Dear Demi...

Y'all, this episode it just a vent session. I have so much on my mind and I just needed to get it out. Can y'all relate?

To be honest, this episode is all over the place and I debated with myself forever about whether or not I wanted to share it. I thrive off "compartmentalizing" things and focusing on one thing at a time and Demi was just not having it. So here you are... a front seat to "mom brain" lol. These are 5 things (really general things) I wish I would've known before getting pregnant/giving birth!

Welcome & welcome back! This week's episode is all about my first few moments and days postpartum. 

Welcome & welcome back y'all! So I took a break from my pregnancy, birth & postpartum story just to candidly share. Who knew hearing Nice For What by Drake while in cycling class this morning would result in this?? Not me, but I am glad it did. I feel like I am finally getting over this hump. The hump of postpartum depression. I was in deniable about being depressed until this moment. Not because of the stigma, but because I feel like what I was going through wasn't "terrible enough" to be categorized as PPD. I am grateful that God kept me and is continuing to keep and I am grateful for my village near and far. 

Finally... the birth of my baby! I know this was a long pregnancy, labor and delivery story, but well oh well. Lots happened. Thank you for being patient with me as I reflected on this part of the journey. So yes, I asked for a C-Section. 

Welcome or welcome back! Although it isn't in the title, this is part 2 of my pregnancy story! The pregnancy story continues because y'all.... 10 months is basically a year. During my second trimester, I started to connect with other moms through a social group, Kuzaliwa Kopana, which was truly transformative. We also hired our doula, Khadijah, who is the owner of @simply_zuri_birth. Hire a doula! There are programs that provide funds for Black women to have access to doulas. Also, a lot of doulas and birthworkers offer payments. Definitely a better investment of your money rather than spending it on baby clothes or a fancy stroller. The childbirth education course I completed was led by @nikialawson_doula trainer and it was FREE and packed with SO much valuable information! Also, wherever you listen to your podcasts.. just sift through the different podcasts about birth and motherhood. My faves are All About Pregnancy and Birth with @drnicolerankins, Empowered Black Doula & Birth In Color. Start researching, but take it all in chunks so you don't get overwhelmed!

Hey y'all & welcome back! Life is definitely lifing so it took a minute for me to show back up, but here I am. For this episode, I wanted to introduce myself formally and use these few prompts to share outwardly about myself and my values. Who are you and what made you want to share this moment with me today? Thanks for listening!

Wait, you came back to listen again? Look at you giving me yet another thing to be thankful for. This weeks episode is all about the beginning of my pregnancy dating back to me finding out I was pregnant, who I told first, how I told Karlos, and where I think I started off wrong with this journey. If you are pregnant now, my advice is to get connected with other moms near you that are not your family or friends. 

Well, yup you stumbled across another pregnancy, birth and new mommy podcast. My name is Jamesia and I am your "host" lol, but I am excited for you to join me on this journey of openly reflecting about my version of mommy hood. This podcast is really for me to reflect and talk to myself out loud about what I have experienced so far and what I will continue to experience as a new mom. I do hope through my perspective and understanding of this new life, it will spark something in you as a parent or someone who knows a parent. Ultimately, I hope to share this work with my daughter one day so she will know . This will probably be funny, messy, cringey, cute and everything in between. So cheers to Starting Somewhere...