Serena Williams and her husband Alexis Ohanian have for a long time been two of the most vocal celebrities about social causes. The two not only publically vocalize their thoughts but also take part in initiatives working towards the cause. One such major cause is the importance of maternal health in black parents.
In the recently published book Arrival Stories: Women Share Their Experiences of Becoming Mothers, authors Amy Schumer and Christy Turlington Burns penned down stories of women becoming mothers. In the list of women contributors to the book, one woman was Serena Williams. The 40-year-old gave birth to her daughter Olympia with husband Alexis Ohanian, in September 2017.
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The birth looked like a happy process in the visuals put out on social media during that time. However, listening to Serena, that clearly wasn’t the actual case.
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Back in 2010, Serena suffered one of the most traumatic medical ailments of her life. The 23-time Grand Slam champion was diagnosed with blood clots in her lungs. As per the former World No. 1, the blood clots, if not treated on time, could have been fatal.
In the book released on 5th April 2022, Williams confessed that since that incident, she has developed a sense of fear of such blood clots coming back. Recalling the cesarean section for Olympia’s birth, Williams opened up, saying that she was continuously insisting the nurse to give her the drug to control blood clots. However, the champion was constantly denied.
Unlike a normal delivery, a cesarian delivery comes with a long list of possible complications with it. Complications can worsen enough to take the mother’s life. One such complication is the bleeding of the C-section wound.
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Even though Serena showed disappointment at not receiving the blood-thinning drug, she didn’t shy away from accepting the reason behind it. However, even after knowing the reason, Serena claimed that she still felt it was necessary.
“The logic for not starting the blood thinners was that it could cause my C-section wound to bleed, which is true. Still, I felt it was important and kept pressing,” she wrote.
Going further, Serena asserted that during the whole phase, she suffered acute pain, restricting her from moving. “All the while, I was in excruciating pain. I couldn’t move at all—not my legs, not my back, nothing.”
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The post-delivery complications undoubtedly left Serena in a major traumatic condition. However, recalling her fierce on-court attitude, Serena left no stone unturned to recover from the trauma and enjoy her motherhood.
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Today, Serena and her 4.5 years-old daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. cherish a healthy relationship. The two often enjoy outings together. During the lockdown, Serena also started teaching Olympia tennis.
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Over her 2.5-decade long career, Serena has created an indispensable aura of herself. However, seeing Olympia’s tennis skills being a 4-year-old, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that Serena might have a competition soon.