Dear Delilah,
You’re beautiful, never doubt that.
While carrying a child for 9 months it is easy to accept the weight you’ve gained. Nobody expects you to have the “bikini body”, go to the gym, or fit in the cutest clothes. Once you have the baby it suddenly seems like your excuse is gone. I remember going in public after having you, I always wanted to be holding you so people would think “oh she just had a baby” instead of “oh, she’s fat”. It sounds silly I know, but it’s the truth. Every time I looked in the mirror all I saw was a flabby scarred stomach. I started dropping weight, weighing myself several times a day, anxious to see that prepregnancy weight of 130lbs. I never saw it. I’m stuck at 140lbs & I don’t see myself hitting 130 anytime soon. Before pregnancy my stomach was flat, at least flat enough to suck in during pictures. I had nice symmetrical breasts, about a D cup & just enough hips. I felt pretty.
I wasn’t tiny but society said I was pretty enough.
Now I’m nearly 3 months postpartum. I wear a DDD & my breasts are rarely ever the same size (I breastfeed). My hips have expanded & found their new comfortable size, which is much larger than before. When trying on my prepregnancy clothes, most of my old shorts wouldn’t fit over my thighs. It was discouraging. Recently I looked in the mirror & told myself “you can’t keep looking for your physical beauty in how small you are.”
Beauty is not rated on a scale of how thin you are.
I gave birth to a 7lbs 12oz baby, of course my hips widened. My breasts are producing enough milk to allow a human being to survive on nothing else, of course my breasts grew larger. My stomach stretched to be a home for a 21.5in baby, of course I’m scarred. But everyday I get to look into your eyes & see your sweet smile & you look at me like I’m the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen.
I’m healthy & you’re healthy. I endured 29 hours of labor & lived to tell the tale. My body created you, housed you, & birthed you. What is ugly about that? I’m learning to love my plus size body, so who cares what anyone else thinks.
