‘Dancing With the Stars’ Pro Lindsay Arnold ‘Proud’ of Her Body 11 Days After Birth of Baby Girl

Dancing With the Stars pro Lindsay Arnold is “incredibly grateful” for her body, 11 days after she gave birth to her first child, daughter Sage Jill Cusick. This weekend, Arnold shared another new photo of her postpartum body, telling fans she has “never felt more proud” of her body. Arnold, 26, and husband Sam Cusick welcomed Sage on Nov. 2, and Arnold has been sharing photos of her newborn ever since.

In her latest post, Arnold said she felt grateful for “this body that carried our sweet Sage and is now feeding her and taking care of her.” While acknowledging that it is “easy to only feel grateful for our bodies” when they are in their best shape, Arnold noted she has “truly never felt more proud of my body and it’s tired/sore muscles, sore nipples, and my new c section scar that will always remind me of the most special day of my life when we got to hold our little girl for the first time.” Arnold said she is “going to try and remember this feeling forever and focus more on loving my body because of what it does for me rather than how I look.”

Arnold announced Sage’s birth on Nov. 2 and she shared an intimate video about the day Sage was born on YouTube a few days later. The video took fans behind-the-scenes, just before her C-section. When Arnold revealed Sage’s name, she also shared a heartbreaking story about her middle name’s origins. “She entered this world on the same day that we lost Sam’s beautiful mother just one year ago and we couldn’t help but see God’s hand in this and know that Sage was handed down to us by her beautiful angel grandmother, Jennifer Jill Gillette Cusick,” Arnold wrote on Instagram. “Thank you all so much for the love and support you have sent our way.”

Since Sage’s birth, many of Arnold’s DWTS co-stars have congratulated her. Sharna Burgess revealed on Instagram that she FaceTimed with Arnold and Sage. “Seeing you holding and feeding beautiful little Girl is so natural and perfect I can almost not imagine you now before her,” Burgess wrote. Jenna Johnson recently told PopCulture she “cannot wait” to meet Sage for the first time and is “so proud and happy” for Arnold.

Arnold first gained fame on So You Think You Can Dance before joining DWTS in 2013 as a pro. She won Season 25 with actor and singer Jordan Fisher. Last season, she danced with former White House press secretary Sean Spicer and finished in sixth place.