Love Nakia

Sooooo, I had a baby!! LOL Pregnancy was hard on my body but I have no regrets. I was hoping to get the girl I’ve always dreamed of, but God had different plans and I can’t be mad at that. I am now a #BoyMom and I love it. After having time to think about it, it really is for the best. My “me time” is actually just me, my sons and my husband absolutely adore me and who doesn’t want that.

My birthing experience was much different this time around and while different is what I wanted it still wasn’t what I was hoping for. Shout out to my doctors though because they put the effort in to getting me what I wanted my body just didn’t cooperate. In America it is common for African American women to be ignored and forced into induction, heavy medication, cesarean’s, and formula feeding. I wanted natural birth with low dose medication and breastfeeding. My oldest had to be a c-section due to him being wrapped in his cord and not descending during labor. The youngest was a c-section because although contractions were coming he was not ready to descend, he apparently liked it where he was and wanted to stay lol. What I loved this time around was I was given a choice to have the c-section or wait it out a lil longer. My gut told me to have the c-section. And I am glad I did. My baby had swallowed meconium and caused some minor lung blockage.

If I had waited it could have been life altering for him. Instead it was just life altering for me. My baby had to go straight to NICU and put on a CPAP. I did not get to hold him after birth, I missed golden hour and the hospital “tried” to make me wait 24hrs before seeing him. That absolutely wasn’t happening, they said I had to be able to stand and put pressure on my legs/feet to be able to go and see him. I laid in bed mad at everyone, exhausted and working my legs and feet so they could be strong enough to stand. By 7pm just 6.5 hours after his birth I was ready. From my understanding other moms on the floor were still bedridden and not able to get up just yet. But there was nothing going to keep me from my baby. He needed me, he needed my touch and my breast milk to get better. At 8pm I went to NICU and held him and nursed him, while he still had all types of cords, at Midnight he started getting better and they started removing cords, I nursed him at 1am and he only had 1 cord left. At 4 am all cords were removed. At 7am his dr said he just needed monitoring and at 10am my baby was free to leave the NICU.  Less than 24 hrs he was released from NICU!

Understanding just what a mother’s milk can really do is amazing. Without it my son could have spent many days in NICU. I am forever grateful that my son did not have long lasting issues. I’m thankful for his doctors and mine. He is a very happy 3-month baby right now. I missed out on connecting and bonding in the first hours but make no mistake about it he knows who mommy is. We have loved on each other all day every day for the last 3 months.