The stunning Cecille Cervancia, Langston (3) and Caden (17 months)
Cecille had a healthy pregnancy with Langston until he she went into labor at 36 weeks. He was ultimately born via cesarean and while he was preterm, he was healthy. After not having the birth she had desired, Cecille was very much looking forward to a positive breastfeeding relationship but struggled with many issues. From supply to plugged ducts and mastitis that eventually led to an abscess she had a very rough start. She was on more rounds of antibiotics than she can recall and though she was encouraged to stop breastfeeding entirely, was determined to push through. After surgery to drain her abscess, she carried on and it eventually healed, all while continuing to nurse Langston.
Langston's pregnancy had been very much planned, and while they had hoped to have more children eventually didn't plan to conceive again so quickly. Cecille had just begin to settle into her pregnancy when she started laboring at just 20 weeks. In the hospital, Cecille met with many specialists who cautioned her that her baby was coming and may not survive, or that if the baby did survive, their life would be incredibly complex. Finally, a doctor came in who offered to place a cerclage to attempt to close her cervix which she considered over night. Cecille decided to go for the cerclage in hopes of staying pregnant for longer and the surgery was successful despite her being much more dilated than the doctor had thought. She was sent home on bed rest and remained pregnant until she got up to use the bathroom at 32+6 weeks and felt a huge gush of blood. Thankfully, Cecille's mother was with her as she continued to bleed and seize. Her husband rushed them to the hospital where she was prepped for a crash cesarean and it was determined she had a placental abruption.
Walking up alone with her baby in the NICU was incredibly difficult and it was 14 hours before Cecille was able to see her son. He spent the next month in NICU before coming home but has been in good health since. Amazingly, through it all Cecille has been able to successfully tandem breastfeed both of her boys and is very much enjoying the ease of that relationship.
"I have a desire to see women of color stories. By learning about this project I saw this as an opportunity to contribute my personal journey. "