Motherhood Changes You – And That’s Not Bad

Motherhood can change the way your body works, as well. With all those hormones flying, some women develop gestational diabetes and some can experience excess hair growth. There’s a laundry list of things that can happen to your body when you’re pregnant.

After you give birth, motherhood changes you in a different way. It changes your mindset. At first, it’s overwhelming. You’re inundated with a flood of thoughts and emotions. What if you’re not a good mom. What if you don’t adequately baby-proof your home. You realize that you are now responsible for keeping a tiny child alive, well, happy, and well-adjusted. You and your partner, if you have one, are completely responsible for the growth and development of this tiny life.

Of course, after the initial panic, you realize that this is just about the most beautiful thing that will ever happen to you. You have MADE a baby. You are a mother. Intense love and a determination to be the best mom in the whole wide world kick in after those initial moments of panic, and from then on, everything you do is colored by those feelings of love and devotion.

All of these things and more will happen to you throughout your pregnancy and your time as a mother raising your children, and they’re all okay. They’re natural and normal. The best advice my mother ever gave me was this. If you love your kids, and you do your best then you’re a good mom. That stuck with me from my first child until now as I raise all three of them with my husband.

I was so lucky to have a mom like mine and a fantastic support system to help me blossom into the best mom I could possibly be, and I’m so grateful to be a part of that for other moms. I and my fellow moms and mother figures, Jessica Murillo, Zoe Lin Choy, and Gabrielle Richards have teamed up with Shapermint to honor mothers and the changes that all mothers go through. The #InAllShapes initiative is aimed squarely at celebrating how motherhood changes you, especially how it changes your body.

Unfortunately, the rise of social media has given rise to body shaming. I have seen pregnant women referred to so often on social media in mean tweets and posts as “fat”. I’ve seen their stretch marks ridiculed. I’ve seen footage of a very pregnant woman walking down the street with a caption referring to her waddling. It’s disheartening, to say the least. We moms have not only created life, we have also dedicated our lives to creating healthy, happy humans who can go out and make the world a better place.

Let’s respect and uplift that. Let’s embrace those stretchmarks. Let’s honor the saggy boobs that we got from breastfeeding. Let’s understand that all of the physical changes that motherhood brings are badges of honor, not something to be ridiculed. That’s what this campaign is all about.

I and my fellow moms taking part in this Mothers Day initiative were eager to work with Shapermint because they understand that the physical ways that motherhood changes you are both badges of honor and a source of constant scrutiny from the public. They’re a company that’s interested in helping moms feel good in their own skin, not feel like they have to put on another one. Their line of shapewear is devoted to simply smoothing out some lines and keeping everything nicely supported. They’re not a company that sells those waist shapers that try to make your waist look like an hourglass. It’s not natural, and it’s not a celebration of motherhood.

Shapermint is dedicated to moms being happy in their own bodies and being confident in their world, and I absolutely adore that. We recently did a photoshoot where we stripped down to our Shapermint wear to show off our own mommy curves and how Shapermint helps enhance them, not hide them. It was such an empowering experience. It was a nice reminder that we moms are beautiful just the way we are.

In addition to empowering moms, Shapermint is empowering the people who love moms the most – their children and their partners. Right now, Shapermint has a Mothers Day sale making it the best time to give the gift of confidence to the mom in your life. After this campaign, I have an even deeper appreciation of my own body, and I am definitely impressed with how Shapermint honors how motherhood changes you. l can say from my own experience that their line of shapewear is the perfect gift to give to any mom.