The superstar athlete tells the story of her daughter's birth in an anthology collected by Amy Schumer and Christy Turlington Burns.
Serena Williams is taking her fans into the harrowing first moments after her daughter, Olympia, was born.
In a personal essay adapted from Arrival Stories: Women Share Their Experiences of Becoming Mothers, an anthology collected by Amy Schumer and Christy Turlington Burns and shared with Elle, the 40-year-old superstar athlete opens up about how advocating for herself after giving birth saved her life.
Describing the discovery of her pregnancy as her body having "switched allegiances," Williams explains how her body before Olympia was dedicated to tennis and since becoming a mother "the stakes of the game have shifted for me."
"My body has belonged to tennis for so long. I've suffered every injury imaginable, and I know my body," she writes. "When I found out I was pregnant two days before the 2017 Australian Open, my body had already switched allegiances. Its purpose, as far as it was concerned, was to grow and nurture this baby that had seemingly materialized, unplanned... Since I've had my baby, the stakes of the game have shifted for me. I have 23 Grand Slams to my name, more than any other active player. But winning is now a desire and no longer a need."
"I have a beautiful daughter at home; I still want the titles, the success, and the esteem, but it’s not my reason for waking up in the morning. There is more to teach her about this game than winning," she adds. "I've learned to dust myself off after defeat, to stand up for what matters at any cost, to call out for what's fair -- even when it makes me unpopular. 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 has spoken out about her traumatic birth experience before, and in her essay, she breaks down the chaos of her birthing room from the "meetings going on without me" to her intense need for "calm, affirmative direction." Her doctor provided that for her when she makes the decision that Williams will have a C-section, which the athlete says left her "relieved to let go."
"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," she explains. "We went from this intense, seemingly endless process to a clear plan for bringing this baby into the world."
It was Williams' post-birth experience that became a battle to have her agency be respected and heard. As a Black woman, her struggle isn't uncommon, a fact that Williams acknowledges herself.
"In the U.S., Black women are nearly three times more likely to die during or after childbirth than their white counterparts. Many of these deaths are considered by experts to be preventable," she shares. "Being heard and appropriately treated was the difference between life or death for me; I know those statistics would be different if the medical establishment listened to every Black woman’s experience."
Williams describes how none of the nurses around her were "really listening to what I was saying" until Williams could speak with her doctor and demand a CAT scan of her lungs after multiple surgeries.
"I fought hard, and I ended up getting the CAT scan. I’m so grateful to her," she writes. "Lo and behold, I had a blood clot in my lungs, and they needed to insert a filter into my veins to break up the clot before it reached my heart."
Williams has since bounced back from her postpartum complications and is often giving her fans looks into her sweet bond with 4-year-old Olympia. From their adorable jumpsuits at the King Richard premiere to their luxe loungewear and iconic tennis looks, they can't be beaten!
And the tennis champion hasn't ruled out having more children with husband Alexis Ohanian in the future. In February, the tennis champ told ET that she's figuring out the timing when it comes to having more kids.
"I definitely want to have more kids, it's just like, balance is key, you know, and just trying to find that balance," she shared. "I don't know, it's always like, OK, are we ready? And I know the clock is ticking so I'm just like, OK, I need to figure out when that's going to be, but hopefully soon when I will feel no pressure."
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