my style: two weeks postpartum

{Top: Similar | Pants: Similar | Purse: Similar | Shoes: Similar}

I have to commend every woman blogger out there who has documented her pregnancy and postpartum style. I think it's really hard to put yourself out there. Your body just changes so much during pregnancy and it's really hard to figure out how to dress it in a way that makes you feel good about yourself. I never really felt like I was embracing my true style while pregnant. Really I was just trying to get through it in a sort of stylish way.

And now that I've had the baby, I feel even more self-conscious than I did before. I keep expecting my body to go back to what it was. And unfortunately that doesn't happen. I still look kinda pregnant. I can't tell you how many times I've pulled non-maternity stuff off my shelves in the hopes that it will actually fit this time and it doesn't at all. Such a blow to my self-esteem.

My sister-in-law sent me the best article about how women should feel about their bodies postpartum. We need to give ourselves time. Our bodies spent nine months growing and stretching to nurture the baby that we now hold in our arms. And somehow we expect that they should shrink back to pre-pregnancy form in a shorter amount of time. We look at our bellies with embarrassment instead of wonder. We tug self-consciously at our shirts. We cringe every time we see our reflection in a store window. And we should stop. We just need to be patient and give ourselves time.

And this is what I"m doing here. Giving my body time to heal and that's okay. My goal is to get back in shape and feel good about my body one day in the not too distant future. But that day is not today. Right now I just need to nurture my body and my baby and that's okay. The bumps and lumps are okay for right now. They are a part of my story, the story of how I have given birth to two beautiful boys.

Linking up with the Pleated Poppy, Because Shanna Said So and Style Elixir.