Hey there moms. My name is Aryiel, and I am a Single Superhero Mom, and the mother of a courageous four-year-old!
My journey as a single mom started with two words: Push. Playlist.
At 23, I had no idea how to start preparing for motherhood.
Just the sheer idea of giving birth was daunting.
Then, I read a blog post that recommended putting together a playlist for labor and delivery; music that would play while you, yes, pushed your child out into the world.
So, I created my “push playlist.”
I started by picking some of my favorite songs, and then opened it up to the people closest to me.
When my Dad threw his song into the mix, I deliberately placed it in the middle, thinking I would make it all the way to the end of the playlist during labor.
I could not have been more wrong.
My daughter was born on Christmas Day, 2013, and as the doctor entered the room, he looked at me at said, “Hello, looks like it’s time to push.”
So, I greeted my daughter with the introduction of my father’s song pick…
In the final moments of being pregnant, I heard the lyrics to Tupac Shakur’s famous piece, Hail Mary. By the end of the song, I had done it. I gave birth while crying my eyes out - not because of the pain - but because of the meaning behind those lyrics.
To this day, I see that push playlist as the first time I had to take responsibility and follow through as a mother. Now, five years later, I realize God threw me a “Hail Mary” to push me to be something more than what I ever imagined I could be.
Summary of Parts II and III: In part two of this series, Aryiel shares how she reconnected with her sense of self, and in part three she shares how she’s helping other single moms.
