Sarah Louise McClure (34) and Evie Jo (18 months)
Photographed in Seattle, Washington
Sarah shares -
"I had a miscarriage at 6 weeks just a few months before I got pregnant with Evie. While the experience was incredibly painful - for me personally, it was not the loss of a child.
Parenthood has made me proud of my body for the first time that I can remember. It is certainly not a seamless transition, but I am working on loving myself and my body, everyday. i watch my daughter's fascination with what her body can do, and I don't want her to ever lose that. I know that it starts with me.
I actually came out of pregnancy smaller than pre-pregnancy, due to lack of appetite. So, my expectation that I would struggle to lose the baby weight, ended up not being an issue at all. The struggle for me, was breastfeeding. My daughter was tongue tied, slept constantly and just wouldn't nurse for more than a few minutes at a time. We ended up using a nipple shield, pumping after every feeding, and eventually supplementing with formula. It felt like a failure and I was hard on myself. With my midwife's support, I was able to adjust my thinking and we are still breastfeeding.
Find that inner voice that says, "fuck 'em," and listen. Maybe 'them' is your perception of what people think of you, maybe it's a specific person in your life, maybe it's some element of society. Whatever it is, realize that you can waste your time worrying about it or you can chose to enjoy your life and love yourself.
When my daughter was a few days old I saw these rolls on her neck. Perfect little rolls on her perfect little neck, holding up her perfect little head. I have them, too. In that moment, I realized that they are just part of my body, I had spent so much time hating those little rolls, and why? Only hurt comes from body shame. I don't want my daughter to waste her time feeling that pain. I want her to see herself the way I see her. Participating in the project is me celebrating my body and showing my daughter that every body is beautiful and deserving of love."