Finding Respect for Your Body Postpartum

I wasn’t kind to my belly before pregnancy and being kind to it now sometimes feels impossible.

I find myself looking down often and feeling frustrated at the pudge that sits there.

When I sit down, I can feel the way my jeans stretch across.

I turn to the side in the mirror and hold my belly in to see what it would look like if it were flatter.

This is hard for me to share, largely because it is a part of me that I am most self conscious about. A part of me I often try and hide, or stand just the right way to minimize its presence.

But today I decided to try and see my belly in a new light.

Yes, it carried my child, yes it grew and made home for my sweet boy, and yes, I am proud of that.

But honestly when someone says “Be kind to your body. It grew a human for 9 months.” I actually feel worse.

Honestly, that doesn’t make me feel better at all. Those words fall flat for me. They don’t change my perspective. Does that mean I’m ungrateful?

No.

Instead it means that I am learning to create my own story, my own opinion, to find my own love.

Today that came in realizing that carrying a baby was amazing, obviously, but I am actually more amazed that my body will be able to do that again.

I actually thought about what’s inside for a minute, I thought about my uterus that not only stretched, but even more impressive, shrunk back and will someday be able to do that again.

I gave myself space today as I realized my cycle will start in just a few days and this part of my body is preparing to shift just as it does every month with the beautiful opportunity to create life.

Read that again.

TO CREATE LIFE.

Maybe this new perspective resonates with you, maybe it’s still falling flat, but I hope it gives you permission to keep searching for your story, for the words that make sense to you, for the love you need to speak to yourself.