Sanaya Kaufman (39), Sadye (4.5), and Rapha (7 months). Sanaya also lost identical twins to TTTS in 2013.
Sanaya is a previous participant, you can find her photo and story from 2017 here.
Brooklyn, NY
How has parenthood impacted your body image?
I’m proud and in awe of what this body can do. And how entirely my body has been changed by pregnancy and birth.
What is your truth? What is one piece of knowledge you'd pass along to your former self, or a new parent?
Something is hard for everyone, you just never know which part of it will be the hardest. And even if a family looks happy and healthy, you never know what they’re experiencing behind the scenes.
Why did you choose to participate in this movement and share your story?
Participating in this project has been a critical and deeply moving part of my journey. The first time, it helped me process my own experiences to see how varied and special everyone’s path has been - in the midst of great beauty and magic is hardship and pain and loss, and sometimes they all coexist. Seeing these images of me with my two beautiful children, in relation to all the other amazing people that have participated in this project, makes me feel like part of a grand community of parents making their way through this messy and spectacular journey.
When I found this project I was recovering from losing twins at 5 months pregnant, and was heartened and strengthened by reading so many stories. Then I participated when Sadye was 2 years old, and it was such an important step. I wrote my whole story for the first time and shared it widely. I became comfortable with the idea that people would find out about my loss if they googled me. I told strangers and coworkers about the twins, and helped others grieve through their own losses. I helped people navigate exclusive pumping after unexpectedly doing it for a year.
Now to see these pictures is deeply humbling. Here are these two beautiful people that exist because my first two little guys don’t. It’s a trip. Rapha has been a very different baby than Sadye. He nurses beautifully and wants to be with me all the time. I am comfortable in my skin and proud of what my body has been able to do.
Thank you, Ashlee. You have created something truly amazing and I’m so grateful I found you and your work so many years ago