Five Reasons to Love Your Post-Baby Body

No better feeling in the world exists like bringing a new life into the world. After nine arduous [...]

 hands in heart over stomach

No better feeling in the world exists like bringing a new life into the world. After nine arduous months of pregnancy, your body has been put through the biggest workout it will, no doubt, ever have. And while we relish in the joy of being a mom, whether it is for the first time or the fourth, pregnancy brings with it some not-so-nice side effects. Love handles, stretched out skin and excess belly weight are just a few of the results of pregnancy aside from your bundle of joy. But, don't be so quick to look at yourself in the mirror with disgust. Here are five great reasons you should absolutely love your post-baby body:

You just ran a nine-month marathon. Maybe you have done 5K races, 10K races or even full marathons—all awesome feats. But, they only last a few hours. Pregnancy lasts nine months which puts all those other physical challenges to shame. Add to the fact that you ran this race with excess weight, nausea, mood swings and anything else your pregnancy brought with it. So congratulate yourself—you just finished one heck of a race.

pregnant belly from side

Your body just did something extraordinary. Women have babies all the time, but only when you go through it yourself do you realize what a gigantic accomplishment and miracle it really is, and how incredible it feels to have given birth. This is what brings moms together—having the camaraderie of knowing that we all did something that no words can ever describe.

You now have sexy curves. If you ever worried that your breasts were too small, your backside was too flat or you lacked shape, worry no more. Pregnancy is good for giving you curves in just the right places. You have gone from skinny to sexy in less than a year.

You have real battle scars to be proud of and show off to people. No matter which way you gave birth, scars, stretch marks and discolored patches of skin are your battle scars. They are reminders of the "war" your body went through and how you successfully conquered three trimesters of hormonal swings and mental chaos not to mention a lot of wear and tear on your body while carrying that new life. Wear your scars proudly as they are a badge of heroism and a tremendous accomplishment.

new baby smiling at mom

You have a precious new baby. When all is said and done, the best reason to love your post-baby body is that you have one incredible achievement to show for it—a new baby. Who cares what the scale says, what pants size you are wearing or that your body is unrecognizable. The only thing that is important now and forever is your son or daughter. You have now crossed over into a whole new world that will forever change the way you think, feel and act. Saggy skin and stretch marks will not be as important as raising your child and creating special moments that will last a lifetime.

Despite what you see on the Internet of a woman's post-baby body looking better than ever in record time, those are exceptions and not the norm. Most of us are lucky to get our bodies back to fighting shape in a few months to a year's time. And if it should take longer, so be it. Too often women are a lot harder on their bodies than the rest of the world. Your husband, boyfriend, family and friends still love you regardless of what size you wear. But, more importantly, your child loves you and that is what counts most of all!

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