Tori Roloff Opens Up On The News She Never Expected

Little People, Big World star Tori Roloff thought that her baby being diagnosed with the same dwarfism as her husband Zach would be their only struggle, but she was puzzled to find out the other issues that came her way.

Little People, Big World’s Tori Roloff recently became a mother for the first time and like many other mothers, was incredibly excited about her baby but also nervous about the road ahead. Although every parent goes through this, there was something else that Tori wasn’t expecting to affect her to a huge degree.

Due to Tori’s husband Zach being born with the condition achondroplasia, making him a dwarf, there was a large probability their child would inherit the disability too. However, the expecting parents were fully aware of this and soon enough, when their child arrived in May 2017, he too was diagnosed with the condition. The diagnosis did not affect the new parents in the slightest and they were elated to have a baby of their own.

Due to her day job, Tori was used to dealing with young children on a daily basis as a kindergarten teacher. Although she was excited to meet her new son, she was also sad to go on maternity leave and say goodbye to her “Kinders”. She spoke about introducing them to her new baby saying “Can’t wait to take baby Roloff back to school to introduce him to the kids he’s listened to the last 9 months!”

Tori might have an ordinary job but her other occupation is quite the opposite. Tori stars along with her husband Zach and his family on reality TV show Little People, Big World. The Roloff family is comprised of half dwarfs while the other half is of an average height. Zach’s mom Amy has the dwarfism he inherited while his father Matthew has a different type of dwarfism. Interestingly, Zach is a twin but his brother Jeremy regular sized, along with the other kids.

When Little People, Big World premiered in 2006, it opened with solid ratings for TLC leading the network to green light a second series. The reception of the show was generally met with a wide array of praise due to its positive portrayal of little people. However, other critics gave criticism in regard to the representation of the romantic relationships on the show. Nevertheless, viewers recalled they felt good about the program due to it’s non-exploitative nature.

Due to the Roloffs owning and working a farm, they have labor intensive jobs where good physical health is crucial. However, family members including Matthew, Amy and Zach have not had the easiest of health journeys due to their dwarfism. Matthew’s diastrophic dysplasia resulted in a number of childhood surgeries and now uses crutches and motorized vehicles to move. Zach also had a number of childhood surgeries following medical complications whereas mother, Amy has generally been ok with minimal issues.

When the Roloffs were approached to star in their own reality show, documenting their day to day lives, they agreed almost immediately. Mother, Amy said “The Learning Channel came to us about five or six years ago, and so we suddenly realized we were given a great opportunity to educate people about dwarfism.” She continued “Nothing [else] had depicted dwarfism in an everyday way.” From the get go, they were often approached by viewers saying how much they loved the show.

Due to the success of Little People, Big World, the TLC producers decided to introduce a spinoff called Little People, Big World: Wedding Farm which debuted in 2012. The series followed Amy and Matthew Roloff as they ventured into the wedding planning business, all while displaying the dynamics within their family too. Although the original Little People, Big World show was met with great success and millions of viewers, the spinoff wasn’t as successful and it was cancelled after just one season.

In the earlier series’ of the show, the youngest son Jacob starred in the show with the rest of his family but after seeing things differently, he jumped ship. Jacob later revealed that he was fed up of being portrayed as a character and not himself. He said “The family that is filmed is not my family. They are the Roloff characters and I have scarcely anything in common with them, nor do I want to be a character myself.”

Many viewers fell in love with the adorable Zach with his shy personality and youthful charm and many wondered if he would find a girlfriend. In 2010, Tori took up a part-time job on the Roloff farm, which changed everything. Tori was equally shy but they both had a clear attraction to each other. Four months after getting to know one another, Zach plucked up the courage to ask Tori on a date and the rest was history.

In 2014 the couple got engaged and they gushed about their parter. Zach said , “Tori brought me out of my shell and made me more social, she gave me confidence.” While Tori said “We’re such a unique pairing, and we have a really cool story to share, but it was terrifying.” The new Mrs. Roloff continued, “But the show has helped me realize I shouldn’t worry about what other people think.” Zach admitted he hadn’t thought much about getting married but he was so excited to be married to Tori.

On July 27th 2015, Tori and Zach said their wedding vows in front of 100 guests and a number of TLC’s cameras which were documenting the special ceremony for their reality show. The episode was aired in the 9th season of the show but it wasn’t the only wedding to be shown. In the previous series, Zach’s twin Jeremy married his girlfriend, Audrey, and viewers couldn’t be happier about their adorable family growing. Both couples of course got married on the family’s farm, but there was more to come.

Later that year, a scandal rocked the Roloff family, as parents Matt and Amy announced their divorce after almost 30 years together. Fans were equally shocked but the former couple pledged to remain cordial to one another for their children and their family business on their pumpkin farm. Their statement said “Our kids and our ever-growing family, and the love and support we have for them, will be our priority. We will continue to work together side-by-side in the daily responsibilities for our many current ventures.”

But there was happier news in 2016 as Zach and Tori announced they were expecting a baby. However, unlike other expecting parents, they had to deal with the questions whether the baby would inherit the dwarfism gene or not. In an episode of Little People, Big World, the family discussed the possibilities of their child having a disability with Tori stating “No parent wants to hear that their child is different, no matter what that is.” Zach replied, “But to me, that’s not different, he’s just like me.”

