The beautiful Brandyne White with her daughter Burke (22 months). Brandyne says that when she was younger she was quite self destructive and self abusive. She didn't want to have children because she was worried about subjecting them to herself. She met her current partner and within her relationship with him felt loved and validated for the first time. She saw a little boy playing one day and realized that she wanted to become a mother. Brandyne and her partner tried to conceive for about 6 months before she conceived and she says the second she found out she was pregnant she became a mother. She stopped drinking and smoking immediately and went on to have a very healthy pregnancy. She was induced at 41 weeks with Pitocin and after several hours they decided to go ahead and break her water. Burke arrived about 15 minutes later. She was quite jaundiced and Brandyne was worried that she wouldn't be able to come home with her but her levels dropped just enough that she was able to be released with her. Because of her jaundice, Burke had supplemental formula with breastmilk from birth and Brandyne continued to nurse and supplement until she was about 4 months old when she chose to wean her entirely and switch to full formula. Brandyne feels that all to often "mother" is used as if it is a bad word or something to be ashamed of instead of celebrated and wants to be an active part of changing that.