And I'm just going to say this is Boris Solis, and I'm interviewing for
Creative Push on December 15, 2016 at Uh, 420.
Can you say your name and your age for me? Katrina Cheana? I'm 50 years
old. Will you like bring me back to your childhood and this idea of, you
know, the family home and what birth was like um you know, in your
household. Well, um, as I was growing up. I had like um. Not really good
life. When I was a baby, because, um, I had some kind of um. Uh, how would
I say?
Little bit of a like a disease, something. And
My parents told me that they took me to one of the hot springs, and they
gave me a bath. And
I guess that water is like. I don't know, but it healed good on my skin.
And then that's when I started making progress.
So as I was growing up, I usually used used to have um.
Tonsils all the time. And then finally, they had to take him out. I was
always sick. Bringing me home. Um, But after that, I had a good life. Did
your um mom ever talk to you about the way your birth, you being born?
That was it. But I mean, um, like the process and that it was in the home
or, oh no, she never told me so at that part I don't even know. So the
only thing that they told me was when they brought me home. That was it,
but I don't even know where from. Oh, so you don't know if you were born
in your house or not? Oh, that's interesting. Do you know if any of your
other sisters or brothers were? Um, I have no idea. Probably they do, but
they just never say anything. Why do you think that is that people don't
talk to their family about that stuff? I don't know. That's weird, huh?
Yeah, because it's very interesting to know your birth story. Oh yeah. So
, um, were you prepared for when you got pregnant and were giving birth?
Um, Yeah, I was. Did anyone talk to you about the process and what to
expect, um.
Some people ask me like in the mornings, do I get morning sickness? And
then I asked them what's that? cause I never did. And then with all three
of them. But um. The first one, I had a hard time giving birth because she
had tubes on her on her neck. And then I almost had um.
We almost died, me and her. So they they rushed us to uh ER. And then the
doctor tried to. Turn her, but They couldn't And then they were gonna do
the C-section. And then I thought to myself, no, I don't want that cause I
don't wanna have a uh uh what's that bug's name? Can Like a centipede
Centipede, yeah. So I started pushing. Until the baby came out, but then I
had a blackout. So it was scary. Did you lose a lot of blood? Yes, I did.
But they didn't give me any anything, so I was OK. Did you have family
with you? Yes, my sister. That that was the time I um. My mom passed away
already, but I had my dad still.
So he was there, my sister was there, my sister-in-law, and then my other
sister, and my niece, so they were all there. And then the dad was there
too, and then the grandma. So they were all there. Supporting us?
Were they, were they, were they all in the hospital room with you, or were
they in the waiting room, uh, the waiting room because they had to rush me
to the ER to get my, uh, either the The C-section or either way. So I did
it myself to give birth. So where were you rushed from? Uh, to a room, to
a room where I was about to give birth. So the baby started, I mean, the
baby stopped uh her heartbeat. And then they had to rush me, then they
turned me over. Then they had to rush me to uh ER. And you still gave
birth vaginally, yeah, I did. And the baby was OK, yes. But she, when she
came out, she was like kind of blue. But they gave her that oxygen, so
everything went well. Was she quiet at first, yeah, she was. I thought it
was scary. Scary.
Did you know the sex? The boy or girl, um, after I woke up, they tell me
that it was a girl. I was like, cool. So you, you pushed her out and then
passed out immediately. Yeah. Cuz I was too tired. Well you lost a lot of
blood, yeah.
So then did you stay at the hospital for a few days, um, just 2 days, yeah.
That was it, so we were doing good and then had to like um. Every other
day we had to go down. To see us for like 2 weeks just for follow up,
follow up. Did um, did you have a name picked out? Did you know, I mean,
were you expecting, you didn't weren't expecting for a girl, so. See,
that's what um they usually do like our tradition way. They don't give out
names, but now they have to because of the um. Issues in hospitals.
So that's why they have to choose name.
Not unless if the baby is baptized in the hospital. So, so what is the
traditional way? How did you do it, uh? I didn't give any. It was like uno
baby girl chenona, so I had to bring her home. And then after that we had
to uh ask for Uh, the godparents, who's gonna be the godparents. So I
chose my, my uncle and my sister-in-law.
So, but they're both um gone too, so they passed away. And did they name
her? Yes. How many names, just the 12,
the first name and the middle name. So it's Brian and Dane.
Yes, that's lovely. And so were you named the same way? Were you had your
godparents that named you? Yeah. Do the parents ever not like the name
they give him? Some do. And some, it's OK. Yeah.
