Crystal Fairbanks is a mother of five children, and through her personal Instagram account, she describes the true side of motherhood, how she experiences it.
The three youngest members of the family are triplets and were born in August 2019. Crystal very often publishes photos of them, and many times through her posts she refers to the experience of her pregnancy.
In one of them, the young mother describes how she felt having babies in her womb, which she avoided showing at that time on social media and in general, in order to avoid any comments.
“During that pregnancy, I avoided showing my belly to avoid comments about how strange it might look. Of course, it is very nice to look at such photos, and I do not care what anyone says. Now I can hardly remember what it was like to have such a big belly until I look at these photos. I felt like I had a rocket in my stomach. I remember my skin was stretched so much and I felt very uncomfortable.”
Bump shaming exists and is an issue that we have addressed again in the past. Women are criticized for the size of their bellies during pregnancy, either because it is too big or because it is too small, but we do not think that is the last thing a mom wants to hear when she is in this situation.
With this post, Crystal sends her own message and reminds us that every pregnancy and every belly is different. Looking back, she considers all the healthy children a gift and is grateful for their little family.
Advertising, movies, series, and social networks invade us with stereotypes of the ideal body, even in the case of pregnant women. They always try to show the pretty and sometimes unreal side of motherhood: smooth, hairless, stretch mark-free, well-defined bellies. In short, perfect. But everyone’s body is different, so every belly will look different during pregnancy.
Some people get a lot of stretch marks, while others barely notice them. Some people have small bellies, while others gain weight from their spleens, legs, and cheeks. Each woman is different, but if there is something that they should all have in common, it is the ability to embrace their body and not feel deformed. Enjoy your pregnancy and feel pretty!
You will see all the little veins.
You will get stretch marks.
A dark line will divide your belly.
Your belly may not even be round.
And maybe it will grow so much that you won’t even see your feet.
It may look like you have a little alien growing inside.
But don’t feel ashamed.
This is all normal and okay.
Enjoy the process and embrace your body!
