The Fourth Trimester

postpartumA mom’s photo of her post birth body has gone viral thanks to the raw understanding among women that (most[ref]I knew someone who wore skinny jeans without a bump immediately after birth.  If you want to run 6 miles a day while pregnant, that may work for you too.[/ref]) women still look pregnant weeks and months after giving birth.  It reminds me of Kate Middleton’s post birth photos that showed she, too, had a bump.  One week after having my first child, I was at Target, alone (my daughter was still in the hospital) and I got the inevitable “When are you due?” question.  I looked the same as I did 6 months pregnant.  When I told the lady I was postpartum she looked at me horrified and sprinted away, not allowing me the chance to say “I know I still look pregnant, and it’s OK.”  Truth is, most people don’t look like movie stars postpartum, or any other time.