The latest video from Jessica Kent, a YouTuber who talks about her life as an ex-con and recovering addict with her 220, 000 subscribers, answers questions her followers wanted to know about prison medical care. Kent, 30, of Chicago, shared stark details about the postpartum care she received as an imprisoned new mother, then aged 23.
"I was a first time mom, I didn't know how I was supposed to take care of myself," Kent tells her viewers. "I was barely even able to talk after I had my daughter. It was very difficult for me to pull myself out of that darkness."
Kent gave birth in a Fort Smith, Arkansas prison, where she was serving a five-year sentence ondrug and gun convictions. Before that, she had drifted in and out of jails and prisons, dealing drugs and seemingly caught in a criminal spiral. But the birth of her daughter, Micah, now7, changed all that. "When I saw my daughter’s face for the first time, that was it for me,” Kent told KATV News. “It wasn’t about me anymore. It was about this beautiful little girl who needs me.”
But her first days postpartum was a nightmare. Shedidn't receive the usual accoutrements of new moms, such as mesh undies or a squeeze peri bottle to keep clean, she said. She was given an Ace bandage to wrap around her chest to discourage the production of breast milk."That was so painful," Kent said. She also remembers being given an extra baloney sandwich and an extra peanut butter sandwich, the better to regain her strength. After her daughter was taken away from her a day after she was born, Kent said she "found an inner strength to get out and be a mother to my child." She did just that, getting released in 2013. She spent a year assimilating back to civilian life and regained full custody of her daughter in 2014.
In the 22-minute video, Kent also answered viewer questions about other aspects of prison medical careor lack of it. That included bare-bones vision and dental care ("prison glasses are hideous" and you aren't allowed to wear contact lenses); diabetes and cancer treatment; detox meds, allergies, and even vegan meals. (Vegans in prison basically get peanut butter sandwiches, Kent revealed.) Mental health was a tricky topic in prison, too, with Kent saying she found keeping a journal could be helpful.
While her YouTube channel chronicles her experiences with addiction, prison and struggle to build a new life, Kent's Facebook page shows a happier chapter in her life today, including her boyfriend Reece and two daughters. They regularly make appearances on Kent's Instagram, too, where she has more than 36,000 followers.
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"Lost. Broken. Angry. Tired. Addicted. Those 5 words described who I use (sic) to be," Kent wrote on Instagram, posting a side by side collage of her mug shot and a new photo. "Today..8 years sober my life is completely different. Happy. Focused. Motivated. Proud. Grateful are the 5 words that describe me today. My point.. YOU have the ability to rewrite the story of YOU. But the cold hard truth is, your sobriety, your success and your happiness is YOUR OWN responsibility. You are powerful and capable of achieving everything you want out of this life. But it all starts with you 👏🖤💯💪"
Her other videos include posts on "Why I Went To Prison," "How To Make Prison Pizza," and "Answering Your Assumptions About Female Prisons."
In the new video, which has racked up 76,121 views in about a month, Kent included special thanks to her subscribers, whom she calls her "Ride or Die Crew." She said she appreciates how kind everyone is to her and to each other. "When someone is reaching out, you guys always rush in to encourage that person, in their sobriety date or mental health," she said. "You guys are so amazing and I'm so thankful for you guys."
Welcoming the new year with 220,o00 subscribers "literally blows my mind," Kent said.
"It'll make me cry if I think about it too hard, but it's because of you guys that I have the motivation to continue my journey on YouTube," she added. According to her YouTube bio, Kent is also back in school to earn her psychology degree.
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Source: YouTube
