It’s no secret that society has some outdated opinions surrounding women’s bodies and pregnancy .
While we see some celebs “bounce back” after giving birth, this isn’t realistic. Some celebs even helped debunk this by sharing their refreshingly honest postpartum bodies .
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Now it’s the average mama debunking this thanks to the Instagram account, Take Back Postpartum. Come get inspired by these beautiful photos!
“It’s absolutely okay for me to not feel 1000% beautiful and strong and brave every single day.”
This mom took this photo completely for herself, as a way to remind herself that she’s strong and brave.
It doesn’t matter that her jeans no longer fit when her baby boy is out into the world.
“Some people will say that having a baby is like having a piece of your heart outside your body.”
While some celebrities “bounce back” from giving birth, that’s not realistic. This mom shared this photo of herself one day after giving birth.
“Belly still swollen from extra fluid, stretched skin and muscles, and a uterus that had grown to the max,” she wrote.
“This is #Motherhood.”
“How is this considered ugly? This is #Motherhood. My story, marked (literally) all over my abdomen. This is what two healthy babies and two miscarriages in 11 years looks like for me,” this mom wrote.
“We should be proud of our bodies that grew, nourished and birthed our precious babies.”
“As a society, we are so conditioned to hide our postpartum bodies, to be ashamed of loose skin and stretch marks and saggy bellies and breasts,” this mom wrote.
“Theres so much pressure to bounce back, suck it in, cover it up… But the stupidest part is that most of us have it, to some degree or another!!”
“A heart full of love.”
As you can see, this mom’s stomach was stretch-mark-free before giving birth.
That wasn’t the case afterward, and she’s fine with it! “What matters most is that cute little face that we get to call our own.”
“We just get more beautiful after we’ve carried life.”
“‘Get your body back after the baby is born,’ they say. I wasn’t aware that my body ever left,” this mom wrote.
“If anything, each pregnancy brings me closer to my body. I mean, sure there’s some extra pounds. But that’s the beauty of the postpartum body.”
“THIS is motherhood.”
“This picture was taken hours after Cash arrived & it shows the reality of how much your mind, body & soul change after bringing life into the world,” this mom wrote.
“Stretch marks, saggy skin, exhaustion, a body that will never be the same… but 1000% worth it for the reward I received.”
“Morning snuggles just got a whole lot sweeter.”
This photo goes beyond stretch marks or a few extra pounds. It shows a mom whose body isn’t fully hers anymore. It belongs to her breastfeeding baby and her little ones who adorable take up the bed.
“Stop for a moment, and love yourself.”
“Labor and birth and early motherhood will be painful, hard and depleting; leaving you with a body you may not know so well, or feel so good about,” this mom wrote .
“The path of adulthood is textured and often, uphill. But. You are incredible. You are soft, and precious. Giving, and nurturing. Beautiful and sensual.
“This time in your life is however more you and more raw and real than you’ll ever be.”
“Three days after Naia was born @gavinhicks took this photo of me in adult diapers, baby bump still present, greasy hair, and took the camera away from his face to tell me I’m beautiful,” this mom wrote.
“I told Ira to show me his muscles and he took it very seriously lol.”
This mom is super grateful for her body that nourishes her babies. While she wrote that her boobs are two different sizes, she explained that she feels her energy coming back.
“Can we talk about how cute my 6 week postpartum tummy is? There was a baby in there and I’m squishy and I love it.”
“This is a rare picture of me, doing my thang, trying to get ready #momlife #pumplife. How many of you mamas are pros at juggling multiple tasks? Cause I’m not hence why my bathroom is messy, closet is unorganized, but this is real life,” this mom wrote.
“I would live in this body 1000x over to reap that reward.”
“This is postpartum. Swollen breasts, swollen, empty stomach, peri-bottles, bloody underwear and pads,” this mom wrote.
“I’m tired, my body hurts and I’m not doing great at the week of strict bedrest I told myself I needed. But my heart is so full of love and appreciation and awe.
“Wherever you’re eating or not eating today, I see you and you’re doing a good job.”
This mom summed up motherhood in a nutshell! It means eating your meals whenever you can find a spare moment. It also means multitasking like a total rockstar!
“Tena pants, a wobbly belly and all that’s in between, women’s bodies are pretty amazing!”
“My body worked bloody hard to grow a baby for 9months and it’s going to continue working hard to look after a newborn,” this mom wrote.
“No pressure over here to fit back into my pre pregnancy jeans and I’m going to celebrate that with this photo of me rocking my best bod.”
“Postpartum bellies are one of my favorite things…”
“The physical remnants of the life it was just growing. Still enlarged, yet vacant,” this mom wrote.
“Organs that made room for baby finding their way back to their original positions, creating the feeling of phantom kicks as if little feet were still inhabiting that space.”
“Always remember to take care of yourself first so you can take the best care of your baby.”
This mom is against the notion that women can just “bounce back” after pregnancy. She said that eating healthy and working out is no guarantee that your body won’t be affected.
“It can be hard to appreciate your #postpartum body, but it’s important to remember that it HAS changed.”
“I find myself wishing I could go back to my ‘pre-baby body’ but my ‘pre-baby body’ was 18 years old!” this mom wrote.
“Not only am I not a teenager with all that lovely energy and metabolism, I’ve grown and given birth to three ACTUAL human babies.”
“You may not recognise your own body anymore, but you need to give it time.”
“Motherhood changes us, physically, mentally and emotionally,” this mom wrote.
“Some of these changes permanent, most temporary, remember you’re not alone. Welcome to the club mama, we got you.”
