In an op-ed for Elle Magazine, Serena Williams opens up about her medical struggles while giving birth to her now four-year-old daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr.

As a world-class athlete, Williams has experienced a fair share of trials and tribulations, but giving birth would prove to be one of her most challenging.

“Giving birth to my baby, it turned out, was a test for how loud and how often I would have to call out before I was finally heard,” Williams wrote.

Initially, Serena Williams’ pregnancy journey was “wonderful” and she enjoyed the time for the most part, but then it became time to welcome Alexis into the world. Williams was not yet on epidural and she relied on her breath and the techniques she had acquired through birth training. With each contraction, the baby’s heart rate would swiftly decrease and Williams would have to turn on her side to restore it to normalcy. As contractions increased Williams was notified by doctors that she would be having a C-Section because time was running out. At this moment, Williams learned the beauty of letting go.

“Since it was my first child, I really wanted to have the baby vaginally, but I thought to myself, ‘I’ve had so many surgeries, what’s another one?’ Being an athlete is so often about controlling your body, wielding its power, but it’s also about knowing when to surrender. I was happy and relieved to let go; the energy in the room totally changed. We went from this intense, seemingly endless process to a clear plan for bringing this baby into the world,” Serena Williams wrote.

Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr.

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