The Mom Bod: Celebrating the Beauty of Postpartum Bodies

The term “mom bod” is often used to describe the physical changes that occur in a woman’s body after giving birth. These changes can include stretch marks, loose skin, and a softer belly. However, the mom bod should not be something to be ashamed of or hidden away. In fact, it should be celebrated as a symbol of the amazing things that a woman’s body can do. We create tiny humans! How amazing is that?! Of course our body will go through some changes after that.

In this post, we will discuss the importance of celebrating the mom bod and why it is essential to embrace and love our postpartum bodies.

The Mom Bod: A Sign of Strength and Resilience

This Mama in the photo above had twins last year and has been trying to love her body every since. Her recent Boudoir session showed her how beautiful she truly is.

Pregnancy and childbirth are incredible feats that require strength and resilience. A woman’s body goes through significant changes during pregnancy, including weight gain, hormonal changes, and physical strain. The process of giving birth is also incredibly demanding on the body. The mom bod is a sign of this strength and resilience. It represents the physical changes that occur in a woman’s body as she brings new life into the world. It should be celebrated as a symbol of the incredible power and strength that women possess.

The Pressure to Bounce Back: A Harmful Narrative

Despite the physical demands of pregnancy and childbirth, there is often immense pressure for women to “bounce back” to their pre-baby bodies quickly. This pressure is perpetuated by media portrayals of postpartum bodies, which often focus on celebrities who seemingly lose all their baby weight within weeks of giving birth. This narrative is harmful and unrealistic. It creates an impossible standard that most women cannot achieve. It also undermines the incredible physical and emotional work that goes into pregnancy and childbirth, suggesting that the most important thing is to “get back” to the way things were before.  The actual time while being pregnant is celebrated by everyone.  Everyone finds it so beautiful and love their curves on their body.  Being told that they are beautiful and they are carrying so well and to embrace the moment that won’t last forever… Then once your baby arrives, most don’t know that you will still look pregnant after you give birth.  Your uterus is still swollen and large.  No one prepares you for the muscles that were once tight in your abdomen are now loose.  Wanting to “pop” back immediately after giving birth is not obtainable and I feel like this is the reason why many women have post partum depression. They love their baby. They love that they gave birth, but its hard to adjust to the after effects with everything going on such as hormonal changes, your breasts are sore, you’re bleeding, you’re fatigued, you’re feeling like this change happened drastically overnight (when in fact it did).  No matter how much you prepare yourself for becoming a mother, no one helps you with the new mom bod.

Yes, it’s temporary.  We understand that.  But also having a little one and a busy schedule especially after having to go back to work after 6-12 weeks post birth, when is there time to go to the gym or work out?  After about a year or so, it is possible to get back into the shape you were but not entirely. But what if you want to have another child? The whole cycle begins again.  We need to stop adding the pressure on in society to look amazing and perfect after giving birth.  You are a mother that is worth celebrating.  And for some women, they don’t even get to experience pregnancy so we need to embrace it if we are able.  The mom bod is what happens. There’s no getting around it.  But we need to love ourselves more than we do and stop worrying about what others will think.

Why We Should Celebrate the Mom Bod

There are many reasons why we should celebrate the mom bod, including:

1. It is a Reminder of the Incredible Work of Pregnancy and Childbirth: The mom bod is a reminder of the incredible work that goes into bringing new life into the world. It represents the physical changes that occur in a woman’s body as she nurtures and grows a new life.
2. It Celebrates Diversity: The mom bod comes in all shapes and sizes, reflecting the diversity of women’s bodies. Celebrating the mom bod means celebrating the unique beauty of every woman, regardless of their size or shape.
3. It is Empowering: Celebrating the mom bod is empowering for women. It encourages us to love and embrace our bodies, rather than feeling ashamed or insecure about them. It also sends a powerful message that our bodies are not just objects to be judged, but vessels of strength and resilience.
4. It Normalizes Postpartum Bodies: Celebrating the mom bod helps to normalize postpartum bodies and remove the stigma surrounding them. It sends a message that it is okay to have loose skin, stretch marks, and a softer belly after giving birth.

How to Celebrate the Mom Bod

There are many ways to celebrate the mom bod, including:

1. Practicing Self-Care: Taking care of ourselves is essential to feeling good about our bodies. This can include things like getting enough sleep, eating well, and engaging in regular physical activity.
2. Surrounding Yourself with Positive Messages: Surrounding ourselves with positive messages about our bodies can help to reinforce a healthy body image. This can include following body-positive social media accounts, reading books and articles about body positivity, and seeking out supportive communities.
3. Embracing Your Unique Beauty: Embracing our unique beauty means celebrating the things that make us different. This can include things like celebrating our curves, our stretch marks, and our soft bellies.
4. Taking Photos: Taking photos of our bodies can be so therapeutic.  Try finding a Boudoir Photographer near you to use the most flattering light and pose you in certain angles that show off your beauty in a way you’ve never seen before.   Schedule a Boudoir session by yourself, or with your partner. Hey, you can’t beat the ultimate date night, am I right?

Show off those beautiful markings that show you are a proud Mama. Someone once told me that stretchmarks are your child’s first drawings. And to me, that changed everything.

 The “mom bod” is a term that has been in the media for some time now, but it’s more than just a trend. It’s about loving yourself and embracing all of your body’s changes, no matter how much you gain or lose. Whether you are a mom or not, learning to love your body for what it is will help you lead a healthier, happier life. Society has made it impossible. This is due to the physical and emotional stress that comes with becoming a mother. However, it can also refer to any woman who has experienced physical changes due to age, lifestyle, or other factors. The mom bod is not exclusive to just women who have given birth.

Accepting Your Body

It can be difficult to accept your body when it doesn’t look like how it used to, but we need to stop comparing ourselves to our younger years. We are aging how we are supposed to. Our bodies change over time.  But learning how to accept your mom bod can be liberating and empowering. Acceptance means understanding that it’s okay if your body isn’t where you’d like it to be because we all have different shapes and sizes—and none of them is wrong!  Seriously, no one is perfect and we truly are our own worst critics. We could see someone with the exact same body type as us and think that they are beautiful but because its ourself, we judge constantly.

Embracing Self-Care

Once you’ve accepted your body for what it is, it’s important to practice self-care. This means taking care of yourself from the inside out by getting enough sleep, eating healthy foods, exercising regularly (even if only for 15 minutes), and engaging in activities that bring you joy. These practices will help improve both your physical and mental health so that you can feel better about yourself overall—not just about your body shape or size.  Booking a Boudoir Photography session is life changing and empowering. I highly recommend it at least once in your life.

The “mom bod” isn’t something that should be feared; instead, it should be embraced as part of our journey through life! Learning how to accept and take care of ourselves is essential if we want to live our best lives—no matter what shape or size our bodies are. So don’t let society dictate how you should look; instead, focus on loving yourself and embracing the changes life brings!  When that happens, you will see the world from a completely different perspective and not miss out on the little things in life when you spent your time hiding behind those big bulky sweatshirts.  Wear that beautiful bathing suit, mom bod or not!  Play on the beach with your kiddos while you still can. I promise you, you will love every moment.

Start getting inspired and create your own Pinterest board here.   Contact me today if you’d like to book a Boudoir session of your own and celebrate that beautiful mom bod you call home.