The Birth of Zhuri

Birth story by the incredible Iyana Perry. Images by Hailey Moses Striebich.

This birth is one of the most emotional and joyful I have ever attended. The love of Iyana’s family was palpable in the room that day. Watching the way that Iyana was loved so fiercely and tenderly by her sister and godmother is something I’ll never forget. This is truly a story of the power and strength of women. Iyana is an amazing mother and person, and she absolutely ROCKED her birth. I am SO excited to share her birth story, in her own words. -Hailey

I found out I was pregnant taking my little cousin to school in the morning. I just knew I was, but I wasn't too sure. I felt a little sick and emotional. The line was faint, so I got 4 more tests and they all came back positive. I was hesitant to tell my sister, Sophia, because she was excited but also not excited about my first pregnancy with my son, Zyaire. But with this pregnancy, she was excited. When I found out that this baby was a girl, I was disappointed because I wanted all boys. But over time, I became more excited, and now that she's here, it's just perfect.

For my second birth, I was hoping to have a natural birth and do most of my laboring at home. I feel like I mostly got everything that I hoped for.

July 2nd, I was cleaning the house and having contractions, but I thought that they were just Braxton Hicks until I had some bloody show at 8:52pm. I called my doula, Hailey, to tell her, and she told me to rest if I felt like I could. I laid down in the bed, and my contractions started to get more intense but I still thought they were Braxton Hicks. I think maybe I was in shock that I was in labor. Throughout the night, my sister Sophia kept checking on me. She called my husband, Willie, to come home. I kept having to go to the bathroom, and it got a little hard to walk. I kept going to the bathroom and then laying down, and Sophia kept checking on me. Around 2:30am, the contractions became unbearable, and we decided to go to the hospital. Sophia called my doula, Hailey, to come join us at the hospital.

When we got to the hospital, we had to check in. Sophia did everything: signing the papers, answering the questions. They were really full that night and there were no labor rooms available, and so they told me that I would have to labor in a triage room. They got me undressed and everything. They wanted me to pee in a cup, but I couldn't because of a contraction. They checked my cervix, and I was 5-6cm, and that's when they told me that I was going to have a baby tonight. I was a little nervous! I was trying not to get an epidural. Sophia and Willie came back to the room. I asked about my doula, and Sophia said that she was on the way.

I was laboring, and the doctor, Dr. Lex (Lex Auguiste) came in to introduce himself. Having a Black doctor was very inspiring and reassuring. I didn't expect that, and it made me feel safe. He was amazing. He was patient, caring, kind, and reassuring. He checked my cervix again, and he said I was 6-7cm. My labor moved pretty fast. I was nervous when I met the doctor, because with my first child, I only saw the doctor briefly. But this doctor stayed through my whole labor and delivery. He was amazing.

A little bit later, the contractions were worse than I expected and worse than in my first labor. This was a whole other level, and I decided that I needed an epidural. They called the anesthesiologist, but she had to come from home to do the epidural. It was hard to wait for her. Sophia kept saying that I could do it, but I said NO, I cannot. When the anesthesiologist came in the room, I said "You are so beautiful." She was the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen in my life. This epidural was so much better than my epidural with my son. She taped me up, and I was on cloud 9. I felt amazing. She stayed also throughout my birth, and kept coming back to check on me.

My doula arrived, and I felt relieved, happy, and excited to see her. She set up fairy lights and battery candles to make the room more comfortable. The hospital staff had told me I could only have 2 visitors at a time because we were in a small room, but it was very important to me to have my sister (Sophia), my godmother (Angela), my partner (Willie), and my doula (Hailey) all in the room. Having everyone in the room with me made me feel safe, calm, and supported. Family means everything to me, and having a child is a big moment. Especially my sister, who is my best friend. And my godmother is my other mom, who literally helped raise me. Having them there meant everything to me. And having Willie there to see his child born meant a lot. That's when my doula worked her magic and asked them to make an exception about visitors. The nurse said she needed to call her supervisor, but then they just talked to the other nurses and they decided just to allow all visitors to stay.

The doctor checked my cervix, and I was 8cm. He also broke my water. And it was on from there. I napped a little bit and listened to some music. I remember hearing Sophia and my godmom laugh, and it made me feel good. The epidural started to wear off a little, and I got another dose. I napped a little bit more. The doctor came in to check on me again.

As I got further along in my labor, that's when the baby's heart rate started to drop. My emotions were everywhere, because I remembered my first baby's heart rate dropping, and I felt badly for choosing to get the epidural again and like I caused it. Everyone was reassuring me, but I felt like it was my fault. The doctor asked to place an internal fetal monitor because the external monitor kept slipping. I was hesitant, but then I heard Willie say "do it." He didn't say anything else throughout the labor. So I decided to say yes. After that, we were able to see that the baby's heart rate was dropping tremendously. That's what really scared me and made me feel really bad. They had me switch positions to hands and knees. My legs were weak from the epidural so it was challenging, and the weight was hurting. I kept trying to lean back, but her heart rate would drop again. But her heart rate did go back up and stayed steady. The anesthesiologist had also asked about giving me a third dose of medication, but the doctor advised me not to because I was already at least 8cm and probably close to delivery.

The doctor had told me to let him know if I felt pressure. I didn't feel pressure yet, but about 5 minutes later I did. I laid on my back, and I kept asking, "is it too late to get more medication through my epidural?" But the doctor said that he didn't want me to get more medication so that I could push. I'm really glad that I didn't get more medication now, because I wanted to experience the whole ordeal of childbirth. And to say that I somewhat did it without an epidural because it had worn off my delivery makes me feel a lot better.

The doctor checked my cervix, and he said it was time to push. I had a wave of emotions. The epidural had worn off, and I was really there and it was time. I've waited 9 months for this, and now I'm really here and it's time to meet my child. Holy sh**. I remember pushing. This doctor did my birth a lot differently from my first. This delivery was uncomfortable, but it felt a lot better and smoother than my first. The pushing was very quick. In the middle of pushing I tried to close my legs. It was just a reflex. The doctor said, "You can't close your legs, but you can do this! You're almost there!" I had to relax for a second, and I remember saying, "I can't do this!" But then there was one last push, and little mama was here. Pushing was my favorite moment of the whole experience, because when you feel like you can't do something and then you do, it feels like you conquered the world.

Sophia was hugging me as my baby was born. That's the picture that sends chills up my spine. Having someone feel that happy about your accomplishment and seeing the light in her eyes is just a wave of emotions. I feel so thankful to have that moment captured.

When I saw my baby for the first time, it was amazing. It was scary, because during my pregnancy I worried about everything that could go wrong and didn't feel like a good mother. But seeing her, just made everything better. Seeing her face reassured me that I could do it. My godmom told me that it may sound crazy, but that if you question your parenting and feel like a bad mom, then you are a good mom.

Everything about having a doula was meaningful for me. Meeting someone new that could make me feel comfortable and make me feel loved and part of a family was really amazing. Hailey is flipping amazing! I can't put into words how thankful I am for her and what she's done for me and how comfortable she made me feel. And having pictures of my birth makes me feel grateful and joyful. I look at them every day.

Giving birth and becoming a mother has made me more patient, more sleepy, and want more and better for myself and for my children. I'm more positive about life now.

Couldn’t be prouder of you, Iyana. YOU DID IT!!!!!!!!! -Hailey