Photo: Courtesy of Knix
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Ashley Graham
Courtesy of Knix
In the book’s foreword, the model explains that her water broke during an at-home yoga class. “And with that, our labor journey began,” Graham writes of the birth of her sonIsaac Menelik Giovanniin January 2020.
Almost six hours later, after walking around her Brooklyn apartment, Graham was in the birthing pool in her living room. Her support team included her husband Justin Ervin, her midwives and her doula, according toLife After Birth.
“I was on my back. My knees were pressed into my husband’s stomach. I was pushing. I yelled, ‘Progress!’ " Graham writes.
“A moment later, my son was on my chest,” Graham, who just announcedshe’s expecting twin boys with Ervin, remembers in the book. “He was looking his dad in the eyes. It was like we recognized him, and he recognized us.”
Graham told her two boys, “We’re a family forever now.”
02of 06Shanola HamptonCourtesy of Knix"Words can’t explain how much joy this little guy has given me,” theShamelessactress writes of16-month-old son Daren O.C. Dukes, whom she shares with husband Daren Dukes.
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Shanola Hampton
“Words can’t explain how much joy this little guy has given me,” theShamelessactress writes of16-month-old son Daren O.C. Dukes, whom she shares with husband Daren Dukes.
03of 06Rebecca MinkoffCourtesy of Knix"This is a moment a few hours after I gave birth when I had never felt so proud, powerful, and giddy with the dose of oxytocin and overwhelming love coursing through my veins," the fashion designer writes inLife After Birth.She remembers telling her husband, “take a picture so I can remind myself later about this moment, this magical feeling of having met another love of my life and feeling strong having birthed according to my demands and not those around me.““I hated being pregnant but I thrive postpartum and think women are incredible beings who have more strength, resilience, and power than they often think,” Minkoff continues. “And yes, I stole this underwear and still have a pack unopened as a token of a time that goes so quickly and that I wish I could be bottled.”
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Rebecca Minkoff
“This is a moment a few hours after I gave birth when I had never felt so proud, powerful, and giddy with the dose of oxytocin and overwhelming love coursing through my veins,” the fashion designer writes inLife After Birth.
She remembers telling her husband, “take a picture so I can remind myself later about this moment, this magical feeling of having met another love of my life and feeling strong having birthed according to my demands and not those around me.”
“I hated being pregnant but I thrive postpartum and think women are incredible beings who have more strength, resilience, and power than they often think,” Minkoff continues. “And yes, I stole this underwear and still have a pack unopened as a token of a time that goes so quickly and that I wish I could be bottled.”
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Rocky Barnes
The model’s pregnancy was a “breeze,” she writes. But postpartum was an entirely different experience. Barnes explains that giving birth to her son Jones Robert Cooper, whom she shares with husband Matt Cooper, in January 2020, was “traumatic.”
“Even with a natural birth with no tools, Jones suffered a subgaleal hematoma, multiple brain hemorrhages, and jaundice,” Barnes writes inLife After Birth. “I suffered third-degree tearing, quite a bit of time in a wheelchair and what is expected to be a two month recovery. Then add the emotional rollercoaster on top.”
“Postpartum has been a mix of the happiest moments of my life, as well as some of the lowest,” writes Barnes, who worried she couldn’t balance going back to work and being a mom.
She’s thankful to her husband, friends, family and the “mom club” that showed her support.
05of 06Hannah BronfmanCourtesy of Knix"Living for these moments. The breastfeeding journey is real,” writes the influencer, whowelcomed her first child, son Preston Miles Thomas Fallis, with husband Brendan Fallis in November 2020.“I definitely don’t have it figured out but one thing that is saving me is laughter!” Bronfman writes. “Every time I get spit up on, or spill my Haakaa full of milk, or have to spend 20 minutes blowing on his face to wake this sleepy boy up, I take a deep breath and let it roll off my back and let out a chuckle, because these are the moments I’ve been waiting so long for.”
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Hannah Bronfman
“Living for these moments. The breastfeeding journey is real,” writes the influencer, whowelcomed her first child, son Preston Miles Thomas Fallis, with husband Brendan Fallis in November 2020.
“I definitely don’t have it figured out but one thing that is saving me is laughter!” Bronfman writes. “Every time I get spit up on, or spill my Haakaa full of milk, or have to spend 20 minutes blowing on his face to wake this sleepy boy up, I take a deep breath and let it roll off my back and let out a chuckle, because these are the moments I’ve been waiting so long for.”
06of 06Life After BirthRizzoliLife After Birthison salenow.
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Life After Birth
Rizzoli
Life After Birthison salenow.
source: people.com
