Even astronauts have down days.
Kelly Gerardi, director of human spaceflight at the International Space Science Institute and the 90th woman to fly into space, is just another working mom trying to juggle everything.
When she’s not teaching astronauts about parenting and microgravity to astronauts-in-training, Gerardi is documenting her fertility challenges and motherhood journey on Instagram. The research astronaut recently gave birth to her second daughter, conceived through in vitro fertilization.
In June 2026, just eight weeks postpartum, Gerardi returned to work and became the first woman to express breast milk in microgravity during a parabolic IIAS flight. (Her device of choice was a breast pump from the Willow line.)
For those interested in science [and] We want to understand why it’s important to study this,” Gerardi wrote in a recent Instagram post. “Breast milk contains bioactive lipids that reflect the mother’s metabolism, inflammation, stress response, and overall physiological adaptations during the postpartum period. Therefore, studying how these molecules change in response to controlled physiological stressors such as microgravity and hypergravity will help us better understand how maternal physiological stress is reflected in breast milk during postpartum recovery.”
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After more than eight years of infertility, the birth of a daughter was a long-awaited goal. As a way to give back to the community, Gerardi partnered with online registration site Babylist to establish two IVF grants.
Gerardi, 37, is happy to be an example to her 2.5 million followers on Instagram and TikTok, but that doesn’t mean “my life is perfect.” While Gerardi literally reaches for the stars, she’s also completely realistic about the high expectations placed on women.
“Through my recent IVF treatment and this pregnancy, I have gained about 60 pounds,” Gerardi recently posted. “Most of that weight is still there, and I think it might be for a while, and it was such a relief to know that I didn’t have to expend any kind of mental energy on it.”
Two and a half years after visiting space on Virgin Galactic’s Galactic 05 mission, Gerardi was recognized for her work when a Barbie doll was created in her likeness as part of International Women’s Day celebrations.
Gerardi took to Instagram with the perfect caption to mark the occasion. “You’ve worked hard for the past 20 years to be able to tell your daughters that mama is an astronaut and a Barbie doll.”
Running through much of Gerardi’s online content is her belief that women and girls include many people. But this is not just what she says. It’s what she lives for.
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