There is undeniably some pressure for mums to present themselves in a glamorous, flawless way online. But thanks to more and more mums embracing body positivity, social media has become a more forgiving place. Sarah Turner of The Unmumsy Mum, who shared her unfiltered postpartum body, is one of these body positive mums.
Loving your postpartum body, even if it doesn't look the way you hoped
Mum of two Sarah Turner took to Facebook to share with her nearly 630,000 followers the "reality of the postpartum period."
"[This] represents the postpartum reality so well – I was absolutely euphoric at this point, despite walking like John Wayne and wearing an adult nappy. I cannot tell you how much we were laughing by this stage either," she writes in the Facebook post, which has been shared over 37,000 times in a little over a month.
In one photo, she is seen lovingly holding her newborn baby. In another photo. taken shortly after giving birth, she is clad only in large adult diapers, with hands cupped over her breasts, proudly showing off her bare postpartum belly.
Naturally, fellow mums lauded her for being brave, candid, and inspiring them to love their postpartum body. Other mums shared how the post reminded them of their own experiences.
"That pic of you in the nappy brings it back!" wrote one mum. "I totally remember that feeling of my first walk to the bathroom after the epidural wore off and my jelly belly swinging."
"Pregnancy is glamorised so much and yet the postpartum body is never even mentioned!" wrote another mum, who recounted feeling "like her insides were going to fall out each time she stood up" after giving birth.
The postpartum body: Mums embracing body positivity
Like Sarah Turner, other mums have bravely shared their postpartum experiences. One mum even went as far as to write a letter of apology to express how she regrets insulting her postpartum body.
"I’m sorry for the times I’ve spoken ill of you and degraded you. I have said some not-so-nice things about you, and had someone else been speaking like that about me, I’d be broken-hearted," she wrote.
"You help me to experience life. I go places and I do things because of you," she continued. "So today, I looked at you lovingly in the mirror and I said thank you. I hugged on my stretch marks and thanked my body for the evidence that showed I had carried three beautiful miracles."
Are you a mum struggling with loving your postpartum body? Here's some things to reflect on...
1. Know that its power isn't based on appearance
Your postpartum body helped bring new life into this world – this fact alone makes it truly beautiful. Embracing your body at this current stage means valuing this season in your life.
2. Don't pressure yourself to slim down, just stay healthy
Pace yourself. Don't be too pressured to lose weight. The important thing is to make healthy choices, to follow your doctor's advice as well as your own instincts when it comes to doing what's best for you during the postpartum period.
3. Know that your worth and beauty go beyond your waistline
You are more than what your measuring tape or weighing scale says. Don't be defined solely by how you look in the mirror, but focus on how you have grown as a woman and a human being throughout the truly powerful and rewarding journey towards motherhood.
Lighten up, mummies! Your postpartum body is beautiful at any shape or size!
Sources: Fit Pregnancy, Self.com
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