The ‘Mom Bod’ On Social Media
“You see it on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter: ‘HOW TO LOSE YOUR MOM POUCH IN TWO WEEKS,’ ‘DO THIS 3 TIMES A DAY TO LOSE THAT EXTRA BABY WEIGHT,’ and so on.
I don’t know about you, but I’m so tired of it. Social media has made it so taboo to have extra skin, a little extra pudge, a fupa, snack pack, baby pouch, mom pouch, etc. (it goes by many names.) All the names aside, they have drilled it into so many women’s heads that it’s not okay.
FOR NO REASON.
Why am I supposed to be ashamed of an area of my body that expanded way beyond what I thought possible in order to make room for my growing babies? Sounds a little redundant to me.
Pregnant Bodies Are Highly Celebrated
People tell us all about the ‘glow’ that surrounds us. (Let’s be real, it’s probably not a glow – it’s sweat. Being pregnant is so sweaty, at least from my experiences.) The magic of how our bodies will grow and expand. How our hips will shift, our ribs will expand, and your feet can even grow in shoe size.
People go on and on about how magical and wonderful, even how beautiful this all is. Just to turn around when you’re no longer pregnant and say it’s no longer okay.
You get those ‘six weeks of healing’ and then people just assume you will snap right back, that our bodies will just somehow transform back into how they looked before pregnancy.
Honestly, unless you’ve had a baby, you don’t understand how unrealistic this statement is (for most women, I can admit there is the outlier who does ‘snap back’ right away).
The Norm
And yet, we are constantly being fed this narrative that this is what should happen. If we have this area of our body that’s no longer ‘tight’ or ‘smooth,’ it’s something to hide and be ashamed of.
But screw that. Yeah okay, it’s not my favorite part of my body, and there’s days I wish it would just not be there. But, then I remember my body did something amazing and grew with each one of my children.
There’s a good chance the people pushing this narrative that it ‘shouldn’t be there’ probably have never experienced (again, I say probably because I can not speak for all people) what it feels like to grow a baby. Have never watched their wife or partner experience the joy that is GROWING AND CREATING A WHOLE OTHER PERSON.
Take Back The “Mom Pouch”
Wear it as a label of honor instead of shame.
I’m not saying toss away all your high-rise pants because, well, A) they’re cute a heck and B) who am I to say stop wearing what you want?
But, don’t focus so much on if an outfit ‘shows it off’ or if the jeans ‘cut’ into your mom pouch a little. Because honestly, I’ve been there, upping my pant size so it doesn’t happen and just spending the entirety of the time wearing them pulling up my pants.
Who cares if it ‘sticks out’ when you sit down. You had a child and your body changed. It is absolutely normal, our bodies are made to grow and change shape as we mature, grow older, and have babies.
Your Child’s First Home
Show your mom pouch the same love you’d show any other mom struggling with theirs. You deserve to love and appreciate it, just as much as the mom who is celebrating ‘snapping back.’
I’ve said it before and I will say it again: YOU ARE A BADASS MOMMA no matter what your body looks like after having babies. Be proud of yourself for growing that sweet child and stop listening to what the internet says you’re supposed to look like. Because honestly, I bet your child thinks you’re perfect.
I hope you have a day as wonderful as you and remember to show yourself some kindness, you’ve done amazing things.”
This story was submitted to Love What Matters by Ashley Cirka of Canada and originally appeared here. You can follow her journey on Instagram, Facebook, her blog, Twitter, and Pinterest. Do you have a similar experience? We’d like to hear your important journey. Submit your own story here. Be sure to subscribe to our free email newsletter for our best stories, and YouTube for our best videos.
Read more from Ashley here:
10 Things I Wish I Knew During My First Pregnancy
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