Artist and mom of twins harmoniously pairs working and breastfeeding
Hein Koh, a feminist artist in Brooklyn, is giving new meaning to multitasking.
She recently shared a photo of herself working on a laptop while breastfeeding her twins, which is inspiring moms all over social media.
The candid photo, taken by her husband Jim, was a throwback from last May, when her babies were five weeks old. On Facebook, it has received over 7,000 likes.
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Koh cites a recent interview with artist Marina Abramović, in which she discussed how she never had children because she believes having kids can hold women back.
Koh doesn't believe that Abramović's perspective is universal.
"All Marina knows is her own experience, and it may be true for her, but that is not everyone's experience nor truth," wrote Koh. "Becoming a #mom (of twins no less) has personally helped me become a better #artist."
Koh added more about Abramović's beliefs to Mashable. "It's comments like these that hold women back, reinforcing negative stereotypes, rather than the choice to have a family," she said.
"We live in a day and age when family models are changing, women aren't necessarily the primary caretakers anymore, so there's no reason women can't be as successful in their careers as men."
In her post, she explains that becoming a parent has helped her become better with efficiency, prioritizing, letting go, multitasking and even her art.
"I learned to function (even if barely) on very little sleep, and out of the chaos, insanity and even torture at times, a flood of new emotions entered into my work, becoming more interesting & layered as a result."
Koh emphasizes that motherhood is a personal experience. "I think it's important to distinguish between moms who are choosing to work vs. moms who work because they have to," she wrote to Mashable.
"My advice is for moms who are working by choice, since that's the position I'm in, that they shouldn't feel guilty for doing so. Motherhood is by nature a self-sacrificing position, but if you don't take care of yourself and do what makes you feel happy and fulfilled, then it only hurts your children," she said.
Other moms and moms-to-be praised her on Facebook and Instagram.
"What I am saying is that parenting is like any other challenge in life - the biggest fucking challenge in my own life thus far - and if you embrace it and figure out creative solutions, you can emerge a better person," Koh wrote in her post.
"It's important to think about the ways in which these challenges can help you move forward, rather than hold you back."
Koh has shared posts with similar sentiments in the past.
"I want my children to grow up knowing that I pursued what I love to do, so that they too will learn to follow their dreams, no matter the circumstances," Koh told Mashable.
"Otherwise, if moms sacrifice too much, at the expense of their own happiness, then it only breeds resentment. Even if it's not spoken of, the kids will feel it."
We'll leave you with some more photos of her adorable twins, Oni and Ami.
Topics Family & Parenting
Sophie was a Viral Content Intern for the Watercooler channel. More writing and other stuff by Sophie can be found at www.sophiehirsh.com.
