‘Not all of us have washboard stomachs in bikinis when their baby is 1-year-old. Some of us still look a pregnant, some of us have muscle separation that won’t heal without surgery. AND THAT IS OK!’

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“Sometimes we are bombarded by perfection on social media.

Especially in motherhood. But I want to say, not all of us have washboard stomachs in bikinis when their baby is almost 1-year-old. Some of us still look a little pregnant… and that’s okay. Some of us don’t have time to scratch our buttocks, let alone get to a gym, and that’s ok! Some of us are worked off our feet and eat chocolate at night for that one little piece of control, satisfaction. I don’t know – something for us that we hadn’t had for the day.

Some of us take meds that would never let us shed the weight even if we wanted to. Some of us have thyroids that have turned to crap. Muscle separation that won’t heal without a $20,000 surgery. And some of us just don’t have the damn energy. AND THAT IS OK!

There are mothers who do, and they are amazing. They ARE Beautiful. They ARE wonderful.

And for those who don’t, they are amazing too. You ARE beautiful. You ARE wonderful.

Don’t let it dictate what you wear or how you live. Don’t compare your body to the filters. To magazines about so and so bouncing back. That stuff is messed up and I can’t imagine the pressure they felt. It’s not okay, so don’t buy into that crap. It’s okay to want to be fitter or healthier, but what you’ve got now doesn’t mean you aren’t worthy.

When I look at my children, I feel invincible. I grew them, I birthed them, and I have the scars to prove it.

Just like everybody is different and every pregnancy is different, every postpartum body is different too.

Having a baby isn’t a one-off event. It changes everything, so focus on what your body has done and all it can do.

There is no wrong way to have a body but there are some crappy ways to talk to yourself about the one you’ve got; you have a purpose mama, and that purpose is not measured by your waistline.

Be kind to yourself and love yourself, just as your children do.

To be beautiful means to be yourself. To be beautiful means to accept yourself. Talk to yourself as if you’re the most important person in the world, because to little humans, you are.”

Laura Mazza

This story was submitted to Love What Matters by Laura Mazza of Mum on the Run, where it originally appeared. Submit your story here, and subscribe to our best love stories here.

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