A Letter To My Postpartum Self

Dear Postpartum Self,

I know you are feeling pretty down on yourself right now. . . what with your once smooth stomach completely riddled with stretch marks, your emotions that can give a mood ring a run for it's money and that mid-section that still thinks it's three months pregnant.  As much as you tried to prepare yourself, this is a whole lot harder than you ever imagined.

Not only did you just squeezed a watermelon through a hole the size of your nostril, but now there is the pain of milk coming in and that feeling like shards of glass tearing through you when the feeding hour comes around.   You never bargained for the night sweats, the fat mattress pads you straddle for the greater part of a month or the feeling of panic as you wake just to make sure that fragile little angel is still breathing.  And to top it off, there's the motherload of all periods that seems to never end, the cringing every time you see yourself in pictures and the sinking feeling when you realize your body will never quite be the same again.

So before you lock all your doors, stay inside and swear to never do this again, I hope you'll remember to be kind to this strange, postpartum version of yourself.  Be kind to yourself when your toddler has watched half a season of Curious George in one day.  Be kind to yourself when you smell like leaking, day-old milk.  Be kind to yourself when you can't quite suck that stomach in far enough to hide what's left over from 9 months of turning food into a tiny human.  Be kind to yourself when you feel unstoppable, hot tears fighting their way down your cheeks because your husband only cleaned up the spilled salad dressing with paper towels instead of soap and water.

But most of all, be kind to yourself because somehow God saw fit to use you as the secret place for crafting a miracle.  The place where a tiny seed of a soul can grow into a great legacy for the Gospel and you forever will carry the marks on your body to prove it.

Love Your Miracle-Making Self
^^ post-too-much-sucking-in ^^


  1. Beautiful. Such a fragile time for a woman. If only we could just let ourselves appreciate our bodies for what they've done instead of feeling so much pressure to "bounce back" to our pre-baby selves. I absolutely loved this.

  2. Thank you Nicole, for these wise, kind words...I needed this reminder the very last paragraph was especially beautiful! I have a 1-month old & my mama body has been stretched this way 6 times. Some days it feels like it's a long journey ahead. Bless you for embracing TODAY.

  3. LOVE this! And love that you are posting again. What an encouragement to mamas everywhere, whatever pre/during/post partum stage they may be in. Keep being kind to yourself!!

  4. Thank you for sharing this!! I'm going to have to read it again in about 2 months, so if you want to schedule a re-post now... mkay thanks! ;)

  5. this is a beautiful post. As I prepare to enter this realm for the second time, this is such a great reminder that we shouldn't tear ourselves down for our post-partum appearance...because all we have to do is take a quick glance in the direction of our newly-born baby and know that every single moment is absolutely worth it!

  6. Beautiful encouragement! When we are blessed to be involved in the miracle-making process of pregnancy and childbirth, we are 'offering our bodies as a living sacrifice' ........ Romans 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. ..... Thank you for reminding us what an honor it is.

  7. I have chills! I'll be re-reading this in about a month and a half!

  8. Thank you so much for including that healing phrase, "Be kind to yourself." I need that in whatever I'm thinking during the day about myself and I'm postpartum by 4 1/2 years now!