“I must google pregnancy a lot because every day there’s a new ad selling me stretch mark cream, compression everything, and lots of plastic surgery options to get rid of my baby body.
If you search for hashtags on pregnancy, the top photos are beautiful, tanned, thin, glamorous women in bikinis. Go on, do it and you’ll see.
They are celebrated.
There are no comments saying, ‘Ewww I don’t wanna see that’ – like I’ve gotten before with my pictures or body.
Like most of these women, I am 29 weeks pregnant.
29 is probably the amount of stretch marks I have.
The amount of varicose veins popping up.
I have lower back pain, and I am an eating machine who pretty much hates everyone. There’s nothing glamorous about my pregnancy right now. I ate a whole packet of m&ms so fast my mouth hurt from chewing.
No one will take my photo… I asked my husband, and he rolled his eyes and avoided me for a while.
I had to beg my toddler to.
Because even though I don’t look like the top hashtags of pregnancy or don’t feel glamorous, I think it’s important to take photos, and to celebrate what I look like.
Even if I don’t want to. Even if I don’t love the way I look. Even if I don’t own small bikinis and even if people will say, ‘Ewww!’
Because:
You learn as women to buy swimsuits that suit you, that cover your body.
To not take photos in bikinis on a beach if it doesn’t ‘suit you.’
To crop out your legs.
To put your hand on your hip to hide your arms.
To hide your imperfections and only admire those who look perfect.
You essentially hide yourself.
And it’s okay to want to look a certain way, believe me it’s okay. But why should you hate yourself until you do? You’re worth more than that.
This is me, pregnant at 29 weeks. I’m 196 pounds. My weight, my body, it’s just my outer layer and not who I am. I am just as good as any mother of any size, just as you are, at any size.
Don’t apologize for your body. Don’t hide it. Don’t start a sentence with ‘I know I’m huge’ when you tell people how many weeks you are (like I used to). Don’t wish away this beautiful body that you have, pregnant or not, you are a goddess. In a world that wants to hide us, make sure you are seen.
I encourage you to post pictures of you, pregnant, not pregnant, scars, stretch marks, cellulite, no hands on hips… no hiding. Just as you are in all your beautiful glory.”
P.S. My toddler tried to steal the show, lol. This was as good as I was going to get, so I took it!”
This story was submitted to Love What Matters by Laura Mazza of Mum on the Run, where it originally appeared. Submit your story here, and subscribe to our best love stories here.
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