Mum shares powerfully honest images of her postpartum body

Elisa Grossman is a mum-of-three.

She says that immediately after giving birth, she didn't want to look at her body. She knew that she had gained weight and that she had stretch marks. She thought that because she didn't want to look at her body, nobody else would either. However, after the birth of her most recent baby Willa, Elisa decided to do something a little different. She enlisted the help of a photographer to document her in her "rawest and most vulnerable state" - just after she had given birth. And the result is so powerful.

A post shared by Formerly eliseraquel (@raisingyoungloves) on Jul 14, 2017 at 3:12am PDT

Elisa wrote that she wanted to talk about postpartum bodies. She wrote that she was in tremendous pain and extremely emotional. But she also wrote that she was incredibly proud of what her body had achieved. She said:

"With my first I was adamant I would just "bounce back". Everyone would say "you're young, you'll loose the baby weight in no time!" But you know what, I didn't, I never have in fact.

"It's taken me three babies, but I've finally realised this postpartum body isn't something to hide! I am beyond proud for what this body has given and sacralised.

"I am thankful that my body is able to carry and birth babies naturally. I am NOT ashamed of my (many) new stripes and my postpartum body. And neither should you!

"Let's celebrate postpartum bodies, in all their glory. The female body is incredible and I am so proud of what mine has done!"

Elisa's picture has been praised by Instagram users who thanked her for her honest portrayal of the postpartum body. One user said she was worried about what her stomach would look like after she gave birth, but that Elisa's post had helped her. The mum-of-three has since shared more images of her post-birth body.

A post shared by Formerly eliseraquel (@raisingyoungloves) on Oct 1, 2017 at 7:29pm PDT

Some woman, Elisa.