‘Dancing With the Stars’ Pro Witney Carson Shares ‘Vulnerable’ Photos of Her Post-Baby Body

Witney Carson is getting “vulnerable” with her followers as she shows the changes her body has made in the three-month period since welcoming son Leo with husband Carson McAllister in January. The Dancing With the Stars pro, 27, shared photos ranging from one week postpartum to three months postpartum on Instagram Wednesday, captioning the video, “Being vulnerable on social media is hard, but I’m doing it!”

“I’m so dang proud of this body and myself for getting this far,” she continued. “This post is about recognizing how far I’ve come and challenging people to do the same with their own insecurities!” Encouraging her followers to say their “positive affirmations aloud,” Carson was met with a wave of support in the comment section. “It’s so hard to go see the changes especially immediately after birth,” one person shared. “I felt unrecognisable. … But we have to be kind to ourselves and gracious. We made life.” Another added, “You are so cool! Thank you for being normal and honest. More of this!”

Carson shared some other photos from her postpartum journey last month, noting she was working on “progress not perfection,” despite having been self-conscience about her weight and appearance “especially throughout adulthood” as a professional dancer. “I’ve struggled with this & that’s why I was hesitant to post these photos – I didn’t feel I looked a certain way, ‘good enough’ & that was a sad thought to me,” she continued, adding that as she’s growing, she’s “learning to celebrate my body the way it is now and celebrate the small successes to a HEALTHY body, spirit, and mind.”

Carson and her husband welcomed their first child, son Kevin Leo McAllister, on Jan. 3, with the pro dancer undergoing a C-section despite being induced in an attempt to avoid the surgical procedure. The day after Leo’s birth, they shared on social media, “After a really hard 24-hour labor, and an unexpected c-section… we are all healthy and well. We are so grateful & we’ve been soaking up every moment with our perfect angel boy. Thank you for all the prayers!”

The ABC dancer has been keeping it real on social media from then on, writing shortly after returning home from the hospital that she was “finally wearing real clothes but still in a diaper.” She added, “Healing from a birth is no joke! So proud of this body and what it went through to bring this angel boy into this world. We are absolutely in love with you little Leo.”