The Fortune Society is celebrating Mothers’ Day by sharing the stories of mothers in our community. Denisha and Christina are both staff members at Fortune and have experienced the impacts that justice involvement can have on pregnancy, birth and mothering.  

Denisha, a Coordinator in Court Advocacy, found out she was pregnant with her daughter right as she was being processed into the county jail in New York. She was incarcerated for the first eight months at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility before giving birth at North Westchester Hospital. She admits that she is still dealing with the emotional impact of her delivery.  

Denisha does feel grateful for a few things that made her experience more tolerable– in 2009, the year before she gave birth to her daughter, New York became the sixth state to ban the use of restraints while incarcerated women labored and delivered. Denisha was free of handcuffs or any other shackles while she gave birth and was able to hold her daughter freely.  

“I couldn’t have gone through that being handcuffed. I am so thankful that the law passed right before I gave birth,” she shared. 

She is also grateful for the exemplary care that she received from her doctor and, unfortunately, knows that the respect and empathy she experienced are not the norm.  

“My doctor made me feel like a human. Her empathy and gentleness were so important,” Denisha explained. “She didn’t see me as an inmate, and she asked the guards to respect her rules and to respect me. That made me feel safe with her and I trusted my doctor.”

After giving birth to her daughter, Denisha was accepted to the Bedford Hills Nursery Program which allowed her to live with her daughter while she completed the remaining months of her sentence. The Bedford Hills Nursery Program is one of only eight in the country – in most facilities, babies are taken from their mothers just 24 to 48 hours after they are born. Nursery programs recognize that the first year of the child’s life is crucial for the mother and baby to bond and provides programming and supportive services for the mother.   

Denisha shares that the women in her unit, both in the general population and in the nursery program, supported one another through the experience of being a mother behind bars. Many new mothers can feel alone, leading to depression and personal neglect. New mothers in the nursery program are supported by those who have previously been in their shoes. 

Denisha is grateful for the nursery program and the opportunities it provided – parenting classes, therapy, access to donated goods for her daughter and more. Bedford Hills only has space for 26 women in the nursery, so she realizes that her placement was a privilege. She shared, “I can see how the nursery really affected me and helped me transition with my daughter once I left.”  

Justice involvement can impact mothers and parents in many different ways and at different points in their path. Christina, a Case Manager in Family Services, had her son many years after her incarceration but continued to face barriers due to her justice involvement. Finding secure housing for her and her baby boy was one of their biggest challenges, but now one of the biggest gifts is having a place to call their own. 

Christina is also familiar with Denisha’s feelings of wanting to be present for her son as much as she can, especially as a single mother, but also wanting to balance her love for her career. She acknowledged: “Sometimes I get a guilty conscience when I’m thinking ‘I’m at work, but I want to see my baby boy take his first steps.’ The most challenging part is being able to balance out mommy-hood and work life.” 

Both Denisha and Christina are grateful to their Fortune supervisors and colleagues that enable them to be with their children as much as possible, for big events and for smaller things like gymnastics practices and dance shows. Christina appreciates Fortune’s commitment to making the organization feel like a community: “They support me by making sure my schedule works for me as a mother. We can bring our family to events, and it’s great to know that our organization is more like a community – it supports you as a human, not just an employee.” 

Christina loves being a mother and always felt called to motherhood because of how she enjoyed taking care of her younger siblings when she was growing up.  

“The most rewarding thing about motherhood is knowing the love I have for my child and the love he has for me is forever, no matter what. Unconditional love is priceless. Every time I see his face, it’s like I see him for the first time,” she said.

Christina is growing each day as she navigates being a mother to a young boy and learns more about herself and him. She thinks it is important to know that there is no one way to mother.

“There is no book to pick up on motherhood,” Christina said. “Every day is a learning experience with our children and there is always room to grow as a mother and as a parent. We actually grow with our children as they teach us different things. We live and we learn and it’s been a beautiful journey.”