Cleaning The Closet: Loving My Post-Baby Body
by Kat Stroud
Women are constantly surrounded with reminders that we are expected to lose our post-baby belly fat as quickly as possible. After giving birth, I struggled with my body’s appearance. My stomach drooped, I was carrying extra weight around my middle, my thighs got thicker, and new stretch marks appeared. I was disappointed to be struggling with body issues when I had come so far in my self-love journey.
How many of us have held on to or bought an inspiration garment: that one outfit that you just don’t fit in so you’re going to diet and work out until that beauty fits? Do you know what that does to your self-worth? Slowly it chips away at your self-esteem because it still doesn’t fit! In an effort to relearn to love my body I decided to clean out my closet. I was holding on to my old wardrobe because I was determined to fit back into it and with this realization came anger.
I was angry because I would never have tortured myself like this before I got pregnant. So I hauled out my entire closet, making a pile of my clothing that no longer fit and with each item I set aside I felt myself
letting go of my insecurities. Next step included shopping and scheduling a boudoir shoot with bopo photographer SumaJaneDark! This empowering shoot was a tipping point: I was seeing my body in a new light. I saw the rounded belly that carried my daughter and felt proud.