Today I am thinking about my belly. I know, I'm so deep, aren't I? Here's the thing with my belly...I hate it. There, I said it and I meant it. My hubby gets sad when I talk about my disgust for my tummy, but I can't help it.
I never had a great relationship with my stomach. Even when I was young and fit, I always felt like I had a little more padding around my middle than I should have. Once I had kids (especially having 4 in 5 years) I officially have a muffin top. But not only does it stick out, it also has stretch marks and dimples and scars from my gallbladder removal surgery.
I exercise a lot, but no matter how toned my arms and legs get, or how much weight I lose, the belly is there to stay. When Maggie was 5 months old, I had someone ask me if I was expecting again. Ummmm, nope, that's just my leftovers from the last pregnancy, but thanks for asking. If I had a kazillion bucks, I think I would definitely get a tummy tuck, or lipo, or whatever the stars are getting nowadays.
But, you know what's cool? That no matter how much I dislike my stomach, it's a constant reminder of my greatest achievements; John-Paul, Andrew, Eamon, and Maggie. It's my "mummy tummy", my battle wounds from 35 months of pregnancy, and my daily humility checkpoint. I would never rather have a thin stomach if it meant giving back my kiddos, so I need to gladly embrace this body God has created for me, and appreciate His work of art.
You HAVE to go visit this site: http://theshapeofamother.com/
ReplyDeleteI was linked on another Catholic mom's blog, and I have been browsing through the archives of their blog this week.
I was one of those girls with a nearly "perfect" body as a young one, then started having babies at 20. Since my mother had never gotten a single stretchmark in five pregnancies, I had literally never seen the "aftermath" of pregnancy. I was so shocked when I came home from the hospital, and the stretchmarks I had under my belly (which were hidden to me while pregnant!) that looked like claw marks. I truly felt disfigured. Four pregnancies later, I have yet to have made peace with my body... but seeing all these other women make me feel NORMAL. Not perfect, NORMAL. ;)
I don't know if it will help change your perspective as much as mine, but I have even felt pretty lately.
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ReplyDeletewhat made you think of this? Was it the late night adventure to the mall in sweats-that always does wonders for my self confidence...
ReplyDeleteUgh. I don't like mine either, especially with some nice cesarean scarring to go with the stretch marks, sagging, and muffin top. You're right, though...these are the marks of a woman who is bringing treasures to God! :)
ReplyDelete(And those women who go through pregnancies with no scarring, stretch marks, or veins? I think that's a fairy tale...they can't really exist!)
Yes, those are battle wounds we can live with!!!
ReplyDeleteAs women, we never fully love our body enough...all the wonderful things it can achieve....I hope to one day accept mine for what it is too. ;)