After documenting their own pregnancies together, Melanie and Vanessa Iris Roy, of Charlotte, North Carolina want to inspire other same sex couples to start a family. “The woman’s body is incredible. The way it creates and grows another human being is amazing. We hope that our picture is that sign that some women may need to encourage them to carry a child,” says Melanie.

The couple both wanted to be mothers, so they decided to each have a child, one year apart, and to document the process on Instagram. What they didn’t expect was for their photos to go viral. “It’s crazy to see that people were referring to my family as an inspiration,” said Melanie, “We are still in complete shock.”

Vanessa gave birth to her son Jax in 2014, and Melanie to their daughter Ero in 2015. Below is our interview and the photos of their family that rocked the world.

More info: Instagram (h/t: huffpost, dailymail)

“The woman’s body is incredible”

“The way it creates and grows another human being is amazing”

“We hope that our picture is that sign that some women may need to encourage them to carry a child”

“We received one email from someone who said that after reading our story they got the courage to finally come out to their mother,” Melanie told Bored Panda.

“It’s a great feeling to think that we can have a positive affect on so many people. We never would have thought our picture could do this.”

And “all the opportunities to answer interview questions have been unexpected! From PEOPLE Magazine to Us Magazine to appearing on news channels in Miami, Charlotte and even Germany.”

When asked by Bored Panda if the family had any message to share with our readers: “Be confident in yourself. Confidence is unbreakable. No negativity can get to you if you are confident about yourself”

“One day the world will be completely accepting until then just smile and be you!”