“Is the mom in the mirror really me?
Because that mom looks, by society’s standards, ‘lazy.’
She’s out of sorts—loose skinned, aligned with stretch marks and spider veins, and a body that still looks pregnant.
She looks like a mom ‘those other moms’ whisper about behind her back: ‘she let herself go.’
But she did quite the opposite.
Her body has been working overtime.
Her stomach was the home to her growing baby that she brought safely to this earth and is also used as a soft postpartum belly to cuddle.
Her stretch marks are evidence of how hard it worked to grow.
Her body created a human being,
cried harder than it’s ever cried with happiness,
experienced a love so deep it hurts,
and swelled with such pride.
How lucky is she to get to be THAT mom in THAT body?
And now it continues to nourish her baby,
take care of older siblings at home,
comfort baby cries,
give kisses and hugs,
and do all the thinking for her entire family—
and that’s ANYTHING but lazy.
And she has more important things on her mind
than ‘bouncing back.’
So yes, THAT mom in THAT body in THAT mirror is her,
and she’s never felt so much purpose.”
This story was submitted to Love What Matters by Danielle Sherman-Lazar of New Jersey. You can follow her journey on Facebook and her blog. Submit your own story here, and be sure to subscribe to our free email newsletter for our best stories.
Read more from Danielle here:
Why I’m Saying No To Visitors After The Birth Of My Next Child
I’m A Mother Who Calls Her Mom Every Day
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