Last week we saluted celebrity mum Giovanna Fletcher for calling out a stranger who commented on the fact that she still has her “tummy” following the birth of her second child Buddy Bob.
And now we want to salute another mother, Lindsey Kay Self from Ohio, for her brilliant response to a man who asked her when she was expecting.
She explained in a Facebook post, which is getting a lot of attention online, that she replied: “if you’re asking when I’m expecting my 9 week old to sleep for longer than 45 minutes, I’m hoping soon.”
While she stopped there in reality, she revealed in the post that she wished she had said more.
She wrote: “I wish I would have told him that there is nothing to be ashamed of - not for him or for me. This body grew a freaking human (two of them, for that matter) and has continued to nourish said human for 9 weeks. This bump was my child's home for 9+ months. This bump is his favorite place to nap.
“These arms, that could use some toning, lifted my son out of the water and held him as he took his first breath. They will hold him tonight as he fights sleep. They will pick him up when he scraps a knee and hug him when he experiences his first heartbreak. This body isn't shameful, this body is amazing.
“It barely resembles the body is once was - it has grown and stretched and has a few scars to prove it. Just like my heart that loves more than I could have ever imagined. Just like my mind that often races with thoughts of child rearing and art projects and milk supply and the number of wet diapers my son had and "did I turn off the oven" and the theme song to Daniel Tiger.
“So, I am expecting. I'm expecting love and laughter; hugs and temper tantrums; choir concerts and first kisses; graduations and groundings. I could not be more blessed, and I have this bump to thank.”
Her post finished with an honest message: “Parenting is not for the faint of heart, and we are never the same for it. If you have a bump because you were given the gift to carry a child be proud, not ashamed, for it's a gift denied to many.”
Have you ever had to deal with a comment like this? Let us know on Facebook, Twitter or email me at rebecca.mcknight@herfamily.ie 
