Jennifer Mancuso

Jennifer Mancuso (38), Parker (4), Piper (3), Aria and Asher (Twins - 20 months). Jennifer is also bonus mom to three more.

Akron, OH

How has parenthood impacted your body image?

My body has changed into almost exactly what I was afraid of: floppy belly, abnormal looking belly button, saggy boobs, multi-directional stretch marks, cellulite, etc. However, I see my body now and am more confident and proud of my physical self than I ever was before. I look at the aforementioned aspects of my body and see it as representation of the 4 tiny humans that I created, grew, and have sustained over the last 5 years.

Feel free to share your postpartum journey.

I have evolved so much with each of my three pregnancies and births experiences. With my first I was very ignorant and trusting of the medical doctors. I trusted that they were my expert advisors and if that's what they suggest, they know best and to do what they say. I learned very quickly that was not the case.

After a hugely medically intervened first delivery, my second was completely medicine-free. The vast difference between the two experiences and my resulted PP journey, it made me do a ton of research for my twin pregnancy and knowing how much I had to advocate for myself. I refused what the doctors were advising and insisted on a breech baby A birth while baby B was presenting transverse. I had to sign refusal documents in order to be admitted to the maternity ward because I rejected a voluntary cesarean. Baby A was born frank breech vaginally followed by baby B turning head down after baby A was out.

My postpartum journey for my last three was so much better than my first because I did not have nearly the medical interventions as I did with my first. Also, as a mother, with each child, I found more and more confidence and my voice saying that I know what is best for my child.

What is your truth?
Knowledge is power. Use that knowledge to advocate and do not be afraid to stand up for yourself, because God knows we have to!

Why did you choose to participate in this movement and share your story? 

I'm very excited about the postpartum body positivity movement happening and have loved the project as I've followed on Instagram for a while. I find strength and courage in reading others journeys and I'm so thankful to be able to contribute to this project.

Samantha Warren

Samantha Warren (34) mother to Worth (3), Tiller and Wright (Twins, Pictured - 16 weeks)

Photographed in Portland, ME

Samantha shares - 

"For the past four years, my body has not been entirely my own. It carried my first son, Worth, to and through a natural birth at nearly 41 weeks and then allowed me to feed him for more than two years, several months into my second pregnancy, which I later learned was with twins. Despite a difficult pregnancy, I took them to term as well, was able to deliver vaginally and today, it's keeping pace with their full feeding needs, meaning I am making about a half gallon of milk a day.

After realizing all that it is capable of, I've taken to trusting my body. I do what it says. If it's hungry, I eat. Thirsty, I drink. And when it asks for ice cream or a chunk of chocolate cake, I, of course, honor that too. That doesn't mean I have fully accepted how my body looks, though I mostly like how it feels. Sometimes I catch my reflection and don't recognize myself. Sometimes, I feel like I am settling by giving into my mom body, squish and stretch marks and all. But right now, I accept it's about function rather than form. It's not that I've given up, but that I've given in. My body has changed, but so has everything else

Whenever I felt overwhelmed with my pregnancies or being a new mama , I remind myself that I am one of billions of women who have done or are doing this. It doesn't minimize my journey or all the feelings along the way, but it provides some reassurance that this is doable, and by incredibly strong women with far few resources that I have. It's a time-tested process that I need to trust. Trust my body. Trust my babies.

After I came home with our first son, I noticed a few faint stretch marks on the underside of my belly. I hadn't seen them before and I of course panicked. My husband admitted he'd seen them at our final appointment with the midwives, but had (perhaps smartly) decided it wasn't something worth mentioning. The day I found out we were pregnant with twins, I googled pictures of twin pregnancies and was terrified by the results. It looked so, well, unnatural. And as I grew, and grew, and grew and grew and grew, and the skin on my stomach stretch and spidered, I realized it was in fact quite supernatural.

When people found out I was pregnant, they would congratulate me but their faces always fell when I told them it was with twins. Every one wants to tell you about their twin mom sister or second cousin who hasn't slept in years and how hard it is. After going to term with the twins, I was so dang uncomfortable and wanted them out now, but was so scared on what awaited me on the other side. So, I am doing this for myself - to try to come to better terms with my saggy, marbled belly which I know will firm and fade over time. And, I am doing this for the woman out there, who just found out she is having twins or just saw the first sign of a stretch mark, to give her faith that while yes, twins are tough, she will one day in a place where she is ok enough with her body and competent enough as a mama of multiples that she can pull her head and her shit and all her babies together enough to get out the door and go do something like this."

Krystine Radford

The radiant Krystine Radford and her son Ayden (3). Krystine is also mum to fraternal twins Anastasia and Alexander (1). Krystine's first pregnancy was unexpected, and it took her and her partner a bit of time to determine what they wanted to do. She knew she wanted to keep him and thankfully her partner agreed. Her pregnancy went very well, When her waters broke, she went in for a check, but they didn't believe it had happened. The following day, she was induced because labor never started on its own. She didn't cope very will with the pain and screamed through much of her labor and delivery, but her son was born just 7 hours later with vacuum assistance at the very end. Breastfeeding was hard for the first 2 weeks, but she was able to work through it and continued until Ayden self-weaned at 16 months due to her pregnancy. Krystine and her partner tried for about 9 months to conceive before getting pregnant with her twins. Her pregnancy had been monitored early on due to concerns of viability, and it wasn't until she was at her 3rd ultrasound alone that she learned she was having twins. She had an uncomplicated pregnancy and was induced at 37 weeks. She wanted to have a natural labor but was told she had to have an epidural at 5cms. She was given an episiotomy, and Alex was born first. Once Alex was born, Anastasia wanted to flip so they had to externally help push her down. Krystine's contractions did not resume on their own, so they had to start Pitocin again as well. There were about 13 doctors and midwives in the room excited to witness a vaginal twin delivery, and the head midwife noticed that something was wrong. She told the doctor to check if the cord was wrapped on Anastasia but he said everything was okay and she kept pushing. Anastasia's cord was wrapped so tight when she was born that it had to be cut off, and it took 2 minutes to resuscitate her. The twins latched right away and are still nursing well today. Krystine plans to continue until they self-wean.