In Conversation With Taylor Giavasis
Taylor Giavasis is a mother and body-positive influencer and Founder of The Naked Diaries. She works to showcase female bodies in their authentic form, increasingly rare in an era of photoshop culture. Taylor Giavasis is the definition of the mom friend you want in your life. Her platform is a safe space filled with compassion and empathy.
Taylor is wearing our Ballet Bra Small Full Cup in Black and our Mid-Rise Panty in Black, Size M/L
We are so excited to discuss postpartum, breastfeeding and parenthood with her. Let's dive in!
How has your relationship with yourself grown and evolved since becoming a mother?
Oh my what a question. I really don’t think the rebirth of yourself is talked about enough when it comes to motherhood. We spend so much time thinking about our new baby. Everyone is so excited to welcome the life of a new child, but I think what our society must focus on is the birth and welcoming of the new mother. No matter how many babies you have, you are reborn each time. It can get so messy, motherhood is a beautiful mess in my eyes. The beautiful part about it is that you learn to do what you love and what fills you because you don’t have time for anything else. That is also hard while raising a human being as well. You are shown what is really important to you. You are given so much love and the love you pour out is shown in a physical form. What I have learned about myself is I am capable of so many things, I am so full of love, I am worthy, and I am always evolving. I have learned to give myself grace. Each day is a learning experience because you are growing with a human being and you both are experiencing things for the first time. Enjoy the now as much as possible even though the now can be tough, the tough parts only last so long.
You recently gave birth to your second baby! Going from one to two babies… it's a huge transition, emotionally and physically. Who is your support system in your life, and why?
I was so scared to go from one to two. I just had so many doubts and honestly would cry for the first couple of weeks. Even though I wanted my baby, I had thoughts like… Would I be enough? Would Malakai adjust? Then Noa was born and every thought faded away. I would say the first weeks of going from one to two was harder for me than zero to one. Mostly because of how hard it was for Malakai, I spent basically every second with him his whole life and then I had to focus on myself and this new baby and that is traumatic for a two, almost three year old. Though two young kids is a lot because you have less time for yourself, I know it only lasts so long, having young children that fully depend on you. These years are so short and that’s why I allow myself to go all into motherhood. I want to give my all while they need me and give them all the tools to be the best humans they can be. I am so happy they have each other. Nash and I really do everything at home and for our children, we have to lean on each other if we need time for ourselves. Sometimes we will have someone help deep clean once a month. It can truly be overwhelming and we are always trying to learn the best ways to be the best versions of ourselves. My mother is the only other person I have felt comfortable leaving Malakai with. I love having mom friends because having someone you can relate to makes the journey so much easier. Even though I don’t see them often, having people I can text and connect with is so helpful.
How was your birthing experience the first time, and how did it differ from your second time?
My first birth I was a young mom but I’ve always wanted to be a mother and I always had the idea of what I wanted when it came to birth. I wanted to choose my support team and birth in the comfort of my own home and I am so blessed and thankful that I found such an amazing midwife that made my journey into motherhood so magical. I had a long intense 28 hour labor with back to back contractions but that truly showed me my pure strength and I welcomed my son Malakai at home. He was a big ten pound baby. Though my birth was everything I wanted, it was INTENSE and that kind of made me nervous for my next birth. I have anxiety so ‘what ifs’ always fill my mind. My doula and midwife would constantly remind me that each birth is different and the second labor is usually shorter. Noa’s birth was only 2 and a half hours and the complete opposite of Malakai’s and it honestly makes me want to give birth again and again. That sounds insane but I find birth so empowering.
No matter where you give birth remember this is YOUR birthing experience. I really recommend to have a doula or a support person there to share your desires for your birth. Do as much research as possible so you can have all the knowledge about what decisions you’d like to make. Your desires matter and should be heard. Home birth or c-section, you are a bad ass.
How has your breastfeeding journey been? Challenges, advice, differences between babies?
Oh breastfeeding. Truly I can’t believe how many things are not taught or talked about and you are all of a sudden supposed to know while you’re a bloody mess. With Malakai I truly did not know what I was doing. He had a tongue tie, I had inverted nipples (which truly did not make a difference but intimidated me) and I was just confused. Thankfully my midwife had the most helpful recommendations and introduced me to my lactation consultant that taught me SO much.
Things like pumping .5-1.5 oz per session is normal, there is no need to constantly pump if you’re exclusively breastfeeding, breastfeeding should not hurt, it is normal for your baby to want to constantly be breastfeeding. I breastfed Malakai for two years and I would say the first three months were the hardest but the journey was magical after that. With Noa again the experience was much easier because she instantly latched and I had the knowledge from my first. I still had to hire a lactation consultant because the amount of milk that came in at first was intense and I kind of forgot about that part of breastfeeding. I am so thankful to have had a support team because I would’ve been so lost and who knows where my breastfeeding journey would’ve been if I didn’t have the tools given to me. I have a highlight on my Instagram with more tips and facts that I hope can help someone out there. I think with everything motherhood take it one day at a time and don’t be scared to ask
for help.
You are wearing the Ballet Full Cup from Bravado Designs. What do you love about the design, and why?
I absolutely love the materials of the bras, they are so comfortable and make you feel secure. I love the adjustable straps because as someone with a larger chest I find that very important in bras. I would recommend to anyone who is nursing/pregnant!
