Katie Chiet

Katie Chiet (36), Chase (5) and Ian (2)

NY | Miami, FL

Katie shares -

“While I struggle with body image and the softness of my body these days, I am also marveled at how this body carried two children, has nourished and continues to nourish them, and can still do incredible feats like run marathons! My body is strong and capable in ways I never thought possible.

My first postpartum journey was affected by a NICU stay that I should have been expecting, but still blindsided me. We knew to expect some health concerns and so I was scheduled for an induction - we had to throw everything we learned in our Bradley Method class out the window. They took him from me after delivery and when family poured in to my room 30 minutes after Chase entered this world, there was no baby to show off.

Every day for the next 10, we met doctors of all kinds who came to tell us our beautiful baby boy had some serious medical problems. We lived 45 minutes from the hospital; I was expecting to be lying in my own bed with my newborn and instead, we were waking up at 6am to shower and pump, drive, visit all day/pump around the clock, leave at 7pm for rounds, come back at 9, and leave for the night at 10pm. We didn't get to come home until he was 2 weeks old and we had 8 specialists to follow-up with, so it wasn't the bliss I had expected when I was pregnant. I went into automatic/mama bear mode for a long time. At four months old, he had 2 major surgeries - one on his larynx and then open heart surgery - and after that, I finally felt like I could breathe and enjoy him.

When I delivered Ian, my sisters helped advocate for a different experience - the chance to latch him at my breast immediately after birth and to spend some time with him before he was checked out. But because my induction went super quick and I was positive for Group B Strep, I was discharged from the hospital before Ian was. I had a hard time believing I was going to leave the hospital without a baby for a second time, but my midwife was exceptional and was able to allow me to stay an extra night! Ian is the perfect addition to our family - he was a calm, content baby who came everywhere his big brother needed him to go.

After my first delivery, I returned to running quickly - mostly because of pressure I felt from social media that women were supposed to bounce back, but partly because I needed a stress relief from Chase's medical issues. I ran a multi-day event when Chase was 6 months old (5k, 10k, half marathon and full marathon) and nursed him on course while I went 26.2. It remains one of my most favorite memories of my journey. I wasn't able to run as long into Ian's pregnancy - I was severely anemic through most of it - but I have some special memories of our active time together and we returned to running, all three of us, once I felt able to.

I am so thankful for a husband who has supported every part of this postpartum journey. He never hesitated when I felt like I needed to quit my job to care for our children and he has more than fully embraced the attachment parenting style that seemed to come naturally for me.

It's OK to change your stance on things. I had heard the adage, "you're never a better parent that when you are expecting your first child," and I am not sure I fully understood it until Chase was in my arms. Everything that I had once said I wouldn't do turned 180 degrees. My sisters co-slept with their babies and I swore I wouldn't ever do it; Chase was born with a complex congenital heart defect and a laryngeal web, which left him with an apnea monitor and the inability to cry or make sound. I thought breastfeeding was gross; I am currently tandem nursing my FIVE and TWO year old sons. I prided myself on my career and ability to care for others; all I want to do these days is stay home and play with my kids. I am a much different person than I was in 2013, but in so many good ways.

ALWAYS trust your mama gut. Every time I felt in my gut that we needed to take a specific action, I have been correct. My mama gut hasn't failed me yet and for that, I will always be grateful!

I chose to participate because my voice matters. I have been fortunate enough to have people advocating for me on life's journey. I am lucky to get to be Chase and Ian's advocate as they grow up to be the people they will be. I hope that some special needs mama out there hears our story and knows that there is so much joy to be found in parenting a child who is differently abled.”

Carly Burns

The beautiful Carly Burns, Tyler Emmanuel (4.5) Caleb Aaron (2.5) Robert Elias (8 months)

Carly and her husband decided to start a family just 2 years after getting married. She got pregnant easily and began reading voraciously about everything she could. Pregnancy and childbirth were great experiences for her and all three pregnancies were without major incident. Carly was able to have the intervention free and drug free births she desired, even while in a hospital setting. She felt so prepared thanks to the Bradley Method classes they took. Their instructor was incredible, and gave them the knowledge needed to make an informed decision on everything they encountered. "Birth made me feel like a warrior. I felt connected to generations of empowered women birthing without pain medication. My mother and my mother-in-law both had natural births that they were proud of, and I knew I could join them."

