Birth is an experience share by people all over the world and yet each one is different. Listen in as mothers share the stories of their births and be empowered by the strength in their journey.
Kiana is a first time mother. As with many of us (myself included), for Kiana and Darrell this precious blessing was a suprise. She decided early on that she wanted to get the most from this experience and would do whatever was necessary to make that happen. She truly curated this journey with care and was kind enough to share it with us. Enjoy!
Before Labor
Leading up to our labor, Darrell and I put the car seat and stroller together (mostly Darrell lol), we went food shopping and cooked, went for a walk, had sex, took a nap and I’m so grateful to have gotten that nap in because I had no idea what was going to be ahead of me after that.
During Labor
The day before going into active labor, I explained to Darrell that I was told by Tashona that having sex multiple times a day with orgasm and ejaculation will help to loosen the cervix and induce labor. That day, we had sex and a few hours after sex as Darrell was sleeping like a baby I found myself taking a hot shower to relax the contractions that I began to feel.
During each stage of labor I was so in shock… I questioned what was actually happening. I really remember questioning each moment as the contractions intensified. I’d never felt contractions before so I kept trying to convince myself that the contractions were just Braxton Hicks and they were normal even though they intensified each hour AND Tashona told me I was experiencing active labor.
My thoughts moments before giving birth were “Omg, we’re really going to be leaving here with a baby and I’ll finally be able to sleep on my stomach again!”
I would describe my birth as Long and worth it. Labor lasted a pretty long time. At some point I got very nervous that I would just get sent home and I’d have to be stuck laboring at home for an extra week bc of how stubborn baby was.
After Labor
Just after giving birth I remember thinking “Wow he looks just like his father!” I was so in shock by the beautiful being that was sleeping before our eyes. It was such a beautiful moment and experience all together. I genuinely wish this feeling for every family expecting… especially new families! There are so many nerves that go along with labor and delivery but once it’s all over it’s one of the most euphoric kinds of feelings ever. All of the nerves completely go away when your beautiful baby is before you.
Our first few days and nights at home as a new family were definitely an adjustment. I’d felt so good for the most part after being in labor for over 40 hours (counting from first contraction to birth), I thought it was okay to do regular things and take care of a new born. But by day two at home it caught up to me. I wish I would’ve know how essential ibuprofen was after delivery because I had none at home and my body started to feel like it was shutting down. But thanks to the birthing center’s staff and the resources I had access to like our Doula, Tashona, I was able to get the advice I needed to take care of myself and tame the pain. More importantly I realized how important “less is more” actually is… meaning doing less during my recovery period — which to this day is still a hard concept for me to grasp especially as a mother but I will admit that I am getting better. Baby steps. Baby slept really hard his first few nights home so it was more time for us to admire him and take in the fact that he was finally a part of the family and we no longer had to wonder what he would look like and how he would react to us.
Final Thoughts
With the help of our AMAZING Doula, Tashona as well as the admirable team at the birthing center, our baby boy, Jordan Nasir Slade was brought in and surrounded by a lot of love upon his arrival. Though our baby was pretty stubborn during the labor process (our time at the birthing center alone was from 11am-9:30pm) I personally wouldn’t trade that exact experience for the world! Especially now that I have my sweet baby here. Everything happened exactly the way it was supposed to and I couldn’t be happier.