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Parenting

30th Apr 2018

Mum of four writes about her postpartum body and it gives us joy

"This was my road to Motherhood".

Cathy Donohue

postpartum body

‘Jelly abs and shrivelled up skin’.

Mother of four Janene Crossley has penned an Instagram post about her postpartum body in a bid to make other women feel more comfortable about their post-pregnancy figures.

Her post has been shared almost 80,000 times and it’s no surprise given how honest and open Janene is when describing her ‘miserable pregnancies’ and ‘crepe paper’ skin.

Janene has three daughters and one son and this Instagram post sees her having a giggle with with her girls.

Both Janene and her littlest lamb are wearing matching “strong is the new pretty” ensembles which fit perfectly with her words.

The Instagram post reads in full:

“When your 5 year old sees your post-partum stomach and gives it a big ol’ tummy twister while laughing hysterically and hollering “IT FEELS LIKE BUBBLE GUM!!!”, you post that ridiculous, unflattering open-mouth pic instead of the “prettier” one. Oh, sweet girl.. I hope you always feel confident in the skin you’re in. Stretched, loose and marked up. It’s beautiful. This belly of mine will forever share my story. It’s a novel that pleaded and prayed to house my babies. The fresh, crepe-paper skin means that tiny Avery is nestled in my arm instead of on the inside. My sore chest means that I’m still single-handedly growing this baby. What a straight up miracle this is. I’m feeling 100% proud of this post-partum body, with its jelly abs and shriveled up skin. It made me a mother. A mother who now has cellulite because that’s just how my body handled pregnancy. This was my road to Motherhood. Paved with miserable pregnancies and yet a lifetime of unconditional pure love for these 4 little ones. And yeah, I’ll make these girls reenact this childhood photo when they’re grown with bubblegum bellies of their own #embracethesquish #postpartum #11weeksold”.

In conversation with The Huffington Post, Janene was asked if she had any advice for women who feel uncomfortable with their postpartum bodies.

When your 5 year old sees your post-partum stomach and gives it a big ol’ tummy twister while laughing hysterically and hollering “IT FEELS LIKE BUBBLE GUM!!!”, you post that ridiculous, unflattering open-mouth pic instead of the “prettier” one. Oh, sweet girl.. I hope you always feel confident in the skin you’re in. Stretched, loose and marked up. It’s beautiful. This belly of mine will forever share my story. It’s a novel that pleaded and prayed to house my babies. The fresh, crepe-paper skin means that tiny Avery is nestled in my arm instead of on the inside. My sore chest means that I’m still single-handedly growing this baby. What a straight up miracle this is. I’m feeling 100% proud of this post-partum body, with its jelly abs and shriveled up skin. It made me a mother. A mother who now has cellulite because that’s just how my body handled pregnancy. This was my road to Motherhood. Paved with miserable pregnancies and yet a lifetime of unconditional pure love for these 4 little ones. And yeah, I’ll make these girls reenact this childhood photo when they’re grown with bubblegum bellies of their own? #embracethesquish #postpartum #11weeksold

A post shared by JANENE CROSSLEY (@janenecrossley) on

She simply said:

“Your body is absolutely perfect and amazing because it created and grew your precious little one. Refuse to bully the body that made you a mom”.

Janene has also penned a lengthy blog post entitled ‘My Bubblegum Belly’ over on Hello Ivory Rose where she goes into detail about the reaction to the above Instagram.