The stunning Michelle Stevenson with her son Teddy (7 months). Michelle had four miscarriages before Teddy was conceived. She says it was hard to be excited and get connected due to her losses. She had a healthy pregnancy and went into labor at 38 weeks. Michelle had hoped to labor without medication but ended up asking for some pain medication. In hindsight she wishes she'd have gone straight for an epidural as she didn't enjoy feeling drugged up and out of it. Once she received her epidural she was able to relax and was amazed by how calm and comfortable she became. Teddy became distressed as Michelle began pushing and her doctor walked them through the risks and benefits of either a cesarean birth or vacuum assistance. They chose to use the vacuum to assist and in just two pushes he was out. Michelle says that she really liked Teddy at first but didn't feel that immediate overwhelming connection to him. At about 1 week old he needed to go back into the hospital due to jaundice and she says that once she got the phone call from her doctor something clicked and she realized she was his mom. This was her baby.
Breastfeeding has been a wonderful experience beyond the first few days of discomfort and she mentioned the best advice anyone gave her was to just keep trying. Michelle says that she has always been "the skinny girl", whether people have used that as an insult or a compliment she's heard it time and again, but it wasn't until pregnancy that she realized how much that had begun to define her. Her body has changed just as all bodies change and some days it's difficult but always, she's proud and confident in her strength.