Accepting Your Postpartum Body

It has been nearly three weeks now that I’ve had my baby and it has been a whirlwind of emotions. While I am so blissfully in love with her and with being a mom, I have found myself pulling towards the opposite end of the spectrum. I know baby blues are very common, and I think my struggle with Breastfeeding has a lot to do with my feelings of inadequacy and anxiousness.

Accepting your Postpartum body is a huge wave of emotions all tied into one look in the mirror. You are already a jumble of emotions and to mix in sleep deprivation, caring for a new baby, and then having to accept your new body; it can be overwhelming. I look down with pride at my stretch marks and think of the long hard journey it was for these markings to become part of my appearance. I prayed so hard for this baby and would take any aftermath with humble gratitude.

Stretch marks tend to tear away at mothers’ confidence thinking they look less beautiful and are now imperfect because of these markings. It’s easier said than done to look at your stomach or thighs and think “oh man this is beautiful”, but they are. Your body made room for a baby and stretched itself to its limits to accommodate them. How magnificent is it that our bodies can work in such a way that creates a life?

You may not lose all of the weight as quickly as you seemed to gain it, but that’s okay. Your health and sanity greatlyoutweigh those few extra pounds that helped support your baby’s journey on this earth.
I know I personally am having a time accepting my new body, I have always been small and it was a bit hard for me going through the pregnancy and seeing the numbers go up. Not because I expected to be one hundred pounds and still somehow grow a baby, but it was just hard psychologically to experience that change and accept it.

For me, I have been cautious of the psychological damage putting on my pre pregnancy clothes could do. Wearing a lot of my maternity clothes, but also relying a lot on more loose fitting clothes to be comfortable in is key. I know this may seem so simple, but avoiding your smaller clothes can make a world of a difference and it’s one less thing  to stress about and lets you focus energy on baby! I feel happier because not only am I getting dressed in the morning but I can focus more on being happy and accepting my new body.

As a new mom, I cherish the times that we are getting out of the house and I switch out of my nursing robes (I alternate between my two from Shop Pink Blush, they are so comfy!) and put on real clothes for the day ha ha!  I love the fall time and it works perfectly that this is the season of layers and more loose fit clothing! Use the colder months to your advantage mamas!

​ I adore this dress from Shop Pink Blush and know I’ll be styling it a lot during this fall season. This outfit was super comfy throughout our entire day. I pumped before we left and when we got back to his sister’s house​, so I know it’s not the most nursing friendly look. I will have outfits soon that are though, so be on the look out! This dress is great for any woman honestly, I feel like it’s so flattering and loose in the right places. I can’t wait to dress it up and down this season, I have so many different ideas.
How would you style it?

Looking down at this little girl and having her snuggle up in my arms, makes the stretch marks and extra weight fade away. I made this and my body somehow carried an almost 9 pound baby… Which I think is a miracle in itself. You had a baby, mama. Don’t feel in such a rush for your pre baby body, your life is different now and that’s a high expectation to put on yourself. You have a new life now, so look at all your stretchmarks, extra weight, and scars with pride that they all had a hand in making you a mom.