The moment I became pregnant with my children my body stopped being mine and it became "ours," and to be honest it's still ours even though they're out.
This is a revelation I had while reading a blog a woman wrote about getting "her" body back after child #4. I've said it myself, "I just want my body back." Women say it both while pregnant and after. However, my body was the first home of my children. I can't erase that. And while we don't think of a residence in terms of our mother's womb, it's certainly true.
Additionally, when a mother is pregnant, cells pass from baby to mother and stay for decades sometimes. Part of Brian, Kate, Kelly, and Bridget are still a part of me. My body is our body. This gave me a sense of peace because achieving "my (old) body" is impossible but "our (new) body" is full of possibilities.
There will be no more comparing pictures of how I used to look and feel to how I look and feel now, because that old self is truly gone- physically, mentally, psychologically, spiritually- and something more amazing has taken it's place. This doesn't mean I don't try and be healthy and active. It means I try even harder to be all of those things... because by taking care of me now I'm also taking care of them.
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Guest post by Colleen Rafferty Ladino
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