Let’s Talk Pregnancy & Birth
Holy F*cking Moly pregnancy was hard and birth was even harder.
Actually, if I’m being honest, Kairo blessed me with a pretty smooth pregnancy. I didn’t have any morning sickness or health complications. In fact, my biggest complaints were my swollen ankles, achy back, and too small clothes. But just because I didn’t have some of the common ailments of pregnancy doesn’t mean I didn’t struggle. My pregnancy lasted 41 weeks and 4 long days. In the beginning time seemed to fly, but once week 38 rolled around it was as if time stood still. Kairo was nice and comfortable in there and was in no rush to come out. Instead of anxiously wondering when my baby (we waited until birth to know the sex, though I intuitively knew all along it was a boy) would be born , I chose to use the last few weeks as a spiritual practice. I consciously chose patience and gratitude. It is no small feat that our bodies are capable of creating and carrying human life for months. I wanted to honor that. I tried to live the last few weeks of my pregnancy in slow motion so I could always remember it.
“ It is no small feat that our bodies are capable of creating and carrying human life for months”
When I got pregnant, my boyfriend and I (who are both from the DMV area) were living in Los Angeles. I had a few linesisters in the area and he had made friends through work but neither of us had family there, so we decided to move back to the DMV before the baby arrived to be closer to our village. Yes, I did a cross country move while 8 months pregnant…I also went to Vegas but that’s a story for another day. Anyway, the last few weeks of my pregnancy were busy with moving, the baby shower, baby prep, birth, and baby’s arrival, so writing this truly is the first time I’ve been able to reflect on it all.
Looking back, I realize that the best thing I did for the health of myself and the baby while pregnant was continuing to eat a plant based diet throughout my pregnancy. I have been a vegetarian for almost 3 years now, and I think that largely contributed to my lack of health concerns. Luckily California had some of the best farmers markets, so every weekend I was in Studio City getting my plant based goodies for the week. If you’re interested in learning more about how I maintained good nutrition during pregnancy and how I’m continuing to do it through my breastfeeding journey, sign up for my biweekly newsletter.
The second best thing I did for my physical and mental health was continuing to practice yoga. It helped me be present in my body for the experience that my baby and I were having and it helped me manage my emotions from all the hormones. Thank you to One Down Dog in LA for being a block from my apartment and for offering prenatal yoga classes with Bobbi. Speaking of Bobbi, you don’t know this but you greatly influenced my pregnancy and birthing experience through the support you gave us in class and the many conversations we had about finding a doula. Thank you.
While on the topic of doulas, let’s talk about birth! When I found out that I was pregnant, I knew immediately that I wanted to have a natural home birth. There was something so intimate and spiritual about allowing my body to do what God created it to do in the comfort of my own home. I assembled my birthing team to include a midwife, a doula, my boyfriend, and close family members. I carefully mapped out everyone’s role for Kairo’s birthday and we had multiple conversations about expectations. My boyfriend and I had even taken birthing classes to prepare. We were ready for this!
Unfortunately, things did not go according to plan. I labored at home for 32 hours before being transferred to the hospital because I wasn’t dilating past 8cm fast enough. Kairo came 4 hours later. Being the Virgo that he is, my son wanted to come on his own terms, which I can’t even be mad about. From day one, my son has shown me his personality. He doesn’t do anything he doesn’t want to do. Him being born healthy was more important than him being born at home. For a while I felt like a failure because the home birth didn’t go as I had intended it to, but with time, I came to accept that my birth experience unraveled the way that it was meant to.
“I came to accept that my birth experience unraveled the way that it was meant to. ”
The moment I laid eyes on my sweet boy for the first time, I remember being in awe and astounded by the beauty of birth (and tired…I was very very tired). I’m so grateful to have created this life and to have been the channel that God used to bring this being Earth side. I don’t know what I ever did to deserve this beautiful soul. My life has changed completely and I can’t help but feel ViKtorious for the things I was able to do while pregnant and the miraculous thing my body did through birth. Pregnancy and birth can be unpredictable at times but us mamas are resilient. Have you taken the time to reflect on your pregnancy and birth experience? What are some of your pregnancy and birth stories? How did you come out a ViKtorious mama in it all?
