In this post, I would like to share my experience with body image and pregnancy. I have had a very positive experience, and pregnancy has definitely helped me love my body. However, I know that this is not the case for everyone. Some women suffer a lot physically. And though I always think there is an emotional factor, I don’t want to discredit your story at all. So, If you would like me to share it, please let me know. The more we share, the more we are connected. I hope my story resonates with many women as well.

I used to be very insecure about my body since I was a teenager. At the age of 16, I was told I had PCO (polycystic ovary syndrome) and was put immediately on an anti-conception pill. Which obviously made everything worse. I got disconnected from my body, my weight went up and down and I was on an emotional roller coaster for a long time. Being told as a teenager that your body doesn’t work correctly and a pill is the only way to fix it, is very problematic. It caused me (and all young girls to whom they tell the same lie) to be so insecure. We should have been given guidance through the transformation from girl to woman, not a quick “fix” for something that can be balanced naturally.

Fast forward to my twenties, I found natural supplements, I became primarily plant-based, moved regularly and only surrounded myself with people that made me happy. My image of myself became better little by little, but I still criticized my body all the time. This isn’t surprising, most women do this on a daily basis. We, women, have been indoctrinated to hate ourselves, as it benefits this patriarchal capitalistic world we live in.

When I met my partner, we shared our dream of becoming parents. I was told since my teens by my 3 doctors that It would be almost impossible for me to get pregnant, as I had PCO. This statement is problematic in itself, but long story short, I didn’t have any difficulty conceiving my children.

When the doctor told me I was pregnant with my first daughter, I was kind of in disbelief. The whole pregnancy I had anxiety and didn’t trust my body. Looking back, I can see how this was one of the reasons I gave up my control of the medical system. I didn’t think my body was able to birth, which is nonsense as I had just baked a perfect baby for 9 months.

My confidence came in the post-partum. Seeing how my body healed quicker than I expected, I went back to pre-pregnancy weight in no time, and how I was able to nurture my baby with my own milk. Then, looking back at pregnancy pictures, I found myself in awe. How beautiful and powerful I was, and am.

This second pregnancy is going by so fast. I have actually never felt more beautiful. I am flabbergasted at how my body is creating life, growing slowly, while I am still nursing my first daughter. I couldn’t be more grateful for everything she does, and I made a promise to always look after her as well as possible. Eating good foods, taking in the sunshine, reducing stress, massaging, and telling her that she is perfect just the way she is.

My body is my temple, and I finally understand what that means. I literally create life. Just, wow…