baby’s safety. Ignoring and dismissing Black women is a recurring problem in the United States health care system. Maternal mortality rates for Black women are significantly higher than for Latina and white women, and conversations about this topic are ongoing as April 11-17 is Black Maternal Health Week.

The actress has two daughters – 13-year-old Lyric Kirkpatrick and 10-year-old Liyah Kirkpatrick. He shares his daughters together with his long-time partner, rapper and tattoo artist Danny Kirkpatrick, who appeared in the series The couple began dating in 2005.