Serena Williams Opened Up About Her Nearly Fatal C-Section

Serena Williams recently opened up about her traumatic birth experience with her daughter, Olympia Ohanian. The tennis star — regarded as the G.O.A.T. by many — attended a FridaMom event with Chelsea Hirschhorn, founder and CEO of the motherhood-centric brand on Thursday.

During the panel, Williams was asked about her postpartum journey and why she felt it was necessary to tell her story. As the athlete previously shared in a first-person account for CNN, she almost died after having a C-section due to complications.

"I shared because I always try to be very authentic, and I was just sharing this story as something that happened to me," she said. "Earlier, we were discussing how so many women don't speak their truth, but I think it's so important that you do. When I talk to my friends, I tell them, 'No one tells you this, but by the way, A, B, C and D happens.' So, I'm super honest about it. For me, when I shared my story, I didn't think I was doing anything different. It's just me."

She also went on to highlight the difficulties Black women face in the healthcare system. "You have to really advocate for yourself, especially women of color, because we are often treated differently in hospitals in general across the country and actually across the globe," she said. "So, if you have a platform, you should use it to the best of your abilities to tell the truth about things that need to be heard."

Serena was joined by fellow mothers Jeannie Mai Jenkins and Chrissy Teigen, who also shared their stories. Teigen was applauded by the audience for being open about her pregnancy loss in 2020 and her decision to share the news of her son Jack's death with the public.