5 Things I Love About Myself More After Having a Child

I looked at myself in the mirror today after my morning run, which I try to do 3 days a week. I drop my son off at the bus stop and then my feet begin pounding the pavement, me feeling more and more invigorated with each step. My son just turned 7 and I’m about to turn 29, and I’m prepping my body to start trying for a second child, so I’m at my healthiest to carry a baby and able to “bounce back” a little bit easier after giving birth.

I typically look in the mirror and shame myself – not because I dislike that I see, but out of habit. As women, we are so hard on ourselves, and we are almost expected to be that way. I can’t imagine sitting at lunch with my girlfriends and talking about how I’m really proud of my fitness routine or how I handled myself dealing with a tough client. No. Instead we nitpick at what she should have done, what we could have done better.

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But on this day, I felt something different inside. I felt a self-love wash over me and realized that becoming a mother has enabled me to connect better with myself, love the person I am, and there is nothing wrong with that.

I love my body.

I grew a human inside me and gave birth. It doesn’t matter what my body looks like, because I did something so amazing that it cancels everything else out. On the other hand, I’m also at my healthiest because I have to be for me son, so that I’m the best mom possible. Yes, my body has transformed after being pregnant, but I couldn’t love it more.

I love my confidence.