Motherhood Campaign Will Make You Love Your Post-Baby Body

Being pregnant and delivering a baby wreaks havoc on a woman’s body inside and out.

Trying to lose the baby weight after delivery is something every mom considers the moment they conceive and the struggle is real!

But should that be our focus when we are caring for our precious little babies from morning until night, and then some.

How a mother looks after delivering her baby is a thought that runs on auto-pilot.

No mom wants to be thinking about Pilates when she hasn’t even been able to sleep 3 hours in a row, and her hair smells like spit-up, but that’s where society is right now.

There’s a level of expectation by others after a woman has a baby that they should look a certain way in a certain amount of time.

The truth is, however, that everybody’s bodies are different. Some women have a super fast metabolism that allows them to bounce back to pre-baby weight almost instantaneously, while others have to put their blood, sweat, and tears into every pound.

Who is setting the bar for these expectations, and why do mothers feel they have to meet them?

Society as a whole is to blame – the advertisements, the fashion industry, and the fast-paced demands.

Moms should not have to have a spotless house, styled hair, and an outfit from Vogue on while they are struggling to brush their teeth in between the endless carousel of diaper changes.

Mothercare knows this and is launching a campaign to show the world what motherhood really looks like and to remind moms to love their bodies in whatever shape.

Besides, mothers have another set of chubby thighs that need some love.

Independent reported:

“A new campaign launched by Mothercare aims to challenge unrealistic images of new mothers and their post-birth bodies.

The campaign, called Body Proud Mums, features a series of 10 images which will be displayed across London showing new mums and their ‘real’ post-natal bodies – scars, stretch marks and all.” 

How did Mothercare get this ingenious idea?

Through research they headed, it became abundantly clear that a revamp on body image was needed for post-baby mommas.

The study revealed that “more than half of new mums report being unable to feel proud of their bodies after giving birth,” according to Independent.

Unsurprisingly, it also showed that more than 80% of UK mothers have looked to “unrealistic images” to see how they should be progressing after their baby is born, a quarter of which gets the highest pressures from the media.

Young women between the ages of 18 and 25 seem to be the most vulnerable to the negative effects of media, with 90% of them expecting their bodies to size up to celebrities.

Moms in the UK aren’t the only women falling victim to societies crushing demands on body image.

PsychGuides did a survey with a 1,000 participants comparing US women to the rest of the world in regards to how they view themselves.

On a scale of 1-10, women in the United States rate themselves on average at a 6.09, while the respondents from other parts of the world rated themselves at a 7.44 on average.

That is an 18% reduction in positive body image perceptions in American women.

When they were asked if they had “a positive body image”, according to Refinery 29, only 52% of US participants responded affirmatively.

In an effort to hide perceived flaws and shortcomings, the Mothercare study showed that 51% of moms use filters when posting pictures of themselves in social media platforms.

Instead of being proud that women’s bodies accomplish the miraculous feat of carrying a child inside of them for 40 weeks, mothers are trying to hide the very signs that chronicle the journey.

About 61% of mothers do not show off their pre and postnatal differences in media, feeling that it is an area of shame rather than triumph.

This is not the mindset that our daughters, mothers, sisters, and friends should be confined to.

The Mothercare campaign is being applauded by many, including psychologist and author, Linda Papadopoulos, who says on Independent:

The way we see and value our appearance, our ‘body image’ can significantly affect our thoughts, feelings, behaviours and overall quality of life. 

This campaign hopes to reduce some of the pressures that new mums may be feeling by celebrating the body changes that come with motherhood rather than trying to edit them out. 

Very often, we end up showing compassion to others that we simply can’t show to ourselves when it comes to how we feel about our bodies.”

How true!

Mothers are quick to give their fellow women in distress a pep talk on the beauty of a post-baby body but then scold themselves every time they look in the mirror.

Having images of real women after having a baby posted around the crowded streets of London are sure to have mothers feeling a little more secure.

To know that mothers are not alone in facing unrealistic goals for their body and that they have the same special markings on their bodies that show how life was brought into this world is empowering.

Celebrities and media icons are not the majority, the hard-working mom with stretch marks and double-digit pants is.

Love the body that you were given, not the one you wish you had; it’s perfect just like your precious baby.

Please let us know in the comments section what you think of the campaign, and if it will have an impact on perceived body image at large.