Body image 8 weeks postpartum

I’ve never had the best relationship with my body, even when I was 14 and a size 10 I still thought I was big. From a very young age we are indoctrinated with images and videos of photoshopped women who are a size 8 with 42DD boobs, telling us that this is what we should aspire to, when in reality most people don’t look like that and it is unrealistic. 

Since having a baby I am more confused with my body than ever. This week I am 8 weeks postpartum and my body has changed a lot. Stretch marks, saggy skin, flabby belly, but for the first time in years, I love it. Don’t get me wrong, I still feel self conscious when I wear a tight dress and I always ask Matt ‘does my belly look fat in this?’, but I’ve found a whole new level of respect for my body since having Ivy. 

My body created a whole human. A living, breathing human. I watched her grow from a tiny embryo to a fully fledged person. My belly grew to accommodate her. My body contracted and dilated to deliver her safely. My breasts created milk to feed her. My heartbeat and warmth sooth her when she is sad. So when I see the stretch marks in the mirror, I tell myself that they tell a story, a story of how I created my daughter, the best thing in my life, and I smile.

Jess x