When Mielle Organics founder and CEO Monique Rodriguez awakened in ache in the course of the eighth month of her being pregnant along with her son Milan, she knew one thing was incorrect.
The then-registered nurse and mom was already no stranger to high-risk being pregnant and rushed to the hospital. To her shock, she was discharged as an alternative of admitted for monitoring. Milan, who misplaced oxygen to his mind in the course of the ordeal and was born with out mind exercise, died six months later.
As a result of she needed to return to work proper after the loss, Rodriguez wanted one thing to assist herself course of. She started posting textured hair styling ideas and tutorials on social media and, feeling inspired, launched her textured haircare model Mielle Organics with simply 100 bottles of 1 product in 2014. Now, she’s opening up about her inspiring profession trajectory and journey to assist others in her new guide, The Glory In Your Story, out April 15.
Rodriguez’s guide “emphasizes the significance of perseverance via laborious instances and the energy of unyielding religion and persistence,” a synopsis reads. In it, readers can uncover easy methods to “lean on the ability of perseverance and get again on observe after setbacks by tackling what comes subsequent with poise and energy.”
Beneath in an unique excerpt shared with PEOPLE, Rodriguez shares the heartbreaking second she first knew one thing with going incorrect with Milan.
Grief is just not predictable. We will not schedule it or pack it away into neat little compartments, hoping it is going to dissolve over time. As an alternative, grief turns into a part of who we’re. I’m undecided I really understood grief till I misplaced my son. Although I held on to hope and constructed a powerful religion from the expertise, I knew deep down that my life — our lives — would by no means be the identical. To not point out that grief doesn’t look the identical for everyone.
The best way I grieved our loss was very totally different from the best way Melvin grieved. And but we each leaned into that course of as a lot as we may. Generally extra, generally much less. The years since our son’s passing has taught us that avoiding grief doesn’t reduce its weight; if something, it compounds the ache.
Solely after we sit with it, acknowledging its presence, can we totally start to heal.
The day earlier than I went into labor, at eight months, I used to be at house with the women. It was August 2013 and Melvin had gone to a household gathering. That stands out in my reminiscence as a result of I went to mattress alone that evening, which was uncommon for us. Melvin returned house between 11 p.m. and midnight and shortly fell asleep subsequent to me.
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About an hour later, a pointy, intense ache in my stomach startled me out of my sleep. I grabbed Mel and when he noticed the ache on my face, he instantly jumped into motion.
“I’m taking you to the hospital now!” he mentioned as he helped me off the bed.
I used to be terrified. We’d already had an emergency C-section with our second daughter, so each of us have been afraid that we have been about to undergo the identical factor once more.
Melvin rushed to get up the women, leaving them each of their pajamas and placing them within the automobile. The following factor I knew, we have been rushing off to the hospital.
“Take me to Methodist Hospital, the place I had Mackenzie,” I mentioned.
My preliminary thought was to go to Methodist as a result of it was nearer. I didn’t know the way quick these pains would come, and the very last thing I needed was for one thing horrible to occur whereas we have been nonetheless on the best way.
Will Sterling
“No, I’m taking you the place the medical doctors know you!”
He was proper. The medical doctors didn’t know me at Methodist. And I firmly consider that the rationale why I ended up needing an emergency C-section with Mackenzie was due to that. The physician who did my surgical procedure reduce my uterus vertically as a result of she claimed that was the one solution to get Mackenzie out and save her life. Sadly, that vertical incision would create an issue for me in any future being pregnant — together with the one with my son.
As soon as we arrived on the hospital, the nursing workers took me straight to the labor and supply ground. Once they positioned me on the monitor, I heard my son’s heartbeat and instantly knew it wasn’t regular. I’d spent years as a labor and supply nurse so I understood the severity of the state of affairs. Sadly, the nurses didn’t appear to have the identical urgency I did.
Almost incoherent with ache, I cried out, “The place’s the physician? The place’s the physician?!”
As a Black lady, the fact of race-based maternal well being disparities is private and heartbreaking. Too many people usually are not heard after we converse up about ache or issues throughout being pregnant, or we’re dismissed by healthcare professionals who overlook our voices and issues due to biases and stereotypes supported by their textbooks. This erasure prices lives — each of moms and infants.
And these experiences, our experiences, usually are not imagined. There may be loads of information that reveals an alarming development the place Black ladies are three to 4 instances extra more likely to die from pregnancy-related issues. We should be heard. We should be handled with respect and given the care that ensures our survival and the survival of our youngsters.
And but, at that time, there was a lot stalling occurring. Apparently, the hospital didn’t have a single on-call physician obtainable, so that they needed to name somebody in. In the meantime, the pains saved coming and I may really feel my child in misery. It felt like I waited an hour for the physician to lastly present up, however it was probably solely about half-hour. It didn’t matter although. It was half-hour too lengthy when a child’s coronary heart price is down.
When the physician lastly arrived, they rushed me to the working room and did a C-section — the very factor we have been hoping to not expertise.
My child boy was born at 1:40 a.m.
“Is my son okay?”
These have been my first phrases after I awakened from the surgical procedure. The look on my mom’s face — Melvin had known as her whereas we have been on our solution to the hospital — advised me the whole lot I wanted to know. It wasn’t good. My coronary heart began beating wildly in my chest.
Taken from “The Glory in Your Story: Activating a Fearless Religion to Change your Life, Your Profession, and the World,” by Monique Rodriguez. Copyright ©2025 by Monique Rodriguez. Utilized by permission of Thomas Nelson.
The Glory in Your Story: Activating a Fearless Faith to Change Your Life, Your Career, and the World by Monique Rodriguez is on sale now, wherever books are bought.
