Motherhood is Miraculous: How to Embrace Your Mom Bod Once and For All
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The ‘Mom Bod’ has recently become an increasingly popular body image trend. Defined as a body type that is soft, strong, and curvy, it has quickly gained attention from moms everywhere who are proud of their bodies and determined to love themselves. After all, having a baby is no small feat and something to be proud of!
The Mom Bod celebrates the beauty in motherhood and highlights the changes that come with it. This article will explore why this trend is gaining popularity, its implications for body positivity, and how moms can embrace their new figures.
Key Takeaway from this Article
Mom bodies of all shapes and sizes should be celebrated!
What is a Mom Bod?
A “mom bod” is a slang term used to describe the body shape of many mothers who have gone through pregnancy, which typically includes extra weight around the waist and hips. It is meant to be a positive term, celebrating motherhood’s beauty and honoring all moms have achieved in caring for their children.
What Does a Mom Bod Look Like?
A mom bod is typically described as a body shape that is neither muscular nor overly thin and toned. It is usually associated with having more curves around the stomach, hips, and thighs due to weight gain from pregnancy or motherhood. It is also considered to have a softer appearance than the slim figures seen in fashion magazines.
What is a Dad Mom Bod (Dad Bod)?
A “Dad Bod” or “Mum Bod” is a body type with an overall soft, rounded look. It is typically associated with the appearance of someone who lacks muscle definition and does not appear to be in peak physical condition but still looks healthy and attractive. A dad bod has become increasingly popular among people who do not put as much emphasis on physical fitness as they once did (which is often parents!).
How To Embrace a Mom Bod
As a new mom, it can be hard to accept all the changes that happen during pregnancy and postpartum. This is especially true when the media often shows celebrities leaving the hospital after birth, having lost all of their baby weight. These posts are such a disservice to women who should focus on bonding with their babies, resting their tired bodies, and nourishing their bodies and souls.Â
If you’re struggling to accept your postpartum body (and beyond), I want to help you see just how beautiful your body is.
The following are eight things I kept in mind as I went through my journey of accepting my body after becoming a mom. For all women who have birthed children, they’re helpful reminders!
1. Appreciate Your Body for All It’s Done
Body acceptance is so important for feeling your best. Acknowledge its strength and resiliency, no matter what size or shape it is right now.
Postpartum bodies (stretch marks, saggy breasts, dark lines, belly pouch, scars, and extra weight here and there) are all a reminder that women’s bodies are incredible- growing and giving birth to a beautiful baby!
2. Don’t Compare Your Body to Your Pre-Pregnancy Self
Accept that your post-pregnancy body is different than it was before, and that’s okay! It may take some time to get used to the changes, but be kind to yourself in each moment.
You may want to lose some weight after nine months of pregnancy, but that should not be your focus.
3. Focus on Being Kind to Yourself
Make time for self-care activities like taking a bath or getting a massage. Engage in activities that make you feel relaxed and reconnected with yourself, such as meditation or yoga.
4. Make Small Changes
If you are ready to make some changes (add a little tone or lose weight), take an honest look at your eating habits and activity levels. Make small but achievable goals to help you adopt healthier habits and rebuild your strength over time. Focus on activities that help you feel good.
5. Ditch the Social Comparison
Unfollow comparison accounts on social media and instead focus on celebrating the achievements of other moms (and women) who have made positive changes after having babies. Look at your Instagram account, Twitter, and TikTok accounts (and more), and eliminate any negativity or accounts that encourage body shame.
6. Tell Yourself Positive Things
When feeling down about your body, practice affirmations to remind yourself that you are capable, strong, beautiful, and worthy of loving yourself just as you are right now!
7. Give Yourself Time
Don’t like the current state of your body? That’s not a bad thing; just motivation for making small changes when you’re ready (like getting back to the gym or having more time to cook meals). You can absolutely get your body to where you want it.
Did you know that research indicates at least 18 months is needed for a mother to recover after giving birth and be ready to get pregnant again? (IF they want another baby in the first place).
8. Ditch the Unrealistic Expectations from Society
A mom’s body needs to heal after having a baby. Plus, life gets messy, busy, and beautiful with little ones that may change your priorities. Don’t expect to get back to your pre-pregnancy body right after childbirth. Focus on your family, set your own expectations, and don’t forget that you’re sexy just the way you are.
The Bottom Line
Mom bod alert: it’s time to embrace those stretch marks and that extra baby weight for what it is- a beautiful journey. Will there be weight loss down the road? Maybe. But that’s certainly not the focus of life when women build a family.
No two women or mom-bods are the same. For me, it was essential to ditch the shame and have an open conversation with my husband (and a good mom friend)- and my body was so much different after each pregnancy, too! The world expects a lot from new mothers, and we struggle to carry a lot of burdens, but the best thing we can do for our kids is to be proud and real.
What crazy standards do you see women being held to these days? What advice or hope do you have to give? What advice was most helpful for you? I’d love to hear!
It took me a long time to embrace and love my mom bod. Thank you for telling your story, and helping other women learn to accept their mom bods. Women deal with a lot of changes after having a baby, including postpartum depression, which can make it harder on them. I read an interesting article about postpartum depression, and how it is not spoken about enough. Your article is very inspiring, and I think all women should read it, and the other one mentioned as well to learn how to deal with postpartum if they have it.
Learning to accept your body is so important and it’s heartbreaking more moms don’t like the changes. Always remember your body grew tiny humans and needed to make the changes accordingly.
Thanks for reading!
Elaine x
It’s such a struggle. Mom’s are superheroes for sure. For me even more than the body was the postpartum hair loss. it had me crying. My doctor finally suggested a postpartum hair loss vitamin from baby blues (www.babyblues.care) and once it started kicking in I was finally able to feel more myself. I think everyone has their triggers with the postpartum recovery. thanks for this article and sharing your experience.
Hi Jen, thank you for your response. Mom’s are most definitely magical 🙂 Postpartum hair loss was a big issue for me too that takes quite a while to recover from- at least it did for me. Thanks for the tip and thanks for reading!