"“What’s really going on in this photo? We see a mother contentedly kissing her newborn, yes. But that’s not the whole truth. Just four hours earlier, after a grinding forty-hour labour that ended with an emergency forceps delivery, I gave birth to my sweet daughter. My tailbone shattered and now, post-epidural, is so painful that I can barely stand. But I do, because the photographer, who has a contract with the hospital and does the rounds pitching shoots to new parents, asks me to. I tell myself that I should have ‘proper’ photos of us together, mother and daughter, both newly created. I try my best to look ‘motherly,’ whatever the hell that means. I have no idea. But I’ve seen these types of photos before, on friends’ mantelpieces and on Instagram. So I act the part and try to emulate the state of maternal bliss I tell myself I should be feeling. But, really, I’m on tenterhooks waiting for the results from a blood test that means my daughter’s wellbeing is at risk if it comes back positive. I’m worried about getting her to latch in this all-important window of time for breastfeeding, about which I’ve heard so much yet know so little. I had prepared diligently to give birth, but not for what happens afterwards. I desperately need to pee but I’m exhausted and terrified by the thought of more pain. Hot rivers of blood run down both my legs, so I try to keep them closed as I shuffle into position. I’m engulfed by shock and new love and confusion and adrenalin and I want to cry. But I also want a picture I can frame and show my child when she’s older. So I take directions from the photographer and perform ‘mother’ in the moment I should have perhaps just allowed myself to be one, vulnerable and divided, alone with my new family of three, astonished and grateful that Neva and I made it to the other side alive. This photograph is my reminder to protect and honor what is real and raw and human, which can so often be obscured when we behave as we think we ‘should’. Screw should. My advice is to take photos of the most candid moments too, as those hasty cellphone snaps might end up being the ones you treasure most.” — Mia, Nyssa Co-Founder"

@nyssacare

NYSSA

""Thank you for including @nyssacare in this important @voguemagazine article on period changes and perimenopause @fifival 💕 “Perimenopause is actually more challenging clinically for patients in terms of their symptoms than menopause,” says Dr. Amersi. It doesn’t help that there’s no set time frame for the shift. “Women could be in perimenopause for a varying length of time and it could be hardly noticeable or it could be eight years of slow changes,” adds Jacobs. Embrace the fact that a change is coming, talk about it, and, most importantly, ask for help. As Dr. Javaid emphasizes, “You do not have to just live with it.”"

@fifival

NYSSA

""I clamped my hands over my ears as the obstetrician cranked up the volume on the ultrasound machine. After three pregnancy losses, I was convinced that we’d be met only with static. “I think you’re going to want to hear this,” the doctor said. And there was the unmistakable drumming of my son’s heart. At that moment, I promised myself that I would always be grateful for this baby, and for my body that found a way to grow with him. And yet, when it’s 4:58 a.m. and I’m awakened by him bellowing for potato chips and cartoons, parenting can feel tedious, lonely and exhausting." Excerpt from Danna Lorch's piece in the New York Times. We cannot overstate how much we appreciate this story. Wow."

@nytimes

NYSSA

"“My experiences the past year have been shocking and uncomfortable, just like this photo. But it’s also where I’ve found the most growth.” — Mandi, ICU RN and new mother | Read more about Mandi’s experience at @jandimo_"

@jandimo_

NYSSA