ELAINE WELTEROTH
by Aramide Tinubu | photographs by Michael Buckner
credits
Creative Direction
+ Design
Sheila Patel
Photographs
Michael Buckner
Styling
Monica Rose
welve days after giving birth, Elaine Welteroth was jolted awake by a sharp ache in her right calf. "I Googled the symptoms," she says,
recalling the terrifying incident over the phone. "Right away, what came up was Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT), which is life-threatening and can very quickly move to your lungs. It is the same condition that almost killed Serena Williams during childbirth." Welteroth called her midwife, Kimberly Durdin, who urged her to go to the emergency room. "I went to the ER and got scanned, and don't you know I had two blood clots, DVT in my leg," the former Teen Vogue editor-in-chief explains.
Fortunately, Welteroth identified something was wrong and received the care she needed to continue with a beautiful postpartum experience. However, the Project Runway judge's health and wellness journey began differently. "The first time in my life that I started to even think about my health was when I became pregnant," she reflects. "I really struggled in the process of finding a doctor that was a good fit, and that surprised me. I found pregnancy to be humbling. It was the most vulnerable I've ever been. It was truly a struggle, especially in that first trimester. I had a hard time getting out of bed for 19 weeks."
The More Than Enough author was eventually diagnosed with Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction (SPD), which impacted her ability to walk, made her nauseous and took a toll on her overall quality of life. "I felt like I lost my life force," she says. "I think I started to take my health more seriously because I had a little human inside of me relying on me to make good decisions. I became very curious about how I needed to treat my body so that I could feel better and move through my daily life."
For Welteroth, establishing a mind, body, and spirit connection was paramount. After being gaslighted and dismissed by numerous doctors, she decided to divest from traditional medical care in her 36th week of pregnancy. "It's vital that we understand as women how to tap into our intuition, how to heal ourselves, how to seek out what feels good in terms of care, the care that we deserve," she explains. "That's the journey that I went on in my pregnancy, which put me on the path to seeking out midwifery care, which was a night and day game-changing difference in the healthcare I received."
While searching for answers and information during her pregnancy, the journalist learned that the U.S. has the highest maternal death rate of any high-income nation. For Black women, no matter their economic status, the numbers are four to five times higher than their white counterparts. Emboldened by this information, Welteroth launched MaterniTea: Expecting... the Unexpected, a pregnancy and parenting community for birthing people seeking answers. "There's so much we didn't learn about our bodies, what they're capable of, what they need, what it takes to bring life into this world," she says. "I'm always inspired to create the things that I need.
Elaine Welteroth Is Reclaiming Her Soft Life
This was another place where I felt 'I have to use my voice; I have to share my experience.'” Along with MaterniTea, Welteroth also works as an advocate alongside several nonprofits, including Bobbie For Change and 4Kira4Moms, raising awareness about the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act to improve Black maternal health outcomes.
Welteroth is clear that she is not anti-doctor or into mom-shaming. However, the American medical system no longer works for patients or healthcare workers. "I feel really hopeful about this new era of moms that are changing the game and demanding better care," she explains. Along with understanding the statistics, another major component of the journalist's work has been sharing the beautiful aspects of birth and motherhood. "We need to start amplifying positive birth stories that illuminate the agency that we have to make different choices that result in better outcomes," she says. "We need to be able to see those centered and elevated so that we understand what we can have, what we can be fighting for, and what we deserve access to. Better is available. I think that doctors have their place, midwives have their place, doulas have their place."
Getting in tune with her body during pregnancy and postpartum has solidified Welteroth's trust in her gut, especially when her body tells her to slow down. "I just came back from a massage, actually," she laughs. "I do need to fully tap out sometimes, and that same intelligence within my body that led me to a diagnosis before I was formally diagnosed is the same intuition that tells me when it's time to put the work down and rest and recharge."
Welteroth is also reinvigorated by her son. "He is this battery that I've given birth to that I can plug back into and just feel full of life again and light, laughter, hope, and optimism," she says. "He is that for me. I know many people talk about motherhood in this very draining way, and I don't take that away from anybody's experience. Still, I'm just so grateful to have been blessed with this baby that brings me so much joy and gives me life, especially after a tough pregnancy. My number one responsibility is to be here with him, be healthy for him, be present, and keep a light heart."
As women — especially Black women — talk about rejecting hustle culture and living without constant stress and struggle, Welteroth says she's fully embracing the soft life. However, she recognizes the privilege required to have one. "I feel like earlier in my career I didn't have that kind of discernment or discipline, but I think having a baby has been the single most paradigm-shifting event in my life that has forever altered how I work," she explains. "I can't afford to jeopardize my health in pursuing any professional goal. I refuse to do that ever again. This is part of my deprogramming. It's not easy, and it doesn't come naturally to me to say, 'I'm going to recharge today.' What I try to remind myself is rather than punishing myself as a martyr because of all of the inequities and suffering in the world, as a Black woman, if I am in a position to pursue a soft life, it's my responsibility on behalf of all of my ancestors. That's a part of my reprogramming too."
MOVING GIF
return to FLOW HOMEPAGE
return to FLOW HOMEPAGE
VP, Video
Reshma Gopaldas
Video Editors
Allie O’Connell,
Jacqueline Soller
Article
Aramide Tinubu
“
“
It's vital that we understand as women how to tap into our intuition, how to heal ourselves, how to seek out what feels good in terms of care, the care that we deserve.
ELAINE WELTEROTH
Casa Clara Folly Earrings, $48
For the journalist, author and TV host, rest and intuition are central guides in her personal health journey.
is reclaiming her soft life
T
Acler Dress; Andrea Wazen Denver 105 Pumps, $625
Camilla and Marc Top and Pants; Jimmy Choo Shoes
return to FLOW HOMEPAGE