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Erica Mena welcomed her third child, Legend Brian Samuels, just two weeks ago and she shared an update via social media regarding how she and her newborn are doing. In a vulnerable Instagram post, she shared that her son is in the newborn intensive care unit, where babies who were born premature or are experiencing health issues receive 24/7 care. Under a video of her holding her baby boy, the Love & Hip Hop star shared that these last 10 days haven’t been easy.
New NICU Mommy. Day 10 Legend Brian Samuels & Mommy staying STRONG 🧿✨So far five out of the ten days I felt lost. I’m feeling guilty, confused and scared. I’ve been getting phone calls and receiving messages. I’m asked a million times how I’m doing and if I’m ok. But how can you be doing? Can you really be ok right now? BUT I Remind myself , they love me and they are reaching out BECAUSE they love me. They might not understand, but they want to. This journey I’m on, feels long. It has been tough. I’m taking steps forward, and I’m taking some back. I have good days, and I’m preparing for the bad ones.
During this difficult time, Mena said she has felt feeling of “guilt of not preventing this, of not being able to fix it either” as well as days when she blames herself and “moments where you don’t recognize the person in the mirror.” She shared that even though this is a rough time, she knows there are brighter days ahead and this too shall pass.
“This whole experience has taught how important it is to protect my peace,” she continued. “How important it is to turn my pain into power. It has also given me a different type of strength for not only me but my kids. King – Safire – Legend I promise you your mommy will make you proud. No more settling and fighting for anything that doesn’t deserve me only because you three forever deserve the best of me.”
While she was pregnant, Mena made it clear via social media that she felt alone and didn’t have support from her estranged husband, Safaree Samuels. Mena gave birth a month after announcing that she had filed for divorce from Samuels in May.
The hostile social media posts that they have shared about their relationship since last year let the world know that they have not been experiencing marital bliss for quite some time. In October 2020, Samuels shared that he was planning on being a bachelor and tagged Divorce Court in an Instagram photo before recanting his comments and apologizing to Mena. Then in February 2021, he shared that he felt marrying Mena was the biggest mistake of his life and Mena agreed, calling him selfish. On the season premiere Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta, Mena threw out their marriage portrait as a retaliation to Samuels’ tweets.
Take a look at their tense conversation about their marriage on the last episode of Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta below.
