An Australian mom is showing what it means to embrace stretch marks, “droopy boobs” and other physical transformations that come with having kids.
Olivia White, who blogs about parenting on House of White, posted a stunning professionally shot photo of her postpartum body on Facebook. The blogger is mom to 2-year-old Annabelle and 5-month-old Theodora aka “Teddy.”
In the Facebook caption for the above photo, White shared this powerful message:
“Puffy face, droopy milk filled boobs, wider hips and belly full of stretch marks!! That’s my post-baby reality, no ‘bouncing back’ here!
And you know what? I couldn’t give a shit! Because I’m not the same person I was before I had babies, so why would would I want my body to reflect something and someone I no longer am?
Those droopy boobs fed my babies and grew them up big and strong.
Those hips and rippled belly was home to my little babes for nine months.
It might not be the ‘transformation’ body so many ogle or aspire to! And sure, some days I wish it didn’t jiggle so much and was a bit ‘firmer’ but then I just remember the awesome shit it’s done and cut myself some slack and go eat a cheeseburger, because we earned it.”
White told The Huffington Post that she initially had these postpartum photos taken just for herself, but later decided to share them with the social media world.
“After seeing so many photos of ‘fit mums’ and slender models showing their post-baby body only days later looking like they never even carried a child, I thought well why can’t I show mine!” she said.
White’s post has received thousands of likes on Facebook, and the comments section is filled with positive messages, praising her empowering words and the intimate photo, taken by Sleeping Grace Photography.
However, some Facebook users have reported the mom’s post, leading to its removal and reinstatement multiple times over the past few days. Yet White said she still hopes her words continue to reach others, especially new moms.
The mom said she’s pleasantly surprised to see that her post has already touched so many people. “What has stuck with me the most is the thousands of women who have commented, emailed and messaged me saying ‘thank-you’ ― that they needed to see this and that they feel it’s taken so much pressure off them to ‘bounce back,’” she said.
“I think these days it can very easily become all-consuming ― this idea of the ‘perfect body’ and for mums, this ridiculous pressure to ‘bounce back,’ she told HuffPost, adding, “It’s not about ‘bouncing’ back because you’re not the same person you were before.”
“You are a mother now,” she continued. “You carried a child/children for nine months. You worked SO hard to do that. Why would you want to hide that?”
Ultimately, White’s message to new moms is simple: “Embrace the changes and just enjoy motherhood without the pressure to change your body back to something!”
Preach!
H/T Mic
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