Elaine Welteroth’s Belly Chain
The New York Times
The former editor in chief of Teen Vogue and founder of the organization birthFund wears custom jewelry to celebrate her growing family.
Elaine Welteroth is still getting used to her custom belly chain, a commemoration of her second pregnancy and growing family.
The former “Project Runway” judge and editor in chief of Teen Vogue, Ms. Welteroth launched birthFund this past April. The foundation provides grants for midwifery birth support services and holistic perinatal care to mothers and families who qualify. The community-driven organization began with 10 families across the United States, each of whom was paired with a founding family funder, who include Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian, John Legend and Chrissy Teigen, Kelly Rowland, Ayesha Curry, Karlie Kloss and Ashley Graham.
“I started birthFund because of the surging maternal mortality crisis that we’re in, and how few of us are aware of it until it’s too late,” Ms. Welteroth said. “I felt called to build something that would offer support for families who deserve access to better care than what’s available to them during pregnancy, childbirth and after.”
Midwifery changed the trajectory of Ms. Welteroth’s own challenging first pregnancy, she said in an interview. She discussed how her belly chain, adorned with the names of her son and the baby on the way, honors where she is in life. This interview has been edited and condensed.
You have a history with the designer of your belly chain, right?
I discovered ByChari when I was putting out my first book, “More Than Enough,” in 2019. When I had my first baby, she [Chari Cuthbert of ByChari] made me a necklace that said his name with diamonds on it. I feel like she’s been with me through these significant milestone moments in my life and in my career, and so it only would make sense to go back to her to mark this moment of bringing in my second baby. She’s a woman-of-color designer, small-business owner. I always try to support women-owned businesses, Black-women- and women-of-color-owned businesses.
