Jasmine "Jaz" Sims (34), Tonie would’ve been 13 this year. Jazmyn Leigh (11), and Blu Monroe (6)

Jaz is a previous project participant. You can view her previous photo and story here.

Norfolk, VA | Goodyear, AZ

Jaz shares -

“I lost Tonie to SIDS at 7 weeks old, I’ve also had two miscarriages, and one abortion”

How has parenthood impacted your body image?

“Looking at societal standards has made me feel like I can’t measure up. I have never felt comfortable with my body or in it. My hope, having done this, is that I can embrace my #mombod for what it’s done, what it is, and what it can do. “

What was your postpartum experience?

“My pregnancy and birth with Tonie was amazing. Losing him to SIDS absolutely devastated me. I got pregnant with Jaz the week after he died and having her, I couldn’t nurse because of how bad my postpartum depression was and how quickly my milk dried up as well as how quickly I returned to work. My pregnancy with her was pretty uneventful except for the issues I had with my then husband resulting from our son’s death. During my pregnancy with Blu I dealt with a lot of depression and pain. My delivery was 10 hours and she fought the entire way. I was able to nurse her the first 12 months, working full time from home for 10 of them. A lot of my pregnancies and postpartum journeys were spent dealing with adult issues in my then marriage and with depression and anxiety as a result. I regret wasting that time with that. I want the opportunity to do it again one more time, and really revel in the blessing in doing so. “

What is your truth?

The best thing you can do for your kids is finding and loving yourself.

Why did you choose to participate in this movement and share your story?
”I believe in everything this movement stands for. And I dedicate this to my mother, who did this with and for love. And didn’t stop going until she got the life and love she deserved. I want to honor her, my children and myself. “

The amazing Alonna Woodward and son Aaidyn (13 months). Alonna didn't think she wanted children until she met her current partner. He was under the impression he couldn't conceive naturally so their plan was to try for a year and then turn to the medical community if necessary. However, just two months later, she was pregnant. They were both surprised and scurried to get themselves ready to be parents. Alonna lost her thyroid a few years ago to cancer and because of that had a difficult pregnancy mentally and emotionally. She started experiencing Antinatal Depression from about her first month onwards which made things very rough. She had studied hypnobirthing but her labor and delivery progressed so quickly and was so painful she wasn't able to draw upon what she had learned and found the whole experience to be quite traumatic. She's worked though a lot and in the past 6 months doesn't have any present fears. She has decided to not have any more biological children because of these difficulties and knows that if in the future, they want to expand their family, they can always adopt. Alonna had wanted to breastfeed as long as possible but decided at 5.5 months things were too tough and decided to start making her own formula instead. She chose to participate in this project because she wanted to document this moment of their lives in hopes that some day she look at where they are right now and realize that outside of her depression, her son is happy, healthy, thriving and she's doing much better than she thinks.