Celebrate Post Partum Bodies

Three days postpartum.

We didn’t take these for “progress pics” we took these to celebrate my postpartum body.

It has accepted, hosted, nurtured, and delivered another human 😭

Four years ago I would have never dared document my postpartum body — at least, not because I thought it was amazing. Plus, “nobody wanted to see that.” (💔😩) I covered it up and hated looking in the mirror. This time I have been far less concerned about culture & society’s standards of what beauty or acceptable is. If my body somehow offends you, that might be on you...not me. This is something I’m learning and accepting.

Motherhood is a gift, no matter how it comes to you. For me it’s come through adoption, foster care, and bio birth — none of them better than the other, each significant, painful, and beautiful in their own ways.

I celebrate this body that has welcomed 4 babies into it’s womb...and brought 2 of them earth side.

It has stretched and grown and produced milk for 3 babies. It has shrank and gained muscle and then stretched some more, swelling round with life again.

It has undergone a total of:
67+ hours of active labor
6+ hours of pushing
hemorrhoids from all that pushing
a cesarean
a VBAC
multiple two-degree tears in the *most sensitive areas” 😵
engorged + clogged breasts
and intense hormonal shifts.

This body awes me, squish + stretch marks and all.

Before I carried a baby to birth, my desire wasn’t for the biological connection...it was to experience the miracle of an entire pregnancy + delivery. I wanted to know what that FELT like.

What an honor to have birthed you too, Kahlil. Mama loves you and is proud of us both.

Ps...still working on our labor + birth story 🖤