The phenomenal Maddison Gore with her sons Tobi (4) and Jaxx (23 days). Maddison says that her story really began when she was 14 when her grandmother died. The two were very, very close. Not long after, her parents divorced, and it came out that her dad was gay. Her first pregnancy was when she was 16 but was lost to miscarriage. She got pregnant the second time at 18, miscarried again and got pregnant with Tobi very soon after. After Tobi's birth, she joined a young mother's group which ignited her passion for women. Maddison connected with women not yet ready to be on this journey, who banded together and talked about the things they couldn't share elsewhere. She saw that these women were much stronger than they thought and it motivated her to train to become a doula. Maddison decided that being a doula wasn't enough; she wanted to study midwifery and is currently in nursing school. Ultimately, she hopes to work with women and mothers navigating mental health issues without any stigma. Maddison split from her son's dad when he was just a year old and has been a strong single mother since. She got pregnant with Jaxx a few years later and is raising him a single mother as well. Her pregnancies have been very healthy, and she's had beautiful natural births. She retained her placenta with Tobi and was almost rushed to surgery, but they were able to get it out nearly two and a half hours later. Following Jaxx's delivery, she had a massive postpartum hemorrhage and lost over two liters of blood. She was rushed to surgery and needed two blood transfusions but has recovered very well and says that three weeks out, she's feeling great. She was able to breastfeed Tobi for his first four months and hopes to nurse Jaxx until he's ready to wean. Maddison says that she's been through a lot in her 23 years, and the perspective she's gained has allowed her to love other women with no judgment at all. Maddison's struggles with her body image have led to her creating a movement in her hometown of Geelong, Victoria (Australia) known as the 365 Day Project. She chose to participate in 4th Trimester Bodies Project because she wants to start appreciating and loving who she is.
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