#ivymomz

I was living my best black mama lyfe🖤 I was 8 months pregnant waddling around the halls of Galen! I would come home after working full time and do notes, take quizzes, complete DBAs, prep meals, even clean . It felt like the semester would have never ended, but it did! I walked away with 3 B’s and an A. That was the hardest I’ve ever worked in a semester. Working full time, being pregnant, managing my relationship and in nursing school tested all my strengths. Between driving to St. Pete, doctor visits, midnight exams, date nights, and maintaining the apartment, no second was left unspent! I realized you got to push your self to see what you can truly handle. After I completed that semester I knew that having Zhen Ivy at the time I did ensured my success. I didn’t procrastinate anymore I didn’t make excuses I got shit done.

I cherish my Sunday’s it’s my day to get organized for the week. It’s my laundry day, my meal prep day, my extra study day, but most importantly my journal day. I’ve learned that by creating or writing what you want, you slowly become what you see for yourself. It’s easier to reach your goals if you know what to do to get there. Drix and I love creating an energy to be more and do more. We want Zhen Ivy to grow up seeing us investing our energies into what we believe in. For me that’s investing time as a student nurse, for Drix it’s having patience with creating and owning his small business. She’ll learn great work has great reward. With every day we hope she’s learning the little lessons we teach her.

As a nursing student I’ve always noticed in healthcare literature there’s a difference between in the treatment of black and white patients. So when I read this Harvard article on Maternal Death in the US, I sorta expected nothing less. At our most vulnerable time, we still have to ensure our words are being heard, our pain is not being avoided. Black women are 3-4x more likely to die in childbirth than white women, education having nothing to do with it. There’s something inherently wrong with the system that’s not valuing the lives of black women equally to white women. Black Maternal Health week is from April 11-15. Let’s celebrate our #blackmamas and bring awareness to the cause 🤱🏽