Here Are 10 Photos Of Me And My Child That Show That Postpartum Bodies And Experiences Are Different To Everyone
After experiencing a plus size pregnancy and now a plus size postpartum body, I never realized just how much judgement I would receive. With all of these opinions surrounding motherhood and postpartum bodies, especially on Instagram, I decided to spread some positivity throughout those little squares in hopes to remind maybe just one mama that she is not alone.
Motherhood is full of experiences ranging from overwhelming to extremely gratifying to down right hilarious. Dealing with our postpartum bodies on top of those minute-by-minute emotions can be scary, but we’re all beautiful. And I’m just hoping to be that daily reminder.
Here are just a few of my little Insta-mom-ents to help bring positivity and light to your day.
More info: Instagram
It’s okay to set a big goal, even if it seems far away
It’s okay to need a moment, that one minute to take a deep breath
It’s okay that you don’t have the “perfect” body, you’re still a beautiful mama
It’s okay that you don’t know which stretch marks came from your pregnancy, you’re still strong as a mother
It’s okay if you just want to be represented, we deserve representation too
It’s okay that your current season isn’t as tough as another mama, your struggle is still hard
It’s okay that you haven’t mastered balancing mom life with exercise, I miss days too
It’s okay if you breastfed or bottle fed, you did the best you could
It’s okay to post a postpartum belly photo, even if it’s more than just loose skin
And at the end of the day, it’s okay to laugh about it, sometimes laughter is the best medicine
Image credits: www.instagram.com
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You go girl! You're being a great mom! Show your baby that perfect doesn't have a set in stone face or value. It's what you do to your best that makes you perfect just as you are!
Too many people believe being overweight is somehow a moral failure, rather than a medical issue, or the result of comorbid illness. The folks today saying, "The only reason someone is fay is because they're lazy/eat too much/etc." These are the same people who, in the 80s, said AIDS was a moral failure, rather than an illness.
Well…I really think it is more about the culture than being just lazy. When I come to US or even UK it is always surprising for me how huge food portions and how unhealthy the food and eating habits of people are 🤷♀️It was absolutely shocking to see huge buckets of….turkey legs in Disney Word for example🤦♀️ It is not medical issue in most cases. It is marketing, lifestyle, social and cultural issue. Shaming is definitely not the way to deal with it though.
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No matter what your body was like before, after or during your pregnancy, that body made a little human and that is a beautiful thing.
Love this post like i love a lot of PBs stuff but i have to say that when i get to the comments amd read some of these nasty and attacking comments, I just think why do you feel the need to say this. Would you say it to their face. If you dont have anything nice to say dont say anything at all, not hard. Meg congrats and thanks for sharing your story
I'm not sure who's cuter, Mom or baby 😍 I gained a ton of weight during lockdown, and as stay at home mom of two this makes me so darn proud of you. Sucks to use this phrase, but you're "bravery" shines bright here. Never be ashamed of our bodies, they are ours, and Mamas everywhere should never compare to unrealistic beauty standards.
I love my stretch marks on my belly left by my son. I will remember him everyday because of them even if he is with the angels now. I love my stretch marks on my sides left by my daughter. When she's older and gone from the house house will remember her everyday because of them. Our scares are reminders of our children. And who cares how you feed them. Just make sure they are fed. That's being a good momma. Woman I love your photos. Thank you for sharing a beautiful you and your beautiful baby.
This was sweet, but the pic of the baby balanced on a cushion in mid air scares me, I really hope the baby was photoshopped on there as it looks a pretty dangerous thing to do.
Thank you for this! I'm a mother to two teenage boys and a soon to be 1 year old baby girl. I've been struggling to lose the pregnancy weight, and my body confidence has dropped so much that it's taken a toll on my relationship with my boyfriend. I need to just learn to love myself
Thank you, thank you, thank you! My babies are 10 1/2 months apart so I didn't even have time to lose the weight from the first one before i started gaining weight with my second pregnancy. I see so many moms that lose the baby weight like it's nothing and it makes me feel awful. Your post truly lifted my spirits. Sometimes i forget that you can be big and still be beautiful.