Just before Zach and Tori’s baby was due, the couple had another milestone to celebrate. After meeting on the reality show, the couple had been together for seven years and couldn’t be happier. Tori wrote a heartfelt Instagram post to her husband, gushing “Zachary, you make me smile every day and I love our conversations about life and our dreams together. You are definitely my better half and I pray every day that I can be a better wife to you.”

On May 12th, 2017, Zach and Tori welcomed their little son Jackson into the world. Jackson was born with the same dwarfism as his father but the new parents were delighted nonetheless. Zach said, “You have to encourage a dwarf child a little more because it will take them five steps to do what others can do in two, but I knew, dwarf or not, I was going to parent my child with the mentality that not everyone gets a trophy. You have to earn it.”

Tori and Zach were so in love with Jackson and displayed the normal, excited responses to everything he did, despite the baby’s disability. Tori would regularly post on Instagram, giving fans updates about her child’s progress. In one post she wrote “Jackson is one month old today! He is eating and growing like a champ. Loves watching soccer with daddy. Starting to find his voice. Sleeps 5-6 hour stretches at night.” Things soon took a turn for Tori.

It appeared that everything was going as planned for the Roloffs with their newborn baby until Tori made an Instagram post which revealed the truth. She spoke out and said “Hands down the hardest thing about being a mom has been breastfeeding. It was something I did not expect,” She continued “I just figured it would come naturally because it’s what nature intended – I was so wrong.” Her honesty hit home with so many other new mothers.

Tori did not stop with her comments about breastfeeding there and was truthful about her own difficult experience, explaining “I get asked at all my appointments how BFing is going and I couldn’t imagine how that would make the women who physically can’t feel. I also HATE the stigma of breastfeeding.” The reality star was praised by so many for speaking out on something that so many other mothers feel but tend to stay quiet about.

The topic of breastfeeding has been an on-going debate for decades with many different stigmas and expectations being put on new mothers. Some people want to ban breastfeeding in public, arguing it’s inappropriate while mothers that do not breastfeed are condemned by others, saying they are not giving their baby the correct nutrients. These expectations can be extremely distressing for new mothers with some being so deeply affected that they develop feelings of inadequacy and guilt.

In the United States, 49 states allow women to breastfeed in public with the exception being in Idaho. However, even in the states that it is legal, women are often subjected to harassment, verbal abuse and condemnation. From this, it is no surprise that Tori Roloff spoke out against the injustices against women who are nursing. The reality star used her platform in the public eye to express her concerns that new mothers, just like her go through every single day.

Tori appeared to pour her heart out when talking about breastfeeding as it was an issue extremely close to her heart, having just given birth to Jackson. “I still feel awkward in public when I feed my baby. Why should I?” Tori was not alone in her feelings and many other mothers commended the reality star for speaking out on an issue that was so common among new mothers but their voice had been shut down.

Although Tori had explained how hard it was for her at first, she admitted that things were finally falling into place but she was still working on it. She added, “I’m providing for my child. [Jackson] and I have come a long way and we work well together now and I’m proud of that.” Many mothers have a hard time breastfeeding and either seek help from professionals or turn to formula to feed their newborn babies.

Tori’s honest Instagram post was met with much praise and thanks from other mothers going through the same. All her followers seemed to agree that the reality star was brave for speaking out and it was about time someone stood up and spoke out. One user wrote, “Great post!! No one should feel ashamed or guilty or degraded for not being able to breastfeed or for not wanting to breastfeed. It’s personal. You will bond with your baby either way.” But there was more.

Tori’s message also sparked the attention of experts who deal with these issues everyday. One user revealed her profession and wrote, “I work as a nurse in women’s services. Over the past 10 years that has been a huge push within hospitals to get everyone breast feeding. The concept is great but it is not reality. I have said this for awhile that we are setting up moms to have a lot more postpartum depression issues.”

As it turns out, Tori was not the only Roloff going through troubles surrounding motherhood. Expecting mother Audrey Roloff is just days away from meeting her baby girl but just revealed her own struggle. Audrey took to Instagram to post about how overwhelmed she was feeling about welcoming a daughter into the world all while trying to run a business. Audrey was not just expressing her feelings but she was also looking for advice from other mothers.

Audrey wrote “Attention momapreneurs… how do you do it?! I think the thing I am most nervous for post labor/delivery is learning to balance being a mom while running my businesses. I know that my priorities will need to take a shift, and I know that I won’t be able to give as much as I once could.” She finished by admitting, “I feel a little lost…” Audrey then asked all mothers to post in her comments so she could gain some insight.

So many mothers replied to Audrey saying that her feelings were totally normal and everything she expressed was completed valid. Many mothers wrote back to first-time expecting mom that there is no specific way to balance everything  and you kind of just have to go with the flow. Another mother told her to enjoy every moment with her baby girl and this time goes so quickly that she should savor every second. Many agreed that businesses can run themselves but a baby cannot.

In regard to Tori’s struggle with breastfeeding, many other women have begun speaking out about the problems and stigmas the reality star was feeling too. Recently, the media has focused on celebrities who have not been ashamed of nursing their children and have proudly taken to social media to post pictures, encouraging other women to do the same. Celebrities including Chrissy Teigen, Gisele Bündchen and Alanis Morissette have posting pictures breastfeeding. Tori was able sympathize with so many others in similar positions.

Despite Tori’s struggle, she has never once taken for granted her beautiful baby boy Jackson and the baby is showered with love from both of his parents. Tori often posts on Instagram giving fans an insight into her family live and the progress little Jackson is making. Her family may be in the public eye but it does not stop the young mother from dealing with issues that many other women encounter on a daily basis.