Akasi
Montclair, 91763
As I navigated the various systems involved in my perinatal experience, I was anxious, afraid, and not sure if my partner and I were making the correct choices, and I remember feeling like I needed assurance. I wanted to feel seen, listened to, heard – not just for myself but for my child – growing within my womb and then out of my body.
I still think about what occurred when I reported high blood pressure and abdominal pains at 13 weeks of pregnancy, and again, reporting vaginal bleeding and pain during my six-week postpartum checkup after my son’s birth. I recall those occurrences and failures in care: having to repeat what I felt and experienced during pregnancy, worrying about my son’s well-being as he grew inside me, but being dismissed. I answered questions that didn’t reflect my home situation, hesitant to be honest about certain things for fear of being accused of being an unfit mother. I was told that what I was experiencing (vaginal bleeding) was not what I thought it was. I couldn’t connect with my provider because they felt it necessary to remind me I was working within a system designed for supposed health, not one centered around care.
I was so overwhelmed by everything happening—internally and externally—that my attempt to advocate for myself & my son at the time, now feels like a duty: ensuring other Mamas feel supported & cared for during such a transformative and vulnerable time in their lives. That is what we deserve and what we absolutely should receive when seeking care for not only ourselves, but also our growing families.