You and your baby are beautiful human being. You are the best and the most perfect mom for your little girl. And your stretch marks and scars on your body is a reminder that you are jut birthed a beautiful human being that will rule the world in the future. You have to be proud of yourself and don't give a damn about other people prejudice. As long as you and your baby are healthy there are nothing tobbe afraid of
Question to mums, did you actually experience fat shaming while being pregnant(or just after)? Most people I would think would expect women to get fat while being pregnant(I don't know if that's the reality women experience). Obviously men will stop checking you out but judging women on their weight seems a little out there, and I never in mylife heard someone say that "that pregnant women is fat she must be a bad mum".
You look wonderful. You're and your baby are healthy. Being compared in today's standards doesn't have to be the end of the world. As your child gets busy or you'll move your body more. I love you the way you are. Thank you for sharing your story
Is this an old article that has been republished? There are comments from 3 years ago.
What an amazing momma! I sometimes look at my body and think "my butt is flatter than it used to be, and my tummy is a lot less flatter, sigh!". But this body has created, nutured and given birth to two amazing children, so really, I should be proud. All us with mom bodies have done something incredible, and our bodies are the living proof!
I get it that some people think they need to get into an online forum about uplifting things and spread negativity. I get that they want to stand out from the crowd by trying to sound smarter then the rest of us dummies. I get it. I just think these behaviors just feed it and encourage the toxicity and make a new kind of idiotic post. I get it. This is a bad thing to do.
Load More Replies...
My entire Instagram account dates back to my prior lifestyle before pregnancy where I lived a very active and healthy lifestyle in order to enjoy a pregnancy at a healthy weight. I proudly achieved that. Unfortunately, my body reacted differently during pregnancy and I had to start from square one postpartum. Yes, I stage photos in order to help others know they can feel confident no matter what season of motherhood (or life) they are currently in. People might look at me (as you did) and think I'm just overweight and unhealthy without realizing I can lift heavier weights than some men I train with. My point is to encourage others to be less judgmental and more kind to those they don't know based solely on appearance or first glance.
Load More Replies...
Vanity and insecurity are not the same....but everyone deserves validation...as a mother or father, as someone who is large, small or anywhere in between, and as a person. "Validation doesn't equal vanity. Sometimes validation equals sanity
Load More Replies... Some mom's don't "get it" and need a positive reminder that expectations are not always going to be reality, and that's ok.
Load More Replies... You're right, I was a large woman before. Then I spent two years and lost almost 100 pounds in order to have a healthy pregnancy. Then I worked out my entire pregnancy and continued my healthy lifestyle until 36 weeks pregnant. Beautiful and healthy pregnancy and baby, however my body gained most of the weight back while it created life inside of me. So now I'm back to another journey of trying to lose weight again in hopes for another healthy pregnancy. But your comment is proof that the message I'm sending matters. Because women like me (and even skinny women) get torn apart daily. So thank you for the reminder that my message is so extremely important. Hope you have a great day.
Load More Replies...
You go girl! You're being a great mom! Show your baby that perfect doesn't have a set in stone face or value. It's what you do to your best that makes you perfect just as you are!
Too many people believe being overweight is somehow a moral failure, rather than a medical issue, or the result of comorbid illness. The folks today saying, "The only reason someone is fay is because they're lazy/eat too much/etc." These are the same people who, in the 80s, said AIDS was a moral failure, rather than an illness.
Well…I really think it is more about the culture than being just lazy. When I come to US or even UK it is always surprising for me how huge food portions and how unhealthy the food and eating habits of people are 🤷♀️It was absolutely shocking to see huge buckets of….turkey legs in Disney Word for example🤦♀️ It is not medical issue in most cases. It is marketing, lifestyle, social and cultural issue. Shaming is definitely not the way to deal with it though.
Load More Replies... No matter what your body was like before, after or during your pregnancy, that body made a little human and that is a beautiful thing.
Love this post like i love a lot of PBs stuff but i have to say that when i get to the comments amd read some of these nasty and attacking comments, I just think why do you feel the need to say this. Would you say it to their face. If you dont have anything nice to say dont say anything at all, not hard. Meg congrats and thanks for sharing your story
I'm not sure who's cuter, Mom or baby 😍 I gained a ton of weight during lockdown, and as stay at home mom of two this makes me so darn proud of you. Sucks to use this phrase, but you're "bravery" shines bright here. Never be ashamed of our bodies, they are ours, and Mamas everywhere should never compare to unrealistic beauty standards.
