Mother of Three (Amerie)

2 pregnancies; 3 children; 3 months PP

I have lived 27 years. I have 3 beautiful children, a 3 year old boy and 12 week old identical twin daughters. I have an adoring, sexy husband whom I love. We have a healthy and whole relationship that makes me proud and happy.

I grew up with severe body issues. I was born with cleft lip and palate. I also had 2 open heart surgeries for a congenital heart defect by the time I was only a year old. I’m no stranger to body insecurity. I am used to being self-conscious and hyper-aware of my scars. After having my son and gaining 51 lbs on my 5 ft. frame during my first pregnancy, I thought my body was destroyed. It took me a full year to lose the weight and another year to get fit and in shape. 3 months after that? I was pregnant again. I went into this pregnancy a little disheartened, thinking that I had just got my body back and it was about the be put through the ringer again. Surprise! I was pregnant with twins! Total and complete shocker. The pregnancy was incredibly hard on my body and my mental faculties. I was put on bed rest at 24 weeks, hospitalized with the flu and pneumonia at 30 weeks, diagnosed with Obstetric Cholestasis at 31 weeks, and finally delivered with an emergency c-section at 35 weeks, 5 days. My body was a wreck. My girls were both in the NICU. *I* was a wreck. Thankfully, they had no issues bar learning to eat on their own, so they were out within a couple weeks.

Obviously, I want my son to treat women well, to hold them in such high esteem and regard and to never make a single one feel shamed for their bodies. But it wasn’t until I had my own daughters that I realized that *I* was going to be responsible for something. Something huge. I will show my baby girls what it means to be a woman. What it means to be self-confident and what it means to really love yourself and the skin you’re in. Or I will show them how to tear themselves and other women down. I will give them the tools to cry while looking at their bodies in the mirror and wishing that what they saw was different. It was all left up to me, completely my choice. I made it without hesitation. My daughters will have a Mother that is strong and capable, one that has embraced herself, ALL of herself. I will teach them how to stand tall and to mean it; and I will speak to them of the absolute importance of uplifting others.

First? I had to begin to walk the walk, so to speak. I have been working towards just that. Clean eating. Healthy living. Working out. Being active. Being better for my children and our family. For myself. I still have a ways to go, as I am only 3 months PP. I also have a 3 inch diastasis recti separation that I’m not sure what to do about at this point. But I’m not really worried about it. I am embracing myself, all of myself. And it feels good. :)

Pictures L-R: 2 months PP and then 3 months PP (before/after with one month of extremely hard workouts and dieting). My beautiful girls. My precious little boy.

3 thoughts on “Mother of Three (Amerie)

  • Saturday, May 3, 2014 at 10:53 pm
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    I think you look great! Three months PP with twins? Whatever you are doing is working. Your kids are adorable

  • Tuesday, May 6, 2014 at 4:26 am
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    Wow babe you look beautiful your body looks amazing,i love your tattoos near your boobs,hope that’s okay to say that?

  • Saturday, May 17, 2014 at 2:09 pm
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    I think you look amazing for 3 months post-partum! You look fantastic compared to many who’ve only had one baby. I had twins 10 months ago and my diastasis is now down to about 1 1/2 – 2 fingers width, and I feel like my stomach still sticks out even a little more than yours does. The body heals itself to a certain extent without you having to even do much, with time and patience the muscles come back together quite a lot on their own so imagine how much more you can improve the situation with some targeted exercise. I’ve been doing pilates one-on-one with an expert in post-partum bodies once a week (which is all we can afford right now), and it’s made a huge difference to the way I feel about myself and my body. It’s so soon after pregnancy and birth for you, your body has been through so much. It sounds like you’re doing an amazing job of having compassion and acceptance towards yourself while working to stay healthy and strong, and I for one find your attitude really inspiring. Your girls are lucky to have you as their mum :)

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