Gratefulness Days 9 & 10

My pregnancy, labor, and delivery with Addie taught me to be grateful for my body.

I didn’t feel beautiful throughout my second pregnancy. I felt huge and clumsy. My skin kept breaking out (and hasn’t stopped since). But as I look back on my entire birth experience, I see that my body did something amazing and miraculous.

I never enjoyed being pregnant in the moment. I look back now and I miss certain things about being pregnant, such as my huge belly. It hurt all of the time but it was so cute. I also miss feeling each of my babies move and kick and wiggle. It was comforting to know they were tucked safe inside of my womb.

There’s a quote from another blogger, Amethyst Joy, that I kept seeing during my pregnancy with Addie. I always seemed to come across it when I was feeling my lowest. “How can you ever say anything negative about your body after you have felt the dancing of life inside your womb?” It is easy for me to look in the mirror and point out all of my imperfections and things that I don’t like. My stretch marks, my tummy that still pokes out, the extra weight that I did not sign up for.

It’s not easy to look at my body and say “thank you.” Thank you for allowing life to grow inside not once, but twice. Thank you for staying healthy through both of those pregnancies and this postpartum period. Thank you for nourishing my baby even now. And though it’s not easy, that’s what I find myself doing these days. I am grateful for my body.