It seeks to denounce the pressure that society exerts on women to make them look “perfect” after childbirth.
A nutrition expert mom recently shared a post on her blog about the changes her body underwent after childbirth. She just hoped that her message would be seen by some of her peers and community friends. What Julie Bhosale didn’t anticipate, however, was that the post would go viral among parents around the world.
Julie’s blog, “My Real Postpartum Body,” offers personal photos, reflections, and words of support for other moms as she shares the changes she experienced in her own body after giving birth to her second child in January.
In addition, it not only shows the adventure of being a mother but also highlights the pressure that women are subjected to to recover their figure after pregnancy. Julie thus contributes to the #TakeBackPostpartum movement (let’s recover postpartum), a more honest and inclusive trend on postnatal body image.
“I really struggled with all the body changes that came after the birth of my first child,” Dr. Bhosale commented. “Working in the health industry and being an expert made me feel a lot of pressure to get my body back, and I was hoping that because I’ve always been in shape, it should be easy. However, this was not the case! It took a long time!”
“It was also very difficult for me to breastfeed my son, and that is why my confidence in myself, as a woman and as a mother, was very low,” she continued. “I thought if this is what I felt with all my nutrition knowledge, I can imagine how other moms would feel.” So, after giving birth to her second child, the mother decided to share her postpartum adventure with other parents. “I thought it might help even a mom to not feel so alone,” she said.
Her message began to go viral and reach much more than just one mother as her post was shared across many news and social media sites. Her blog inspired and encouraged mothers around the world. “I am excited and often get teary-eyed reading all the comments and messages that come to the blog. I stay up late at night reading and answering everything.”
Just four months away from completing her PhD, the nutritionist and mom is truly excited to help new mothers. “I really hope that the mothers reading this really know how beautiful and amazing they are because of what they have been through, are going through, and the sacrifices they make every day.” And she added, “I hope to encourage mothers to take the time to heal and feed themselves from the inside out, with good food and love.”
