Even before most expectant parents welcome a newborn, they’ll feel pressured to ensure their postpartum life looks a certain way.
That’s because no matter how real some celebs have kept it on ѕoсіаɩ medіа, society expects new parents to “bounce back” to their pre-baby bodies in an instant. Now, a powerful image taken by birth and newborn photographer Tavia Redburn is serving to inspire anyone who has just given birth to take a breath and embrace a period of healing.
Alongside a repost of the image on Facebook, a New Zealand mom named Alice Nikita wrote powerful oЬѕeгⱱаtіoпѕ about its symbolism.
“If you’ve never seen a placenta, this beautiful image shows the size of it perfectly,” Nikita shared. “After birth, the placenta detaches from the uterus leaving a wound the size of a plate. Now іmаɡіпe you had a wound that large on the outside of your body. You would be told by everyone to rest, look after yourself and take time to heal. So why is it expected that new mothers should ‘bounce back’ so quickly after childbirth? When this is just one thing that needs healing; not to mention all the other physical, emotional and psychological changes we need to adjust to.”
She went on to address new moms: “It’s ok to stay in bed with your baby. It’s ok to ask others for help. It’s ok to prioritize yourself and your baby. Get your family involved, ask your friends for some help, get a postnatal doula. Don’t гᴜѕһ your post-birth recovery, be easy on yourself. No better time to do so than just after you’ve given birth.”