Mum-of-two with stretch marks and a ‘jiggly tummy’ shares candid before-and-after pregnancy snaps
'Mum on the Run' blogger Laura Mazza shared her thoughts on body changes post-pregnancy in a powerful blog post
ALL mums experience changes to their body after they’ve had a baby – but not all are too pleased by them.
However, blogger Laura Mazza, from Melbourne, recently addressed these changes in a .
Alongside a ‘before’ and ‘after’ shot, she addressed the changes that had happened to her body and embraced them for what they are.
In the post, titled ‘Love makes you fat’, she wrote: “No, this isn't a before and after shot of weight loss. But it is a victory story.
“I write this from my heart. It hurts. On the left - This was my body before kids,
“No stretch marks or scars from belly button piercings. A belly button that was high. A flat stomach. I was always on a diet back then.
“And this was the best diet I went on. I used to take photos of my progress.
“Uploading this photo wouldn't be bad, it's like me being in a bikini. It's socially acceptable.”
Laura, who is mum to a seven-month-old little girl and two-year-old son, explained that she took photos of her progress because it meant she would be “closer to a weight where I would love myself.”
She would avoid eating carbs, “barely [ate] any vegetables,” and mostly ate meat.
She continued: “I loved it because I was losing weight rapidly and the more bones that protruded the more I valued myself,
“I ended up hating meat, and was always suffering from heartburn. But still I looked at this photo, this image of myself, like I was fat.
“There was nothing wrong with the way I looked. My body was mine.”
Laura added that people would tell her that she looked “fit” and “healthy” often asking her about her workout routine because they admired her body.
She goes on to say that she was “proud” of her body.
She went on to say: “On the right is me now. Stretch marks. A droopy belly button. Thicker, not many bones protruding, but more dimples that represent cellulite.
“People don't want to see this photo, all of a sudden it's not okay. It's not pleasing to the eye anymore. It's not a body to be admired.
“The scars and stretch marks and jiggly tummy is because I made humans. I ate a little more cake, I drank a little more wine,
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“I made mug cakes at 9pm and snuggled on the couch with my husband. But for some reason, I didn't love this body. It's sad.”
Laura says that she felt as though her new body “didn't deserve” to wear sexy underwear and admits that she would sometimes avoid taking pregnancy photos because she didn’t like how 'big' she looked.
However, proud mum Laura is fed up of feeling this way and now hopes to encourage mothers to love themselves.
She said: “I have achieved more with this body, then I have with my old body. I've eaten more good foods. I've lived more, I've given more, I've enjoyed more. I've made life. This body, THIS body should be celebrated and admired,
“I should admire myself. I should love myself.”
She goes on to say that people should strive for and celebrate healthy bodies, healthy journeys and healthy minds.
“I still want to look like the first photo, no doubt. I miss that body, it makes me sad. But I want to get there in a healthy way, mentally and physically. I want to be proud and at peace with this body. And I want to like what I've got now,
“No.. I want to love what I've got now.”
She concluded: “No matter what size you are, a size 6 or size 60. You deserve to celebrate it. Sexy underwear AND a new wardrobe... So love your body, because you truly really really, only get one!”
Laura started her blog as a way to reach out to other mothers who may be struggling, after suffering with postnatal depression and post-traumatic stress herself.
She said: “I like to write blogs that help other mums who sometimes feel that parenting is just too much and overwhelming but who need to know that they're not alone.
“I'm on the road to recovery now and enjoy blogging about finding myself as a person and a mother, and learning to love who I am.”