The magazines and media all show women with flat taut bellies. You hardly ever see real bellies. Women who have had children do not EASILY have smooth flat bellies. Growing a baby changes your body. Cutting one out of you does too.
I have had three c-sections. This last one at almost 43 years old, I encountered something called abdominal distasis. My stomach muscles have spread open. I can feel a balloon-like shape bulge when I cough. I look like I'm newly pregnant, and my baby is 10 months old.
I never appreciated my belly when it wasn't like this.
I was always dissatisfied with my belly-- all my life because it didn't look like I thought it should... according to some unattainable picture in a magazine or our image-obsessed society's ideas of beauty.
I realize now it WAS beautiful. Perfect.
Looking back, I see all the things I didn't like about myself are things I really like now. Now that I look even worse than then. Does this make sense to you? Do you do this?
It's all a construct in my head. Will I be able to love this belly now? Instead of later down the road-- when I look even older?