Despite her easy birth experiences, Carly's journey to accepting motherhood has been a challenge. She feels that her entire life, her body has been for everyone else, and not for her. "Just as every other woman has experienced, I was objectified by my peers and strangers a like as I went through my adolescence. When others view you as an object, you begin to believe them" Motherhood has made her entirely different, primarily in the way she looks at herself as a person and especially how she looks at her body. "I've kept my sense of self closely intertwined with how others felt (or how I thought they felt) about my body. If I felt fat, I didn't feel worthy as a person. If someone made a comment about my hair, skin, or clothes, I would work very hard to change those things. Even people I didn't care about, like acquaintances and strangers, changed the way I saw myself. Only once I became a mother did I find that I was more than my body. I finally realized that everyone else's opinions about how I should be, how I should dress, what I should eat, how I should raise my children, none of that mattered. When I was pregnant with each of my boys, I was working full time in a demanding career. While all my direct supervisors we're incredibly supportive, clients and coworkers rarely understood or respected my choices as a woman. Everyone wanted me to justify what I was eating, or how I was going to give birth, or whether or not I was going to return to work. People in the supermarket would tell me I shouldn't be out alone when I was 7 months pregnant. I hated people treating me like I was sick or needed to be taken care of (except for my husband. He was always allowed to take care of me). But it was then that I realized how amazing my body is and how no one but me has a say in how I treat my body. My body has grown, brought forth and sustained life. Three times. I now love my body. And most importantly, I am more than my body. My soul and mind and heart are what is important."

"Women are strong. We are more than just our bodies. I want my sons to know that the values a woman holds are much more important than her weight or waistline. I wanted to participate because I need to prove to myself that I'm brave enough to stand up in front of the world and say that I am enough. Just me. Just the way I am. I am enough. Motherhood didn't ruin me. Motherhood revealed who I really am: a badass woman who loves fiercely and sacrifices whatever is necessary for those she loves."

Brittany Giddons

The beautiful Brittany Giddons, Ryder (2) and Silas (5 weeks).

Brittany is a previous project participant, you can view her previous photo and read her bio from our Austin tour stop here.

Brittany had always thought that she would have an epidural when she gave birth. In part because she found herself scared of what she saw of labor and delivery on television and the stories her friends had told about how difficult and occasionally traumatic their births had been made her wonder how she'd cope.  When she and her husband conceived Ryder they decided to take Bradley Method classes as a means of learning more about pregnancy and childbirth. From the first class forward she realized she wanted to do things the Bradley way and she even hired their instructor to be her doula.

When she went into labor with Ryder her doula was attending another birth and she had to use her back up but everything worked out beautifully. Ryder was born after 18 hours of labor, only three of which were in hospital, without complication. He had a tongue tie that made nursing very painful for the first week but after they had it corrected he nursed well until he self-weaned at 15 months. She wasn't expecting him to wean so early but found a bit of freedom in it. 

Brittany and her husband were discussing when the time was right to have another baby, her husband was home from work following an injury and thought the time was perfect but she wasn't quite convinced. She was feeling stressed at the possibility so they agreed to hold off only to discover that she was pregnant just a week later. She was excited but struggled to settle into her pregnancy with Silas at first. 

Brittany was very sick during her first trimester of pregnancy with Silas. Her second trimester went well but she had a difficult go of things again in her third trimester. She had a lot of back pain and was often tired from chasing her toddler around. Silas was sunny side up which led to very bad back labor. She labored at home but things weren't consistent until the end when she realized she needed to get to the hospital. He arrived quickly, less than an hour after they'd arrived. Silas is breastfeeding well and things are going great. 

Brittany was amazed by how different her labor and delivery were with each of her boys. With her second she assumed things would go faster, that they would be similar and that wasn't at all the case. They couldn't have been more different and in hindsight she realizes that makes perfect sense. She was in a different place with each of them and they're different babies. The transition from one to two has been very exciting and Ryder is absolutely smitten with his baby brother. 

Highlighting where she was last year with Ryder was such a wonderful experience that Brittany wanted to do it again with Silas. She feels like she knows what she's doing now and wanted to capture this new, special stage of their lives. Holding this space for women and mothers to support one another and lift each other up is an amazing thing and so needed. 

Linda Madrak and Kati Cain

The lovely Linda Madrak, Kati Cain and Alice (11 months). Linda is mother to Kati (30) and Kevin (27). She tried for about three years to conceive before being diagnosed with a thyroid issue. Within months of starting medication she was finally pregnant. Her pregnancy with Kati was healthy until about 6 months when she developed gestational diabetes. She carried until about three weeks prior to her due date when her waters started leaking. Her doctors were worried she may have an infection so they started pitcoin and she labored for 18 hours in a great deal of pain. Kati began to become distressed but she was able to push her out on her own before requiring a cesarean. While her daughter was born healthy at over 7lbs and she was able to hold her, the doctors were worried that the baby may also have an infection. As there was no NICU on site they transferred Kati to a different hospital leaving Linda on her own for three days without her baby. She was able to pump for her but says it was incredibly sad to see all the other moms with their babies and not have her daughter with her. Once Linda was discharged she was able to visit her daughter in NICU daily and breastfeed her. She nursed Kati until she was 3 months old and conceived her son Kevin a couple years later. Her pregnancy and birth with Kevin went much more smoothly and she enjoyed a breastfeeding relationship with him as well.

