Anyone else struggling with how their body looks?

[StranjeGirl]

It's really hard to accept how much our bodies change in such a short time. I was just talking to dh about this a couple days ago, saying how much media doesn't help the problem. It was a breath of fresh air to read that article on the model who wanted her picture untouched. THink if everyone did that- we wouldn't feel bad about ourselves, we would feel normal!!! Because a postpartum body IS normal. Granted, that girl is probably going to look a bit better than the rest of us postpartum because she is a model and that is her job, but still- she had major changes too. For those who are first time moms, it's really hard to look at yourself right after delivery, but it does get better. I looked weird even after losing the weight, but by about 9 months postpartum I started to look myself again. Not only does your uterus need to shrink, but it can take a while for your skin to not look wrinkly anymore. OUr estrogen is at it's lowest after delivery, and stays low all through breast feeding if you are breast feeding. Estrogen gets back to around normal about 6 months after delivery, or 6 months after ending breastfeeding. My boobs were really really soft and droopy, but about 6 months after finishing breast feeding the tissue started to come back and get more dense again and I at least came close to how I was before pregnancy. I had some back and knee issues so I couldn't exercise, but I think If I could have it would have made a difference in the rest of my body...but even without after a year the changes weren't too severe. So don't get too upset about your body until you give it time to heal and your hormones to regulate. Everyone is different, but it does slowly improve once you are done with everything! ANd this article made me feel a lot better about things:
https://www.abeautifulbodyproject.com/_babies_ruin_bodies_an_ode_to_my_postpartum_body

We really are doing an amazing thing and doing what our bodies were made for. We are all so lucky to have the opportunity to grow a baby and become a mother