Pregnancy is beautiful—a widely accepted view. We take copious pictures of our growing bumps and are proud of the pounds gained during the nine months, knowing we are creating a nourishing, warm, and protective home for our sweet babe. But what about after babe arrives?

Postpartum is messy. Not only is it messy, but it’s much more private, emotional, shameful even. And we tend to feel the need to keep private this period for no reason but our own minds, and because of how society has painted the darker side of the postpartum period. I don’t know about you, but I am not taking any pictures of my after-birth belly. No, this belly is well covered in lose fitting clothing (and honestly, most days I still wear my maternity clothes) and I try to avoid looking too long at my loose skin and wider hips in the mirror. But why? Why isn’t the postpartum body celebrated just as much as the baby belly? The postpartum body is a freakin’ warrior—not only has it gone through nine-ish months of growing, feeding, and protecting a little human, but it has labored, birthed, bled, and recovered, all while harnessing enough strength to care for a newborn. It quickly transitions to making milk and supporting the desire and motivation to 100% commit to the care of a newborn—all while hormones are in complete chaos and sleep is non-existent and responsibilities of your pre-baby life still must be tended to. The postpartum body is the most badass version of a women that exists, I believe. I’m not saying it’s easy—or meant to be easy—but it’s quite the incredible feat.

Celebrating Your Postpartum Self

But in the mix of feeding, burping, changing diapers, comforting babe, and healing ourselves, we continue to be hard on ourselves. I have yet to feel like I am doing enough—even though I am doing all the things to keep my sweet boy alive and happy. I look at myself in the mirror and the appreciation for myself and my body isn’t automatic. My tendency, at times, is to feel shame and that “I am not enough.” Self-love is a practice, one that is more important in these beauty, messy postpartum days than possibly any other time in a woman’s life. Celebrating you, and specifically your body in this case, is crucial in this vulnerable yet empowering phase—the remarkable transition into motherhood. So today, we stop the shame, guilt, negative self-talk, body shaming, and body avoidance, and we give back to ourselves and our body through celebration, love, and care. I am in this with you. You are not alone.

How can you express love and appreciate to your body? There are not right or wrong ways, or limits to what you can do for yourself. But if you’re in the postpartum trenches of diapers, breastmilk, and chaos as much as I am, you may feel there isn’t much time or energy left to devote to body loving. So here is my commitment to myself and my inspiration to you:

Make caring for your body (and thus mind) a daily practice

But what does that look like? We are talking about the easiest things. I’ve created a series and blogs on some simple and some unique approaches to postpartum self-love. All these topics are worth more than a bullet point discussion, so I hope you dive into these articles to connect to the reason these suggestions are so vital to feeling your best as a new mom. They are garnished with fun and thoughtful recommendations to make it easy to implement more self-care. You deserve to be lathered in love. As a doula and ayurvedic birth and post-partum consultant, we are here to inspire and support “mothering the mother.” The mother is amongst the most selfless roles, as you probably know by now, and our society has yet to normalize the mother being nurtured and cared for by others—so she can best show up for her new sweet babe. It’s standard in other cultures, like India, China, Taiwan, for family or even trained postpartum professionals to care for the mother in the first weeks (up to 6 weeks even) after mom brings her new baby home. If you’re reading this in the west, that’s probably a novel concept—but it’s how we’ve bought babies into this world for centuries before separate, single family household became the norm.

With that, all I am saying is that we may not have that luxury, so what can you do for you to “mother” yourself in simple ways so you feel more grounded, nurtured, and balanced in your body—so you can be the best, fullest version of yourself for your deserving babe? Check out these posts for a bit of loving, thoughtful inspiration:

• Wrapped in Warmth: Ayurvedic Abhyanga for Postpartum Renewal
• Sip, Soothe, and Heal: Essential Hydration Tips for Postpartum Recovery
• Sweat Smart: A Mindful, Modern Ayurvedic Path to Postpartum Exercise

What does Self-Love and Self-Care Look Like to You?

And reading my thoughts on this topic may have got your wheels turning. Self-love and body-love look different to everyone. While the articles I have listed above provide evidence-based ways to restore and replenish a postpartum body, there are many ways to nurture and love your body. Maybe it’s taking a daily bath while your partner tends to the babe, or treating yourself to your favorite cafe for an hour alone, or going for a walk with a friend or loved one, or making time to do body awareness breathwork or meditation, or simply getting dolled up for the day to look and feel your best. What does self-love and showing your body some love look like to you? How can you continue to heal not just your body, but your relationship with your body? Maybe take this moment to brainstorm a list of ideas that come to mind. Pick just one thing to start that you know you can implement daily, or regularly.

To end, please tell your body thank you. Tell your body how amazing it is, and that you not only accept it for the way it is, but you are amazed by its strength and capabilities. Express love and appreciation to your body, even if just in this moment. And work up to spending a few minutes each day to express your gratitude and unconditional love to your brilliant, baby-bearing and baby-nurturing body. Consider this mantra to repeat daily:

My body is beautiful, brilliant, and strong, and I am so grateful for how it allows me to show up for my baby and my self.