"It’s more dangerous for me to give birth than it was for my mother"- Allyson Felix opens up on her pregnancy experience and the lessons she learned

Mother of one, Allyson Felix recently opened up on her pregnancy experience and the mind-changing lessons she learned from it. The 37-year-old gave birth to her daughter Camryn on November 2018 after undergoing an emergency C-section surgery. Felix’s overall pregnancy experience showed her a darker side of getting pregnant.

Felix continued living a normal lifestyle after announcing her pregnancy. She would regularly work out and be blessed with proper medical care. However, 10 weeks after her baby shower, when the seven-time Olympic gold medalist visited her doctor for a routine checkup, she was stunned to learn about her condition.

Felix’s doctor revealed that she was suffering from a severe case of preeclampsia, a high blood pressure disorder in pregnant women.

In a recent interview clip shared by the official Instagram page of Time, the athlete expressed how she felt learning about her condition.

"At that point, I did not even know what that meant. I’m a professional athlete, well-educated. I felt like had excellent medical care and so to be sitting there in the hospital and realizing that something is really wrong was terrifying to me," she said.

Allyson Felix was immediately sent for an emergency C-section surgery to avoid further complications. She gave birth to her daughter, who was a seven-month premature baby, on November 28, 2018. While Allyson Felix recovered from high blood pressure in the following weeks, her daughter spent about a month in the NICU.

Although Felix and her daughter were safe after their tough battles, the entire experience left the athlete with immense learning.

"I feel so grateful because my eyes were just open. There are so many mothers who don’t survive to raise their children. It was a personal experience," she elaborated.

"It just showed me the reality of giving birth and being a black woman here in America and that it’s more dangerous for me to give birth than it was for my mother. That’s just wild to me," Felix added.

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Allyson Felix’s fight with Nike

Felix at World Athletics Championships Oregon22 - Day Nine

Right after battling her pregnancy complication, Allyson Felix had to face the unjustified pay cut by her sponsor brand Nike. Her contract with Nike expired in 2017. However, when she was negotiating her contract renewal with Nike, she received a 70 percent pay cut, allegedly because she was pregnant.

Moreover, after her delivery, Felix still did not receive any maternity support and was forced to participate in championships. As a result, the athlete took the courageous decision of cutting off from Nike and eventually joined Athleta.

Presently, she also runs her new shoe brand Syash, specially designed for female athletes.