Stretch marks, swollen, leaky breasts, round belly, dark eye circles, unshaved legs and pits, unwashed hair and no makeup…Ordinarily you might feel despondent at the changes in your body since having a baby. Too often when we go online we see carefully arranged and lit photographs of new mamas looking radiant and well-slept and in control, and it’s hard not to compare. So this awesome Instagram account – @takebackpostpartum – should do wonders for your self-esteem. Because reality rocks.
Sharing real-life photos and stories of new mamahood, in all its guts and glory, @takebackpostpartum is a place where women can share how they really feel about their post-birth bodies. These are women from all ages and backgrounds, all with one thing in common – they are real and true.
The page was started by Birth Without Fear‘s January Harshe. Harshe discovered that on Instagram, the hashtag #postpartum did not always come up with lovely, beautiful posts. She found it full of spam, gimmicks, and self hate, as she calls it in her post about it here. She decided it was time to take back the word, and encouraged her followers to do the same.
“Postpartum is full of hormones, little sleep, survival mode, and figuring out a million different things with our new babies (and possibly toddlers and teenagers on top of it),” she says in her post. “It’s trying to breastfeed, getting a groove back in your marriage or relationship, and our bodies taking time to heal. It’s a roller coaster ride that is personal and different to each person and family going through it, but is also similar enough that most of us can relate on some level.
LET’S TAKE BACK POSTPARTUM. We are mothers and strong women. Our collective voice is so powerful that we can shake the entire world.”
Here are just a few of the real, raw, inspiring posts, but head on over to @takebackpostpartum and scroll through to read more. Perhaps you’d like to make a post yourself.
