Ashley Graham’s Life After Twins: ‘Loud, Organized Chaos’
The mother of three opens up about finding joy amidst the challenges of parenting small children and navigating her ‘ever-changing body.’
There’s a level of intensity that only parents of multiples can know. Ashley Graham gets it. She lives there now, and while it’s not for the faint of heart, she wouldn’t have things any other way.
The body-positive model and her husband Justin Ervin are parents to son Isaac, 2, and twins Malachi and Roman, who they welcomed on January 7.
Between nursing two infants and caring for a toddler, it’s a challenge for Graham to find time to take care of herself.
“It’s been three months since I added two new people to my life,” Graham told People. “When I had just Isaac, it was easy to make time for me. I was only worried about one nap time. Now I’m worried about three nap times. I have been doing yoga and Pilates, and just having that hour to myself where I’m taking care of my body, really feels great.”
While an hour to herself is precious, Graham also treasures the time she spends with her family.
When asked to describe life with three under three, she told People, “Loud, organized chaos. Honestly, we are having so much fun. Even in the midst of the crying, and the poop, and the vomit and the engorged breasts, and the hair loss, and my ever-changing body. Me, Justin, Isaac, Roman, Malachi — we’re all hanging out in the living room, and we look at each other, Justin and I. We’re like, ‘Oh my God, we have three amazing kids,’ and here we are, we’re laughing and dancing. It’s so much fun. I feel like my home is so full of love, and it’s because of my awesome kids and my great husband, truly.”
Graham has been candid about the physical changes she’s experienced in pregnancy and postpartum, from stretch marks to hair loss.
“I didn’t realize how ugly and hard postpartum life was, so I shared it,” Graham explained to People. “I didn’t realize that my hair was going to fall out, so I wanted to talk about it. I think just being as open and honest as I can with my followers, that’s all I can give them, is that. I just don't know how to be any other way.”
Another way she’s found to take care of herself is to care for her skin. “I had really bad rosacea after I had Isaac,” Graham said to People. She is now a partner and investor in Fig. 1, whose products she credits with healing her own skin. After welcoming the twins, Graham noticed that she wasn’t caring for her skin as much, and saw some dryness and signs of rosacea returning.
“I said, ‘Do one thing for yourself, Ashley,’” Graham remembered.
In addition to caring for her little ones, the mom of three is back to work, which brings another set of contradictions that she’s learning to embrace.
“I feel bad when I leave, and I’m so happy when I do,” Graham told People. “It’s this balance of, ‘I don’t want to go,’ but then when I’m gone, I’m like, ‘Ah, this is what life is like.’”
