Thanks to rag magazines, royalty giving birth and the movies; the perception of the giving birth (before and after) has been completely skewed. Okay ladies, I’m happy to illustrate what pregnancy and birth really looks like!
When I was pregnant with my daughter, somebody actually asked me “How many are in there?” WHAT?!! I responded, “I’m having a litter.”
Yes, this really happened
So many people haven’t really seen full blown, about to give birth pregnancy in person and are probably totally shocked by the size of one tiny human being being grown in a belly. All I can say, the person who asked me that should have seen me the first time around when there were two in there.
In the movies – water breaks, pandemonium, contractions are at warp speed and the baby is born IMMEDIATELY while a woman is screaming in agony. No wonder she’s screaming, nothing has had a chance to open up.
Reality – Water breaks, you take a walk, get your stuff together, no contractions yet, there’s time to get to the hospital…but, everyone is different. I didn’t get to deliver like this with my twins, almost did, so I experienced the labor part. It’s pure grit and mental focus.
Then there’s the aftermath. I love it when I watch a woman giving birth on TV and her belly is instantly flat as soon as the kid comes out. Did her uterus stretched to the size of a watermelon simply disappear!? Come on Hollywood. That belly worked hard with a badge of honor in the form of stretch marks to prove it. I came to accept my 5 month pregnant-looking belly for the next year. Hats off to the beautiful Ashley Graham for keeping it real!
So for any expecting mamas out there or women who have recently given birth or adopted, you’re doing an amazing job! Give yourself a break through the exhaustion. Don’t be ashamed of the jelly belly after the baby comes out, it will get better with time. It took nine months to get there, it will take a year to go back…maybe not completely, but always cherish what your body did. It’s okay to cry from pain after giving birth, or better yet, the flood of hormones, hot flashes, and fatigue. It will all pass and you’ll forget all about it before you have the next one!
