That’s the go-to excuse for when people congratulate me or ask me when I’m due to give birth. And I’ve been getting those a lot lately. At first, it just caught me off guard when someone would say something to me. Now, it’s just getting depressing and anger-inducing. Yes, I could’ve done something about my stomach a long time ago. My youngest is 2 now. But I’m not that active of a person. Not like I used to be.
I’ve seen a movement recently of women posting pictures of their bellies after pregnancy. I’ve decided to do it as well . I’m not completely ashamed of my body. But people are starting to give me a complex. So, here it is, imperfect scar healing, stretch marks and all:
It’s the best picture I could get without the aid of someone to take it for me. But it’s all there. This is me. Do I feel beautiful? Not completely, no. And when someone asks me “When are you due?” while rubbing my belly, that’s when I have to say enough is enough.
We have a Bowflex now that I want to use daily, but I have to train myself to be diligent about it. And comments like these are enough to make me do that. I’m never going to get my body back to what it used to be. I’m fully aware of that. Am I going to do it for all of these mistaken people? No. I’m going to do it for me. Until I get back to a shape where I’m not asked or congratulated again, I’m going to take a cue from Beyoncé:
I woke up like this
I woke up like this
We flawless, ladies tell ’em
Say I look so good tonight
God damn, God damn
That’s right. I woke up like this. I’m flawless.
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