I saw this photo on Facebook last week and I can’t get it out of my head.

I have a 15-week old baby girl, and I marvel daily at the fact that my body was able to grow such a healthy baby (for 41 long weeks I might add!) and that my body is now able to feed her everything she needs.  We weighed her yesterday, and she is now 14.5 lbs- 6 lbs heavier than her birthweight.  That’s 6 lbs of hard work that my body has done to make enough milk for her to grow and thrive.  And yet…..I am still critical of the body that I see in the mirror.  I know that my body’s purpose right now is to nourish my daughter, but I often fight an internal battle with my vanity; sometimes I succeed in pushing the critical thoughts away and sometimes I fail.

Having a baby girl has opened my eyes to the world of negative body image amongst women, myself included.  How can I teach my daughter that she is beautiful for who she is and not what she looks like?  I can start by changing my own views on body image.  I can start by celebrating all shapes and sizes.  I can start by praising what her body can do, and not the way it looks while doing it.

One of the goals I had when I first set up this blog was to be uncensored, transparent, and honest, in the hopes that what I write will resonate with someone reading.  My hope for this post in particular is that it speaks to other moms.  Love your body for what it has allowed you to do.  And ignore all that other stuff.