“It took a long time to figure out who I wanted to be when I grew up. After 10 years to get a Bachelor’s in English, I was a stay-at-home-mom for the next 7. Initially, I had zero desire to follow in the footsteps of my mother, a WHNP.
Nevertheless, motherhood began my journey to nursing. The birth of my firstborn was not at all the natural delivery I’d dreamed of. After 75 hours of labor I wound up with an unplanned C-section due to a ‘ring of constriction’. My son and I were in the hospital an extra week, without the support of my active duty husband, who had to return to work less than 2 days after the birth.
For the next 2 years, I and my son dealt with multiple health issues and hospitalizations. It was abundantly clear that the quality of nursing care made all the difference. The good nurses made a terrible day brighter; the apathetic ones left us in both physical and emotional pain.
After moving to rural Wyoming for family support during a deployment, I was visiting a new church when an elderly woman began having an MI. I remember the overwhelming sense of helplessness I felt watching others rush to her aid, and the call to nursing I’d begun to feel solidified.
Being a military spouse makes any career challenging due to constant relocations. After 13 years of marriage and putting his career first, we agreed it was my turn. My husband is so supportive and we’re lucky to be in San Antonio long enough to finish my BSN.
Attaining school-life balance is challenging. Either I’m sacrificing study time or I’m sacrificing family time. Setting aside protected time like Friday family movie night is paramount.
Being almost 40 in school comes with its own set of challenges. Most of my peers are at such a different place in their lives, and they have freedoms that come with not having a spouse or children. Whether due to age, experience, or personality, I tend to take on leadership roles. I’ve been told I’m too aggressive, too direct, or too confident, but it can be easy for others to discount the life experiences that built who I am today. It took a long time to grow into this person and I won’t change just to fit in.”
In addition to being a military spouse and mother of three small children, I’m involved in our community in a variety of ways. I am one of the founding members and Treasurer of Parents In Nursing School (PINS) which supports the parents who make up almost a third of our May 2021 TBSN cohort. I am the Secretary of the Nursing Student Council (NSC) and the Secretary of the Student Government Association (SGA) for UT Health San Antonio. I’m an active member of the Black Student Nurses Association (BSNA), the Hispanic Student Nurses Association (HSNA), the National Student Nurses Association (NSNA), and frequently volunteer in the UT Health student-run clinics. My family and I are also very involved with San Antonio community who not only protest systemic racism but serve the community through food drives, feeding the unsheltered, voter registration drives, and community improvement. Although I grew up in San Antonio and lived here for nearly twenty years, I have never felt closer to my community than I do now.
Being a nursing student has nurtured my passion for women’s health. Although breastfeeding rates are on the rise across the board, Black and Hispanic women still have lower rates than their white counterparts, due in large part to systemic racism and a lack of representation in women’s health. The US has one of the highest Maternal/Fetal mortality rates in the world, and Black and Indigenous women and infants die at significantly higher rates than their White, Asian, and Hispanic counterparts.
The legacy of slavery and generational trauma cannot be ignored. During slavery, Black mothers often had to breastfeed white children at the cost of their own children’s health and survival. Lack of access to quality care is a significant influencer. Without the benefit of intersectional feminism, the pro-breastfeeding movement of the 60’s and 70’s focused on white women and little was done to address the challenges unique to Black and Indigenous communities. In another example of systemic racism, many providers assume BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) mothers don’t want to breastfeed, despite studies to the contrary. Lack of representation is another significant issue, especially among lactation consultants and birth workers. I believe any parent who wants to breastfeed should be given all the information, resources, and support necessary to succeed. I cannot ever fully understand the BIPOC experience but I can be anti-racist, work towards dismantling my own biases, support and amplify Black birth workers and professionals, and ensure that I am striving to give equitable care to all my future patients. Read my blog on breastfeeding here
Story: John Kouam, Photos: Sujaan Lal, Leah Wilson
Follow Leah on Instagram: @leahewilson