Many women come to me to lose weight or feel better in their bodies. While I help them with that, I also remind them just how incredible our bodies are and all they do for us. I wrote the below post in 2015 after having just adopted our second son, but I am resharing it today in the hopes it acts as a gentle reminder of the wonder our bodies are and the story they tell, whether you’re a mother or not. If you’re interested in reading earlier posts on my infertility and adoption journeys, you can find them here.

Every mother’s body tells a story. Here’s mine.

My body looked the same before kids as it does now with 2 kids.

Mine has caused me to get nasty looks from numerous other moms who don’t know me.

Mine has caused both men and women to come up to me and ask my exercise routine upon seeing me with an infant.

Mine has caused one stranger to come up to me and, out of the blue, say, ‘that child can’t be yours when I was out walking my 6 week old totally throwing me off.

Mine has caused two women in my neighbourhood to ask my husband how I’m so fit with an infant and once they heard our adoption story start saying hi to me.

Mine says I have a high metabolism that runs in my family, not that I’m super fit and only eat healthy foods.

Mine tells the story that I adopted two beautiful boys.

I’m not writing this post to brag about not having to lose the baby weight or about my body but rather to kindly remind people that before you judge another person based on looks (either good or bad), remember that you don’t know their full story.

I write this post to all you moms who have some post-baby weight that you just can’t shed, a C-section scar, depleted breasts from breastfeeding or stretch marks – remember how you got that way and how you brought a little miracle into this world. Your body tells a story that many women such as myself will never get to experience. And my body tells a story that many of you moms will never get to experience. My children were born in my heart, not in my belly.

So please, before you give a ‘fit’ new mom a nasty look or think she’s self-absorbed trying to get back into pre-baby shape, remember, maybe this mom adopted, maybe this mom is jealous of your post-baby body curves and experience she will never get to have or that maybe this mom has amazing metabolism and really did shed the baby weight instantaneously.

#motherhood #bodyimage #selflove #loveyourbody #respectyourbody #moms #womenshealth