“This is Postpartum”: Fab Mums Share Their Post-Baby Bods – and Stories – With Us

by Rachel Lee
4 years ago

Mothers are uniting on Instagram about their postpartum bodies, and it’s a fantastic reminder that every body is beautiful. Go, mums!

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#this_is_postpartum . A few months ago, I posted a postpartum photo similar to this for the very first time. It was the most terrifying thing for me, and it definitely had backlash. I just wanted to feel comfortable in my own skin, even though I had online strangers telling me to stop blaming being fat on postpartum. I just wanted to be the person that I needed to see while at my lowest of lows as I entered the postpartum reality. And the truth is, I felt very alone in what I was sharing as a plus size mother. I quickly realized why moms like me weren’t sharing about this topic openly on social media. So even though I knew there would be criticism, I knew it was important for me, and for others like me, to share my story. And to post the photos and talk about this. Because this is postpartum. . Towards the beginning of the summer, I started thinking about reaching out to other mothers and asking them to share with me. Asking mothers of every size and shape to stand up with me and to show that not all of our experiences are the same. We aren’t doing this alone. And today, those strong mothers are standing up. We are sharing our stories. Some of us for the very first time and some of us for the hundredth time. But every time is meaningful. Our journey is meaningful. Every part of our postpartum experience is normal and we all fall on to some part of its wide spectrum. So today, and from now on, let’s share. Let’s stand up. Let’s embrace our postpartum bodies together. Whether you’re plus size, full of loose skin, stretch marked up or scarred. All of it is postpartum. All of it counts. All of it means something. Because all of it is part of you. And you, mama, are worthy. . For the entire project, find the link in my bio and in my stories to the video for This Is Postpartum. Use the hashtag #this_is_postpartum and share your story. Be a part of the project and join the mission to help change the narrative of postpartum bodies. #esto_es_posparto . This is postpartum, and so is this (swipe to continue the loop) ?? @thefortintrio. . Tee: @themomculture

A post shared by Meg Boggs (@meg.boggs) on

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Please give yourself some grace Mama. #onelove • #Repost @samantha_show_ (@get_repost) ・・・ There’s no black and white when it comes to pregnancy. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ There’s no black and white when it comes to postpartum. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I’ve been struggling to find happiness in my postpartum body. Clothes fit differently and I’m still 30lbs above my pre-pregnancy weight. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ But this is real life. This is how my body is handling having my third baby and it’s different than the next mom and so on. It’s different for everyone and there’s no way you SHOULD look or feel after having a baby. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Instagram is a highlight reel and you’re only seeing what people choose to share. Please do not compare yourself to what you see because you’re only getting a fraction of the whole picture. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I love blogging for so many reasons but getting to know other mamas in this community is one of my favorite parts. I’m sharing my story alongside so many other ladies who have chosen to share their journey with #this_is_postpartum ? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ You GREW A HUMAN so give yourself some grace mama… you’re amazing! #postpartumbody #thisispostpartum #mamabear #realtalk

A post shared by Tampa Doula|One Love Doula (@onelovedoulaservices) on

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Swipe to see the “before” aka me at 40 weeks pregnant and over it. ⁣⁣ •⁣⁣ My baby will be six weeks old tomorrow. Sometimes it’s still hard to wrap my mind around the fact that I even have a baby. I’m in the process of writing down everything that he and I have been through already in his short life.⁣⁣ •⁣⁣ I’m proud of my body for all the hard work it has done for us. I never knew how strong I was until I had no choice but to be strong for me and my baby. I was embarrassed of my size in the second picture and hard on myself for gaining 38 pounds over a hard pregnancy. But, two weeks after he was born I had lost all but one of those pounds. So I guess I gained just the right amount. And now in the first pic at 48 pounds down I’m not embarrassed about anything anymore, just grateful that at the end of all this we have two healthy bodies.⁣ •⁣ #thisispostpartum #newmom #sixweeksold #sixweekspostpartum #boymom #indymoms

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I don’t think you’re ready for this jelly ??? I know I wasn’t… it was all about preparing my body for birth I hadn’t considered what it’d be like afterwards. ? Well here it is, I won’t lie and say I’ve had 1 or 2 wobbles (scuse the pun?) about this tum of mine but my god I’m proud of it, stripes and all! ? It was home to our precious boy for 9 months and provided everything he needed to arrive safe in this world! How could I hate it? ??‍♀️ For anyone feeling pressure from the media or themselves to ‘snap back’ *that phrase makes me shudder* just know that you are fabulous and doing a wonderful job regardless of your size, shape or stretch marks! ?❤️ #embracethewobble #feelgoodmotherhood • #myletterboardproject • • • • • Repost @themrsproject • • • • • #newbornphotography #motherhood #colourfulmums #abmlifeisbeautiful #channelmumvillage #postpartumbelly #lifestyleblogger #mamatobe #momentsofmylife #letterfolk #themamahood #motherhoodunplugged #mothertobe #pregnancydiaries #mamablogger #postpartumbody #mummyblogger #letterboardquotes #mummyblog #fourthtrimester #motherhoodthroughletterboards #newbornbaby #letthembelittle #thisispostpartum #2weekspostpartum #this_is_postpartum #effyourbeautystandards

A post shared by POSTPARTUM MOTHERSHAPE (@postpartum) on

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I really value honesty regarding motherhood and the changes it brings to your body. Some women are pretty much unaffected by a pregnancy, and that's OK. Other women, like myself, do notice quite a lot of change. I have always been a bit on the heavy side when it comes to my upper legs, and my hips are somewhat wide; After my 5th pregnancy I've noticed a lot of changes to my tummy. I used to be so proud of it, even if I was a bit on the heavy side, my tummy looked nice and flat. Today it doesn't look like that anymore and I find it incredibly hard to come to terms with that. But still I try to feel as positive as possible about my body, that includes my tummy. 5 beautiful children have emerged from there and that's a fact I'm enormously proud of! I still try to work on my tummy and the rest of my body, albeit slow and steady. But I'm living today and today I'm grateful for the body I have and I'm not going to wait to be happy until I lose 30kg. #this_is_postpartum – thank you @meg.boggs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #honestmotherhood #motherhoodmoments #letterboardquotes #motherhood #momlife #postpartum#bodypositive #uniteinmotherhood #reallife#motherhoodunplugged #motherhoodthroughinstagram #ohmamamoment #dailyparenting #navigatingpostpartum #thisispostpartum #postpartumbody #4thtrimester #thisispostpartum #plussizemom #simplemamahood #thesearethedays #thepursuitofjoyproject #clickinmoms #mommystatus #fullheartmamas #momitforward #motherhoodthroughinstagram #liveauthentic #momtogs @motherhoodisloveandpatience #quotesofsofielambrecht

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