Loving My Postpartum Body

An amazing thing happened after I gave birth to my first child: I was proud of my body, swollen belly and all. I expected I would still look pregnant after I had my baby and I was mighty nervous about how I would feel; what I didn't expect was the peace that came with my changed body. I remember changing into my "going-home" clothes as we were preparing to leave the hospital, and I didn't even try to suck in my belly or hide its bulge by wearing my husband's clothes. (Okay, technically I was wearing his pajama bottoms, but anyone who has had a baby knows how impossibly uncomfortable it is to wear formfitting pants 24 hours after delivery!) When Marshall and I went on a mini-date to the grocery store the following evening, I even joked about whether or not people around us were wondering how far along pregnant I was.

I didn't care. 

My body had sustained life for exactly 273 days. 

My body had pushed out a beautiful, perfect little girl. 

Why should I shame myself into thinking that I needed to bounce right back into my "pre-baby" body? Maybe it is a better idea to praise myself each morning and time I walk past a mirror. Praise the God above and praise my efforts and the miracle of creation. 

Now I need to be honest. These feelings of peace and contentment after the baby came lasted continuously for about 3 weeks. During those 3 weeks I had never felt so confident and comfortable in my own skin. This was something I had prayed about feeling again for so many years. I was amazed that I could feel such a thing, even postpartum. During these 3 weeks I also saw huge changes in how my body was healing and how my belly was shrinking so rapidly day by day. 

After 3 weeks when my belly stopped shrinking so rapidly, I remember having those nasty thoughts slip into my mind, telling me that I needed to fix my "mom belly" quickly, because Heaven forbid I allow my belly to be a little bit soft. Luckily I have been able to bounce back to the confidence and peace that I felt during the early weeks postpartum, and the outside voices of body shame haven't persisted for longer than a few minutes at a time.  

I think it's time we all look into the mirror and praise our bodies for what they do. It doesn't matter if you've had a child or not, if you feel imperfect or you feel spot-on. Tell your body how much you love it and I know it will love you back. Our bodies are gifts from above and it is our responsibility to cherish and appreciate the miracle of life.