Postpartum Bodies

They are like art, a perfect commission by the small being that once inhabited it.

Each belly shares a unique story--some of happiness, others of tragedy; many are full of struggles, yet are equally filled with love.

Each story, each work of art, each belly... is worthy.

A couple of years ago I had an epiphany. Feeling unfamiliar in my own postpartum body, I watched an online video lesson of photographer and activist Teri Hofford as she photographed the postpartum bodies of new parents. While I felt relatively unhappy with my own body at the time, with each image of another’s postpartum body, I found myself in love. Then it clicked for me: I was being hypocritical. I was seeing the beauty, the awe, the incredible story in others’ bodies, but I had been refusing to do the same for mine.

My heart pounded in my ears as I stripped down and positioned my camera towards a corner of my room. Nervous, yet excited to see my body through fresh eyes, I set the timer and stood before the shutter as it clicked. As I pulled those images into my editing software, I was giddy and, for the first time, I saw my postpartum body in new light.

The purple lightning bolds that streaked my inner thighs had accompanied my initiation into motherhood and, while they serve as as reminder of my challenging first pregnancy, they also speak to my incredible strength. My once-inny belly button now perpetually stuck halfway-in and halfway-out is a quirky reminder that my stomach once housed two incredible babies. The soft, pillowy skin of my tummy—the place my son loves to squish—is a safe space for my children to lay their heads. My body, inherently beautiful, speaks its story of motherhood, a story of challenges, yet so much love.

Each postpartum body carries its own amazing story. What is yours?