Two months after my husband, my 9 year old daughter and I moved across the country to California - we found out that we had a bundle of joy on the way! For many reasons I was nervous - we were in a new state with no family or network. In addition, I was anxious about how my new employer was going to view this pregnancy announcement.

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For many reasons I was overjoyed - this was a new refreshing beginning since the last time I’d given birth before this- I was 19, in college, and working multiple jobs.

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The school I taught at, focused on healthy eating and did not allow students nor educators to bring any junk food on campus. Therefore, I was able to eat a healthy lunch for free everyday and they offered fresh fruits and vegetables from the garden. I traveled back to Brooklyn to my family and my in-laws to share the news with them.

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"I ate well, went for walks and swam."

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The following trimesters went by quickly. I ate well, went for walks and swims. We had a virtual gender reveal party. All of our east coast families voted on an online survey I created, then we cut the cake to reveal the gender. “IT’S A BOY!” We all jumped and shouted.

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On April 13th at 1 a.m. I began to feel contractions. I woke my husband up and we headed to the hospital. We arrived at approx. 2 a.m. When we arrived they immediately rushed me to the labor and delivery area. The nurse checked my cervix and determined that I was 6 cm dilated. She directed me to a room where my daughter was allowed to stay with us. Looking back, this was such a bonding time for our family and it played a role in my birth experience being so positive.

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I've decided to have a natural birth because I was frightened of the side effects of epidurals and drug injections. Chronic back pain months after labor were some of the horror stories I've heard, so I steered completely away from this for both of my births. I took deep breaths to cope with the contractions and my husband rubbed my back. The pain intensified but I kept laboring with the support of my husband. When the nurse came back in and checked me, she said it was time for me to start pushing.

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She called the doctor and everything seemed to go by so fast from there. My baby boy, Neziah was born at 6:20 a.m. at 8 pounds and 21 inches. I put him on my breast to start nursing immediately. He was so calm and relaxed. After 24 hours we were able to go home. We call him our Cali baby.

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"Taking daily walks, drinking water and eating nutritious foods had a big role in my overall experience."

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This pregnancy and birth went so well and I truly believe it is because I adopted healthy habits throughout. Taking daily walks, drinking water and eating nutritious foods had a big role in my overall experience. Reading books about not only pregnancy but also the postpartum period as well as joining online or in-person mommy groups is what I suggest for mothers to be.