I had an interesting conversation with a male friend the other day.  He told me about a friend of his who commented that he was not attracted to his wife any longer because she had stretch marks.  He said that they got along fine but, “he just couldn’t stand to look at her stretch marks”.

Did I mention that she got these stretch marks after having FIVE children!!

So I thought about this for a few days.  Actually I thought about how I felt about my body after I had my twins.

How I too did not feel attractive anymore as I looked at my stretch marks.  I didn’t have stretch marks before I had kids and now they covered the lower part of my stomach.  I remember a previous boyfriend said after a break-up that I had a BMW (body made wrong). It’s kinda funny now but then I was ashamed and really angry. How dare he!!

But in reality I felt really bad about myself.  How many women feel the same about their bodies after giving birth??

Pregnancy really does a number on your body.  Forget about all of the supermodels and celebrities that still look perfect after they have children. Real women are not perfect.  In fact, no one is.

But the words of those closest to us do have the power to hurt and wound our spirit. Words are very powerful despite what we said as children, “sticks and stones my break my bones but words will never harm me”.  Remember that?? It’s a fallacy.  Words can hurt. Deeply, if you let them…

So with those words in my head I tried every oil and lotion that professed to be able to rid my body of stretch marks.  I rubbed it on every night before bed and in the morning after my shower.  I worked out hard in the gym and ate sensibly but…they are still here.

So I realized that I had two choices:

1. I could continue to hate my body focusing on my imperfections.

or..

2. I could love my body, stretch marks and all, because they are a part of who I now was.

Guess which one I choose?

I DECIDED that loving “me”, all of me, was my only option.  The only body that I would every have. The body that nurtured and protected my boys as they were growing in my womb.

How could I feel badly about this body?

It is such a miracle and so beautiful how the body will stretch to accommodate the life growing inside of you.

The blessing is that I am now able to see my stretch marks as a reminder that I was able to bring forth life.  LIFE!

How beautiful is that??

I have evolved. I am continuing to evolve and the realization that who I was before I became a mom (physically) is changed forever and I am so okay with that!

So the next time you look at your stretch marks and think how ugly they look, remember how you got them.  They are your constant reminders of the beautiful experience that you were blessed to be a part of.  Or…just go look at your children and remind yourself of how special they are.

Suddenly… your stretch marks seem like they were all worth it!

Until next time,

Franka