Postpartum Bodies Deserve Respect

Some days I look in the mirror and only notice my imperfections. The skin tone of my face is uneven, I have bags under my eyes, my stomach is far from flat, the right angles bring out a double chin now and I jiggle a lot more than I’d really prefer to... But what I forget to remind myself of is that I’ve carried life inside me... I grew an entire human being within my now flabby tummy. My bagged eyes have seen life be brought into this world from within myself. I’ve belly laughed more in the last (almost) 10 months since my son's been born, than I have in my whole life... All things I take for granted almost daily.

We moms don’t give ourselves nearly enough credit. Who says we have to immediately “snap back” to what we looked like pre-baby? Some women are just blessed and do nothing at all and within a couple months their bodies show hardly any signs that they were ever pregnant. Some would call them lucky and most are insanely jealous that they don’t look how they did before they got pregnant. I, on the other hand, simply refuse to think that way about my body. I’m proud of my stretch marks and loose skin. I earned the right to feel comfortable exactly as I am when I brought LIFE into this world. No “perfect” picture I see on social media is gonna change my mind. I’ll “snap back” when I’m good and ready.

The funny thing about it is that our kids don’t give a shit if our tummy's are flat or if our skin is perfectly even with no stretch marks. They love us and think we’re beautiful even when we first roll out of bed in the mornings. Kids are blind to superficial beauty. They only know that you’re sweet to them, you love and take care of them, you nurture and support them... These things make you beautiful to them. They don’t care what you weigh or that you struggle with your anxiety/depression daily. You put on your brave face for them and that’s what they see. They love you for you, 100 percent of the time. Your kids want you to be happy not “skinny” or whatever your definition of “perfect” is.

I guess my point is stop comparing yourself to some Instagram model who had a baby a month ago and is already back to her pre-baby size. It’s not real. Celeb’s pay A LOT of money for personal trainers, dietitians, medications, lipo, etc...to lose weight and look amazing, fast, and it just isn’t realistic. If it takes you six months, a year or even two or three years to “snap back” that’s completely okay. If you never wanna “snap back” because you just dgaf and you feel confident more so now than ever, that’s fine too. I’m so tired of us moms feeling pressured about our postpartum bodies. It took nine months for it to stretch out, yet we’re all hellbent on being back to normal in a handful of months or less...Where’s the logic there?

All of us are beautiful. We’re all perfect exactly as we are. We carried and brought life into this world! NEVER diminish that fact! Stop trying to fit a certain mold because society has told us that we shouldn’t take time to HEAL from having a baby. Rock those stretch marks, smile that cheesy double chin grin, WEAR THE DAMN CROP TOP, and love yourself like your babies love you!! They need you here—no matter your size or shape.

I want every woman to be as obsessed as I am with self love and being at peace with yourself. You’ve been through a lot. Pregnancy is A LOT on a body and motherhood is A LOT on a mind—mentally, physically and emotionally... We handle a lot of shit, daily. Never forget that you’re a warrior. Fighting through every single day with a brave face on for your kids. You’re an amazing mom regardless of what your mind tells you. Remember that we become what we think... Always be kind to yourself. Where has criticizing yourself gotten you this far?

“Your worth is not measured by the size of your waist.”

Love and light,

Olivia