Everyone knows that pregnancy can have a dramatic effect on a woman's body, but sometimes those changes aren't clear until we can see them in a photo.
One mom's then-and-now pics are going viral for their ability to not only show these changes, but for her body-positive message to all the other moms out there.
Take a look at this mom's incredible picture and her amazing story.
Brenda's children are Victoria, Veronica, Samuel, Vanessa, Benjamin and Brenda, shares updates on their life as a family through her Instagram account.
Any parents who are currently co-sleeping (by choice or not) will find this image familiar. I never co-slept with my son because I am way too protective of my bed space.
In this simple side-by-side photo, Brenda reminds other moms out there that your worth doesn't come from what your body looks like. You're still the same person you were before.
In a time where it seems that everyone is flaunting their flat tummies on Instagram, it's refreshing to see someone embrace their body's natural features. Go, Brenda!
She fought back in a powerful Instagram post.
"So while society wants to sit behind a screen and label us as flawed, I am here to remind myself and all of you that to our children we are perfect," she wrote.
"I have struggled so much in the past to love my body, I clung to the idea of getting back to my pre baby body as fast as possible," she said in an Instagram post.
"I think it’s so amazing how much has changed since, I look at the picture on the right and I’m so amazed. I may not look like a magazine cover girl but dang do I feel like it!!" she said.
She also took an opportunity to show her body some gratitude for being able to care for her children.
It takes a lot of courage to post photos like these, but when women like Brenda do this, it helps other moms out there realize that they aren't alone.
We focus so much on what moms' bodies look like instead of what they can do. They grow and nurture little people! Let's make that the focus of more conversations.
