4th Trimester Bodies Project began in 2013 as a passion project of Chicago-based photographer Ashlee Wells Jackson (pictured above).
After experiencing a particularly difficult second pregnancy where she lost one of her two twin daughters due to complications of Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS), Jackson began the 4th Trimester Bodies Project as a way to help women feel both comfortable and proud of their post-pregnancy bodies.
"I see beautiful, inspiring, real women on a daily basis who struggle with their body image because they don't feel they measure up with who the media tells them to be," Jackson told BuzzFeed. "I feel like this is even more poignant in mothers who often feel like their bodies have been ruined when instead they should be respected for creating, sustaining, and nourishing life," Jackson continued.
When asked about her hopes for the future of the project, she responded, "So much more needs to be done in our society to embrace body positivity and normalize breastfeeding. This project started with my story and it has exploded into a beautiful, all-encompassing movement from there. I hope that by seeing the stories and images represented through this work that women feel a sense of identification, support, and self-love."
For more photographs and information please visit "4th Trimester Bodies Project."
All photographs courtesy of Ashlee Wells Jackson.