your birthday suit...

I recently thought to myself, "I wish there was a place where I could see all the women that have given birth, naked". I know that sounds very wrong, but let me explain.

When we become pregnant, we know that our body is going to change. We figure, eat a fruit or veggie here and there, try to keep our weight between 25 and 35 like the doctors say, and we should bounce back relatively well. Low carb diet and cardio post-partum will fix the rest. And of course if we slather enough cocoa butter on our stomachs, we're sure there won't be stretch marks.

Then you have your baby. It's been six weeks, and I'm thinking that I'll be swimming in wetsuits from now on and will sleep in flannel PJs even in the middle of July. I look at myself and can't believe what pregnancy did to it. I told Jamie the other day that I just don't feel like myself (and I'm not talking mentally - physically, it's just not me). How can anyone find this attractive? But then Jamie said, "you had a baby." Period. And it's true. That's all there is to it, and I shouldn't be ashamed. If the hubby thinks it's fine, then once I get a grip, it really is fine.

So why the naked ladies? I want to see what pregnancy did to them. Selfishly, I'd want to see who I look "better" than (because, women, you know that we're always doing that). But really it's just about knowing that you're not alone - not a freak of nature.

So let's take it off and show everyone what it really looks like to be a mom. It might not be the way Heidi Klum looks post-baby, but we didn't look like her before either. We should be content with ourselves and carry ourselves with confidence, because that's the kind of person we want our kids to grow up to be. They learn so much from us...they should learn that from us too.