KJ Smith and Skyh Black are officially parents.
The couple welcomed their first child, a baby girl named Pryde JaNea Black, on October 4 at 5 p.m. She weighed 5 pounds 11 ounces and measured 19.5 inches long.
“I wake up every day and I’m just like, ‘I have a little being that is here,’” KJ told PEOPLE. “She looks like a little angel. She’s so precious.”
Skyh couldn’t stop smiling when talking about their daughter.
“I’m definitely wrapped around her finger,” he said. “I get up and walk around for hours if she wants me to. My workouts are longer now because I’m always watching her videos. She’s perfect, man.”
The couple originally planned for a home birth surrounded by loved ones, but after 48 hours of labor, things took a dangerous turn.
“That was the hardest day of my life,” KJ said. “I was so set on having a natural birth, and I just knew it was going to work for me. But something in me knew something wasn’t right with my baby.”
Trusting her instincts, KJ reached for her phone and called Tyler Perry, who was filming overseas.
“His first question was, ‘What’s wrong?’ and his next was, ‘Where is Skyh?’” she recalled. Within minutes, Perry had helped arrange for the couple to be rushed to Northside Hospital Atlanta, where doctors discovered their baby’s heart rate was dropping. KJ was given an epidural and underwent an emergency C-section.
Skyh said he will “forever be indebted” to Perry, with KJ sharing these sentiments.
“My husband was there every step of the way, and Tyler really just called and made sure the staff were aware that we were coming and we needed help urgently. I’m just extremely grateful, and I cry about it every day,” she added.
“The Sistas” actress said the experience taught her an important lesson.
“Labor was nothing like I expected,” she said. “But my takeaway is to relinquish control. God is going to do what God is going to do, and it’s going to be beautiful.”
Now at home with their daughter, the couple is adjusting to parenthood and learning her personality.
“She hates being swaddled,” Skyh laughed. “She’s just like her dad…she likes to stretch.”
Despite the challenges, KJ said she can’t wait to one day tell Pryde her story.
“I can’t wait to just reaffirm to her that she is strong and that she’s powerful and that there’s a reason that she came into this world unscathed,” the 40-year-old shared.