So was it uh different for your 2nd birth, Your 2nd baby, my 2nd birth was
easy.
As um I was sitting over here and then I was like, just like cramping or
something. So I went into the to the restroom. And then my back broke. So
I had to call in. Then they rushed me down. As we were going down, there
was an accident right by uh Zia. Is it, is it going down going into
Bertolio, so we asked one of the uh cops if they could let us go. So they
talked and then they escort us down. So they told us to turn the uh
emergency, I mean the The lights on, so we did. Then we kept on going as
we went down to Purse. We got stopped by again by a cop, and then he asked
why our emergency lights were on. So we told him. So he was the one that
escorted down to Presbyterian. That's why I gave my kids to birth,
Presbyterian.
So when I went in there, as they were looking at me, the baby's head was
out already. So just like about 2 seconds, he was out. It was fast. And
then the doctor was getting ready. As he was getting ready, the nurse came
over and just, cause I almost dropped the baby I was giving birth.
Yeah, so that's how I, when, so when you were in the bathroom, what was
the water breaking like? It was hot, burning hot. Like boiling water.
Cuz they kind of like burned me on the sides on my thighs.
Well, if you think about your internal body temperature, right, it's like
98 degrees. Interesting. Yeah, um, so then, had you, so did you have the
godparent pick godparents again and do the same naming tradition with your
second birth? Yes. It was, it was my uh sister and my brother. Yeah. So
they had to name her. My sister had to name him Joseph. Joseph Marquez is
his name. Did you nurse your children? A little. But they keep on beating
my nipples, so I stop I said no more. So So then you just went to formula
, yeah. Yeah. It's it nursing is challenging. It is very.
Yeah.
But he had a good life. It's just one thing that he has asthma. When he
was growing up. I used to hate Christmas.
Why? Because, um, he would get asthma attacks and then we'll be there
after the holidays till the holidays are over. I wonder why. I don't know.
Cause, uh,
Like if he gets sick this week, then we'll be there for like 2.5 weeks.
I used to hate Christmas. Yeah, interesting, yeah. So, um, have you
witnessed any other births? Did you go for any of um, no. Have you ever
been a godparent? Just one. Uh, Marlena. Yes. I had to choose a name for
her. So I named her um Marlena. And the, I think it's the grandma or the
parent needs her Guadalupe. So it's Marlena Guadalupe.
Is that child a blood relative of yours? Yes, my niece's daughter, so.
Um, Is there anything you would say about, you know, birth to a, a young
mother now today? Well, I would just say to be careful, um.
Eat as much as you can like healthy foods, yeah. Did um
What's that
Do you wanna go look? You can go look, yeah, yeah,
yeah, so I just wanted to ask you another question if there were any, um,
like, um. Like superstitions or anything about certain foods you could eat
or because I know in my family we have a lot of those kinds of things they
won't let us eat uh bubble gums, yeah, like um gums, peons. And Because,
um.
I know about the peon, like if they eat the peons, they were, their hair
will be like all greasy.
And I I don't know about the bubble gus, but they don't let us eat bubble
gus. The, that's what my grandma did to me and my mom. Yeah, the last one
we talked to said that she was not just so, yeah. And then There's other
stuff that we're not allowed to do too, so.
Yeah. That's interesting. Do you think that those traditions aren't, you
know, um, as you know that young women today don't follow those traditions
as much? Um Like if you explain to them, probably they'll understand, like
to my girls, I always tell them, like all those things what my mom told me
to do. So, like if they ever get pregnant, I'll be strict to them.
Mhm.
Um, actually, do you have any questions?
I don't think so. Oh, we didn't talk because you had a 3rd birth too. Did
you want to mention anything that was similar to the 2nd? No? No.
That was the hardest one. Because when I was giving birth, she kept on
like going down, then sucking it back, then going down. Yeah. I had to.
They almost did a C-section on her too. I don't know why with the girls, I
had a hard time. So uh that's about it. Was that a long, a long labor? It
was like 150. Yeah. Hi.
We're almost done. We're wrapping up. Oh, I did think of one question. OK.
So you were saying that um before you had your first baby, your mother
had already passed, right? Do you think that she would have been more
forthcoming, sharing information about your birth or her experience, um,
you know, if you had been pregnant while she was still alive? Or is that
something that just isn't? Talked about Well, um,
Just like I um.
But there. Just like I tell my daughters about the way. I'm supposed to
take care of. As I was pregnant, probably she was. Tell me those stuff too.
OK. Well, thank you so much. It was wonderful.