Linda enjoyed motherhood even with it's rocky start but says that being a grandmother and watching her daughter's relationship with Alice unfold is phenomenal and she's enjoying it even more than she did when it was her turn. In the past few months Linda has been focusing on her health and started running. She has just completed her first 5k and is training for a half marathon with her daughter and son-in-law.

Kati spent about 18 months trying to conceive, during which she was incredibly active with running, lifting and working out. She thought maybe her amount of exercise was contributing to her inability to get pregnant so she backed off the workouts, gained 5-10 pounds and got pregnant! Her pregnancy went very well and she found a midwife she was thrilled with who supported her greatly. Kati continued to be active during her pregnancy, continued lifting weights and ran a half marathon with her sister-in-law when she was 24 weeks pregnant. She went into labor 10 days early and labored at home with the support of her midwife, husband, mother and several other important women in her life. Alice had become stuck in Kati's hip during pregnancy and found her way right back there once labor began. She had been working with a chiropractor and went to have an adjustment which but her baby is a better position but sent her spiraling. She felt like she was in transition, constantly getting sick, with contractions 1 minute apart for the next 18 hours until Alice was born. She pushed for two hours on her guest bed and says her daughter was born into a community of people who already loved her just as the sun was coming up. Kati's midwife also has a degree in psychology and says that she supported her fully in her 8 weeks postpartum with visits that felt as much like therapy as midwifery. Breastfeeding has been going very well and the pair are going strong as Alice approaches her first birthday.

Kati wanted to participate to encourage other women to go into pregnancy and birth by educating themselves. The Bradley classes she took during pregnancy were crucial in preparing she and her husband for her birth at home and gave them the resolve to power through when she begged to be transferred to hospital. Finding a care provider she knew was fully supportive was also key. Finally, Kati says trusting and believing in your body is so important in preparing for motherhood.

Emily McGinley

The magnificent Emily McGinley with her daughter Selah (6 months). Emily is a church plant pastor who just started a new church about 2 years ago. She says that in the experience of growing her church community she already felt like she had some idea of what it was to be a mother. Her church community is now her toddler and has been able to greatly support her in the birth of her new baby. Emily had an easy pregnancy that she feels very grateful for. She and her husband took Bradley classes and prepared for a midwife assisted birth at a hospital based alternative birthing center. Emily had expected to have a long first labor but Selah arrived within just 8 hours of labor starting. Emily delivered on a birthing stool and in part due to tearing lost a full liter of blood. She was able to recover without further complication and her husband was able to step in for skin to skin time with their daughter while they took care of her. Emily is breastfeeding Selah and is enjoying the relationship, though she says it's an interesting experience not feeling like her body is fully her own.  Emily chose to participate in this project not necessarily to share her own story but to contribute to and support the community and movement itself.

Kate Kraley

The wonderful Kate Kraley with her son Jason Walker (23 months). Kate is also expecting baby number 2 in June. Her pregnancy with Jason was pretty straight forward and healthy. She saw a small midwifery practice throughout her pregnancy and rotated through three midwives who she liked very much. Her labor was pretty straightforward and short for a first time mom, just 8 hours from first contraction through Jason's birth. She says that getting him out was a team effort. She and her husband took Bradley classes together and her mother was also present for the birth. She was able to initiate breastfeeding without issue and Jason just self-weaned which she says was bitter sweet. She very much enjoyed the relationship with him but was ready for a break and some time to focus on the new baby before he or she arrives. This pregnancy has also been very healthy and Kate is seeing the same providers. She says if anything, this pregnancy has gone by very quickly and the tiny things haven't seemed so big. She wonders if this is also in part because she is simply more comfortable in her skin. Kats says that she struggled greatly with her mushy midsection just after Jason was born until she started seeing images of postpartum woman through this project and realized that she saw strength and beauty in all of them. She now feels more comfortable and beautiful than she ever has. Kate has hopes that the remainder of this pregnancy and the birth of her second babe go just as beautifully as her first.

