10 photos that celebrate and honour ‘imperfect’ post-baby bodies

Body positivity doesn’t come naturally to a lot of women. Whether it’s because of the images we’ve long been fed through advertising and social media, or personal hang ups carried over from childhood and puberty, looking confidently into the camera lens can be terrifying—especially after pregnancy. But something is changing. Amidst the filtered-to-perfection photos, a new reality is emerging. Today's Parent investigated this trend in our May/June 2019 print issue. Thanks to hashtags like #this_is_postpartum and #everywomanisanangel, inspiring images like the ones below are making their way into Instagram feeds—and we’re here for it.

1. "My stomach is still flowered with stretch marks and extra skin. Just perfect for curious little hands to tug and pull."

2. "I know there are women who don’t bounce back to slim bellies after pregnancy + cry when they look in the mirror like I did today."

3. "I was so concerned about what I looked like that I went as far as getting this ugly tattoo to try to cover it up, to try to cover up evidence of my babies. "

4. "The reality is that my body is strong and beautiful."

5. "I'm sharing so that you know it's ok to share too.⁣"

6. "No I'm not ugly, no I'm not gross... No I refuse to think I don't work hard enough."

7. "This is for you. This is for us. You are seen. You are worthy. You are enough."

8. "I’ve decided to love myself completely because I’m not defined by the loose skin or the stretch marks."

9. "Seeing more “real body” posts = normalizing.⁣"

10. "It didn’t happen overnight but I love my stretch marks and this body that held my incredible son."

Read more: Revealing photos of ‘mom bods’ is a trend we should all get behind Body beautiful: Celebrating the postpartum body