Pregnancy brings a multitude of changes to your body, and while these changes are beautiful, they can also sometimes be difficult to accept. Learning to embrace your pre- and postpartum body isn’t always easy, but one mother is sharing photos from her maternity photoshoot in an effort to inspire and support mothers everywhere.
“Insecurity is a dangerous thing. I believe it restrains us from fulfilling our full potential. When it came down to shooting my maternity photos, I was truly afraid. So afraid I delayed it until 38 weeks pregnant!” she wrote in the caption of the post. “I’ve been struggling to embrace my marks because I felt like I was the only one who’s experienced such an extreme amount. My entire belly was covered, and I felt like I was doing something wrong. [Now] I like to call my marks beauty marks! Because my marks represent the beautiful life I brought into the world! I honestly would do it all over again for her.”
Initially, Abiola had wanted her stretch marks to be airbrushed out of the photos. However, during the photoshoot, her photographer informed her that removing the stretch marks would be impossible. In response, Abiola chose to embrace her body and shared the unretouched photos shortly after giving birth to her daughter on October 24.
“I wanted to do a maternity shoot, but I was feeling insecure because I was developing all these stretch marks, and I’ve never really had stretch marks before,” Abiola told TODAY Parents. “I just kept postponing it.”
The photos convey a powerful message to mothers everywhere, some of whom may be struggling to embrace their own postpartum bodies, and they have now gone viral, with women leaving hundreds of comments filled with love and support. “Honey, your stretch marks are beautiful. I saw these pictures, and the first thing I thought was, ‘These are gorgeous. Never be ashamed,’” one person wrote, while another said, “I have them too. All over my belly. And while I don’t feel ugly or unworthy, I do feel different, and I’m not totally in love with my postpartum belly. Thank you for sharing this. It’s helping me retrain my mind.”
Discovering affection for your pre- and postpartum body isn’t necessarily a straightforward journey, but we have some tips that can assist.