I love my stretch marks on my belly left by my son. I will remember him everyday because of them even if he is with the angels now. I love my stretch marks on my sides left by my daughter. When she's older and gone from the house house will remember her everyday because of them. Our scares are reminders of our children. And who cares how you feed them. Just make sure they are fed. That's being a good momma. Woman I love your photos. Thank you for sharing a beautiful you and your beautiful baby.
This was sweet, but the pic of the baby balanced on a cushion in mid air scares me, I really hope the baby was photoshopped on there as it looks a pretty dangerous thing to do.
Thank you for this! I'm a mother to two teenage boys and a soon to be 1 year old baby girl. I've been struggling to lose the pregnancy weight, and my body confidence has dropped so much that it's taken a toll on my relationship with my boyfriend. I need to just learn to love myself
Thank you, thank you, thank you! My babies are 10 1/2 months apart so I didn't even have time to lose the weight from the first one before i started gaining weight with my second pregnancy. I see so many moms that lose the baby weight like it's nothing and it makes me feel awful. Your post truly lifted my spirits. Sometimes i forget that you can be big and still be beautiful.
You and your baby are beautiful human being. You are the best and the most perfect mom for your little girl. And your stretch marks and scars on your body is a reminder that you are jut birthed a beautiful human being that will rule the world in the future. You have to be proud of yourself and don't give a damn about other people prejudice. As long as you and your baby are healthy there are nothing tobbe afraid of
Question to mums, did you actually experience fat shaming while being pregnant(or just after)? Most people I would think would expect women to get fat while being pregnant(I don't know if that's the reality women experience). Obviously men will stop checking you out but judging women on their weight seems a little out there, and I never in mylife heard someone say that "that pregnant women is fat she must be a bad mum".
You look wonderful. You're and your baby are healthy. Being compared in today's standards doesn't have to be the end of the world. As your child gets busy or you'll move your body more. I love you the way you are. Thank you for sharing your story
Is this an old article that has been republished? There are comments from 3 years ago.
What an amazing momma! I sometimes look at my body and think "my butt is flatter than it used to be, and my tummy is a lot less flatter, sigh!". But this body has created, nutured and given birth to two amazing children, so really, I should be proud. All us with mom bodies have done something incredible, and our bodies are the living proof!
I get it that some people think they need to get into an online forum about uplifting things and spread negativity. I get that they want to stand out from the crowd by trying to sound smarter then the rest of us dummies. I get it. I just think these behaviors just feed it and encourage the toxicity and make a new kind of idiotic post. I get it. This is a bad thing to do.
Load More Replies... My entire Instagram account dates back to my prior lifestyle before pregnancy where I lived a very active and healthy lifestyle in order to enjoy a pregnancy at a healthy weight. I proudly achieved that. Unfortunately, my body reacted differently during pregnancy and I had to start from square one postpartum. Yes, I stage photos in order to help others know they can feel confident no matter what season of motherhood (or life) they are currently in. People might look at me (as you did) and think I'm just overweight and unhealthy without realizing I can lift heavier weights than some men I train with. My point is to encourage others to be less judgmental and more kind to those they don't know based solely on appearance or first glance.
Load More Replies... Vanity and insecurity are not the same....but everyone deserves validation...as a mother or father, as someone who is large, small or anywhere in between, and as a person. "Validation doesn't equal vanity. Sometimes validation equals sanity
Load More Replies... Some mom's don't "get it" and need a positive reminder that expectations are not always going to be reality, and that's ok.
Load More Replies... You're right, I was a large woman before. Then I spent two years and lost almost 100 pounds in order to have a healthy pregnancy. Then I worked out my entire pregnancy and continued my healthy lifestyle until 36 weeks pregnant. Beautiful and healthy pregnancy and baby, however my body gained most of the weight back while it created life inside of me. So now I'm back to another journey of trying to lose weight again in hopes for another healthy pregnancy. But your comment is proof that the message I'm sending matters. Because women like me (and even skinny women) get torn apart daily. So thank you for the reminder that my message is so extremely important. Hope you have a great day.
Load More Replies...
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