*Essence Atkins is a new mommy and there’s nothing better than that.
The 39 year old actress says that giving birth was the most “astonishing” thing she’s ever experienced.
“I’ll have these moments where I look at [my son] and I just can’t believe he’s mine,” she tells ESSENCE.com.
Atkins had to deal with an emergency C-section after enduring 40 hours of labor with her son Varro Blair Mendez.
The process was both rewarding and stressful, especially because her son was born with the chord wrapped around his ankle twice.
“We’ve been though a lot,” she says. “You go through all this suffering, but at the end of it, look what God gives you.”
Lil man is already making his demands at just a couple of weeks old. Mom says he’s a pro at breastfeeding and knows how to ask for it.
“He knew what to do from the moment they put him on me,” jokes Atkins.
Channeling her husband Jaime Mendez’s Latin roots, Varro’s first name is a Latin surname meaning “durable and strong.” The name Blair is one Atkins chose in honor of Mendez’s college friend of the same name who died a month before the two met on online dating site Match.com.
Congratulations Essence on your precious new baby. Glad everything turned out fine.