There's a ton of pressure for Mom's to "lose the baby weight" as soon as their tiny human's exit their body's. As they stand at the grocery checkout, exhausted, potentially with a baby on their boob, their bombarded with photos of celebs who shed pounds about as quickly as I shed postpartum hair.
I began planning my Kim Kardashian body reveal as soon as I became pregnant. I'd lose all my weight, break the Internet with a photo of my post baby body, and proudly dance around with a baby on my hip, serving my husband home cooked meals in stilettos.
Hindsight is 20/20. I often dance my baby to sleep but my feet may never fit in my stilettos again.
Realistically I knew life with a new baby would be hard - but until you're thrown into the beautifully-wonderful yet especially overwhelming role of mom, you have no idea just how drastically your life and body will change.
Last summer I rocked a Victoria Secret two piece, with flowing blonde hair, and an effortless thigh gap.
Exactly one year later (lacking the confidence to wear a swimsuit), I rocked an additional 53 pounds, a baby bump and size DD boobs.
This summer my body gave me the gift of a beautiful baby boy, and with it came stretch marks, sagging skin and a little something I like to call my kangaroo pouch. My body does not resemble the body of Christmas-past. Yet I admit, the body of Christmas-past, one I envy myself for now, is not a body I loved when it was mine, nor a body that was healthy. It was a body I believed was filled with flaws, ones I picked apart and fussed over. Ones I tried to improve on and cover up with make-up and clothing. Ones that were indeed not flaws at all, but all a part of what made my body beautiful. I never felt curvy enough, slim enough, fit enough or pretty enough.
It's incredible how we allow ourselves to be affected by body image. How we can look at ourselves in the mirror and pick a part our flaws rather than celebrate our beauty. It's amazing how we compare ourselves to others, wishing for their features, while they are wishing for ours.
As a new mom I've grown a strong appreciation for what the female body can do. It has inspired me to start the journey towards loving myself, tiger stripes, kangaroo pouch and all. It is why I'm not sharing how much weight I've lost since the birth of my son but sharing my plans of being healthy, setting a good example for my child, and loving this new body that is mine.
As women and as mothers, we often compare ourselves to the women and mothers around us. We often find fault within ourselves, we often feel guilt and more often than not, we neglect the temple that gave us our children.
My post-baby body plan isn't about resembling my pre-baby self, there will be no grand Kim Kardashian weight loss reveal. It's about fueling my body with nutrients, walking with my son in the park, finding a routine that makes me healthy and happy. It's not about the number on the scale but about looking in the mirror and loving the strong, often tired, woman looking back at me.
The internet terms my new body the "mom-bod", a term I'm not particularly fond of as it categorizes mothers into one body type, yet each of us are so wonderfully different. Today, although still somewhat insecure, I rock the curves, I rock the pouch and I rock the determination to be the healthiest version of myself. Join me, won't you?