Barbara Machina

The marvelous Barbara Machina with her daughter Zoe (8.5 months). Barbara has Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) and had a difficult time conceiving. She went through 6 months of fertilityr treatment and learned just before considering IVF that she was pregnant. From there, things went very well, she was healthy and ended up losing 20 lbs throughout. Barbara and her husband took Bradley classes and read everything they could to prepare for pregnancy and birth. She felt so ready when it was time for Zoe to arrive and she delivered her at a birth center after 15 hours of labor including 3 hours of pushing.  Barbara has Premenstural Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) so she was worried about Postpartum Depression. She encapsulated her placenta and hasn't had any issues.

Barbara was born in Peru and spent the first 5 months of her life sustained on tea and then switched to formula once she was adopted by her Canadian family. Having not been breastfed herself it was exciting to have the opportunity to do so for her daughter. Zoe is the first blood relative she's ever known or had a connection with and breastfeeding her has brought an amazing connection. It was challenging at first, Zoe had a lip and tongue tie, reflux and a food allergy but Barbara has been able to treat what she can and eliminate other triggers and things are now going just fine. Barbara says that she has never felt more comfortable in her skin than she is now and she wants to show how at ease she has become in hopes of inspiring others.

Virginia Lee McLean

The marvelous Virginia Lee McLean with her youngest son Miles August (19 mo) her older son is Carl Alden (4 - not pictured). Virginia's first pregnancy ended in miscarriage which was understandably difficult for her. Her mother gave her a rosemary bush to mark her loss and she made a beautiful rosemary crown to mark her loss for her shoot. She conceived Carl soon after and things went very well. She studied Bradley Method and had a natural hospital birth with midwife assistance. She and Carl had a great breastfeeding relationship. She had to use a shield a in the beginning but was able to wean off and continue nursing without. Her pregnancy with Miles was enjoyable as well. She developed high blood pressure at the end and they wanted to break her water to start labor but she requested she be allowed to go home, get a good night's rest and come back the next day. She got a chiropractic adjustment on the way home and her water started leaking naturally. She was able to get some rest and the next day her water broke fully. They rushed to the hospital and as her husband pulled into the parking lot she felt the urge to push. She was able to hold off and Miles was born 15 minutes after they arrived at the hospital. Breastfeeding was difficult for his first 10 days due to a tongue tie but after having it corrected they are still going strong.

Virginia considers herself a feminist and when she came across this work knew she wanted to participate. Motherhood comes in all shapes and sizes and she feels it's so important to show that.

Virginia Lee McLean

The marvelous Virginia Lee McLean with her youngest son Miles August (19 mo) her older son is Carl Alden (4 - not pictured). Virginia's first pregnancy ended in miscarraige which was understandably difficult for her. Her mother gave her a rosemary bush to mark her loss and she made a beautiful rosemary crown to mark her loss for her shoot. She conceived Carl soon after and things went very well. She studied Bradley Method and had a natural hospital birth with midwife assistance. She and Carl had a great breastfeeding relationship. She had to use a shield a in the beginning but was able to wean off and continue nursing without. Her pregnancy with Miles was enjoyable as well. She developed high blood pressure at the end and they wanted to break her water to start labor but she requested she be allowed to go home, get a good nights rest and come back the next day. She got a chiropractic adjustment on the way home and her water started leaking naturally. She was able to get some rest and the next day her water broke fully. They rushed to the hospital and as her husband pulled into the parking lot she felt the urge to push. She was able to hold off and Miles was born 15 minutes after they arrived at the hospital. Breastfeeding was difficult for his first 10 days due to a tongue tie but after having it corrected they are still going strong.

Virginia considers herself a feminist and when she came across this work knew she wanted to participate. Motherhood comes in all shapes and sizes and she feels it's so important to show that.

Cara Berlin

The beautiful Cara Berlin with her daughters Adelaide (5) and Willa (almost 5 weeks). Cara has had healthy pregnancies with both of her girls. Her pregnancy with Adelaide was a surprise but he sister had just had a baby using the Bradley method and had a natural childbirth so she decided to follow suit. Breastfeeding was difficult for the first few weeks and it wasn't until she saw a latch video on Dr. Jack Newman's site that she realized things that wasn't quite what Adelaide was doing. They were able to work and get the hang of it soon after. Cara struggled with postpartum depression after her first baby and though she felt isolated, also felt that she needed to do things herself. Her second daughter was born at home and Cara is doing great. She encapsulated her placenta this time and says she doesn't know if it's effective or placebo but so far so good. Cara has realized that particularly as the mother of daughters she needed to deal with some of her own issues so that she doesn't pass them along. She's been a seeing a therapist for the past year and a half to address image concerns and disordered eating and things are going very well. Cara feels that heavier women are often stereotyped as having more difficult births, and often they do but she very much feels this has to do with the way they are treated and the care they are provided rather than true representations of their health or ability. She is healthy and has had wonderful birth experiences and wants people to see that as attainable.