Getting your groove back after giving birth isn’t easy for a lot of moms. Let’s face it, we aren’t all able to run directly to a gym, start living on smoothies, and get back that pre-baby bod. And even for those of us who don’t find a whole new level of lumps and rolls there’s stretch marks, loose skin, and C-section scars that leave us feeling a little less than sexy. Doing a boudoir session post childbirth is a way to rediscover your beautiful body with the perfect imperfections from childbirth. Here are some tips on why you should love your body after pregnancy.
Because we should feel strong, powerful, and proud of the hard work we and our bodies have done.
Interested in pregnancy or post-pregnancy boudoir photos to boost your self-image? Contact us now.
Why do many women feel body shame after childbirth and why is it so hard to love your body?
A study published in medical journal BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth found that many women have “unrealistic expectations for their post-partum body.” Oftentimes, this leads to body dissatisfaction post-childbirth. For a lot of women, the unrealistic focus on creating a thinner, tighter, more in-shape body after giving birth was fueled by a desire to be attractive.
Surprisingly, although birthing a baby certainly changes a woman’s physical appearance, a lot of the women in the study felt unattractive for a different reason. They were struggling to come to grips with the idea that they could be both a mother and an attractive woman.
Does that sound familiar?
Have you experienced any of the following things?
- There just isn’t enough time in the day to do the things I used to do that made me feel sexy. Heck, sometimes I don’t even have the time to shower!
- It’s hard to feel sexy with spit-up on my shirt and whatever that stuff is I just found in my hair.
- I have a difficult time getting in the mood when I’m this tired.
- For some reason, I just don’t feel like the same person I did before I gave birth. Now I see myself as my child’s mother instead of a young, vibrant woman.
How can we move from feeling body shame to body positivity after childbirth?
There’s nothing wrong with your changing self-image. As that study showed, it’s normal to go through a change in perspective. But here is some amazing information that might have gotten lost while you were reading mommy blogs and What to Expect When You’re Expecting:
You can be both a mom AND an attractive woman.
It sounds basic, but it’s hard for a lot of us to wrap our heads around. Let’s look at a few important ways we can boost our self-image post-partum.
Side note – Don’t forget to practice self-care, mamas! Check out this post to learn some great self-care tips.
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Remember we are warriors. Love your body for it!
Seriously, fellow moms. YOU ARE WARRIORS.
Think about it. Think back on that experience you had, about all the nights you stayed up worrying about the way your body would handle pregnancy and, eventually, giving birth. All those moments of nausea and the trips to the bathroom. Think about the swollen ankles, the aching back, the days you wished you could see your toes. And that wasn’t even the hard stuff.
Think about those first contractions, those first few pushes, the last few pushes, or being wheeled away for an emergency C-section. Were you scared? Of course, you were. Being a warrior doesn’t mean not being scared.
Being a warrior means being scared and doing it anyway. I know a lot of moms know what that’s like.
For the moms wondering how they can be both a mother and an attractive woman, I ask you this: Aren’t you more attractive now that you’ve truly claimed your warrior status?
Change our expectations and perspectives
It’s amazing, when we think about it, that the very thing that most shows off our womanhood can leave us feeling less lady-like. The experiences of pregnancy and giving birth are beautiful things that only we can offer to this world. They are our uniquely amazing contributions to humanity that require almost super-human levels of strength and pain tolerance. Yet, many women feel ugly, fat, flabby, and gross after childbirth.
Every single new mark on your body represents the path that brought you to where you are. If you didn’t have those new layers of fat beneath your skin, you might not have been able to keep your baby warm and protected in-utero. If you didn’t have stretch marks it would mean your skin didn’t expand to allow your baby to grow. The same thing goes for that new mom pouch you’ve been trying to stuff into your jeans.
It’s normal to look different after childbirth. It means that your body did exactly what it needed to help your baby grow. Love your body!
We know this is sometimes easier said than done. And that aside, a lot of women have fear about boudoir sessions that hold them back. Check out this post we wrote about boudoir myths to rest a little of that fear.
Did you know?
When you book in for a boudoir shoot with us we will send you prep guides to help you pick out the right themes, clothes, and more?
We work together with all our clients to build a personalized experience EVERY TIME.
Celebrate all kinds of beautiful
Your beautiful has changed, but it still shines just as brightly. One way to boost your self-image in this time of change is to remember all the different kinds of beautiful that exist.
Look around yourself at the people, animals, flowers, and other beautiful things that surround you. Each is unique and beautiful in its own way. When you start to feel down about the way your body has changed, think about these different kinds of beautiful and remind yourself that just because you look a little different, doesn’t mean your beauty is lost.
Your beauty has simply transformed into that of a warrior – one, perhaps, how carries battle scars representing the incredible work she did to bring a new life into this world.
Ready to celebrate your new beautiful and show yourself just how much of your groove you still have? Let’s chat about booking your empowerment boudoir session.
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