Love your Mom Bod (Part 1 of 4 Part Series)

It was a Friday morning, and as I drove to the Mint Studio on the way to the Mom Bod photo shoot, I started to feel my insecurities creep up. I realized that I had forgotten to put on deodorant. Great- now the mamas will smell my nervousness. My hair hasn’t been cut in 6 months, and it needs it… BADLY. It’s already so thin and matted down to my smallish head/face, so I am sure the scraggly ends aren’t going to help.

Was this even a good idea? 

Will the mamas even show up?

Eventually my thoughts were pushed aside as I soon arrived and became pre-occupied setting up the studio space, chatting with our photographers Crystal and Melissa about the best lighting, and before I knew it, the mamas came with their precious kiddos!

If you might recall- we did an open model casting call for this project. In support of body issues awareness month and the body issues that all women have, specifically moms– post baby, we wanted to bring light to this sensitive subject in an inspiring way.

Moms are BEAUTIFUL. They have brought life into this harsh world. The scars, stretch marks, wrinkles, and aching fatigue are the result of these precious babies lives. We work hard day in and day out, with sometimes little recognition that we are doing a good job raising these mini humans, let alone hear how beautiful we are. 

The goal of this project was to shine light on our beautiful moms as individuals, and as a strong mom tribe. 

Some of our writers and events team members for the San Diego Moms Blog were there, and the others were moms from our wonderful community that I hadn’t yet met. I prefaced this shoot with these instructions:

• Try and come as natural as you are. Meaning little to no makeup!
• Black clothing, as little as possible! (But wear what makes you comfortable.)

Can we talk about brave? Baring it all in the name of calling out insecurities? Not to mention- the best lighting happened to be right at the front of the studio! So baring it all… at a store front… right across from a Starbucks- these ladies were on fire!

Meeting them and talking to them was amazing. There was such an raw authenticity about these warm faces, and we all connected in a way I never could have imagined. This silent bond of motherhood was strong. You could just feel it in the air. Thinking about it now gives me goosebumps. 

The casual way we all connected, and the trust that some of the mamas gave me- specifically when I was dubbed as the “baby holder,” when our beautiful models got their individual shots taken. It was all almost overwhelming. 

This project has profoundly affected my life, and I can say that I have a new outlook on how I see our tribe of moms in this community. 

Without further adeú, I will just start with myself-

Jenna

1) Tell us a little bit about your family.

I am a San Diego native, a fire wife of almost 10 years, and a homeschooling mom. I met my husband at Incahoots, a country line dancing bar in San Diego, and we have been two stepping ever since. We have two beautiful girls, Hayley is almost 8 and Savannah is 5.

2) How do you feel about your current mom bod (vs. your bod before babies)?

 

My current mom bod I would say is strong. I have been an athlete all my life (except for a few college years where I completely slacked off), so I have always led an incredibly active lifestyle that now carries into our active family life. I appreciate my bod now because of the babies I have carried and all that am I able to do now!

 

 

Alisa

 

1) Tell us a little bit about your family.

 

I have been married for over 20 years to my husband, Tony. We have two children, one in middle school, one in grade school (that’s why they aren’t in the pictures with me). In between these two, I miscarried our 2nd child at 18 weeks. My kids are very active and so I often find myself on the go, running here and there, cheering them on. In between all of that, my husband and I have our own business.

 

2) How do you feel about your current mom bod (vs. your bod before babies)?

 

While my body has more stretch marks than before the kids and I have more gray hair, I am more comfortable in my body now. This isn’t to say that there aren’t areas that I would like to see more toned, rather I give myself the gift of grace and understanding of knowing what I am capable of and how I am spending my time. I’m not trying to have the body that everyone else has, I’m trying to have the best body that I can.

 

 

3) What are some of the strengths that you love about your body in it’s current state?

 

I love that I have a body that my husband desires and that my kids want to hug. I love that my arms allow me to hug and interact with so many people. Mostly, I love that my mindset, which you can’t see, has changed over the years so that when I look in the mirror, I am happy with who I see. 

Angela

 

1) Tell us a little bit about your family.

 

My husband and I met in 2002, and after years of friendship decided to start dating. In 2013 we got married and in 2015 we welcomed our daughter, Dylan Marie. John and I are both devoted to our family and our careers and strive for a good balance. 

 

2) How do you feel about your current mom bod (vs your bod before babies)?

Since having Dylan, things have definitely shifted, some things have grown and others have, well, shrunk. It’s not always easy to see changes in your body but I try to remind myself that the way my body looks right now is the result of a well lived life and a growing family. My body is different, but I have her, how can I feel bad about that? 

 

 

3) What are some of the strengths that you love about your body in it’s current state?

 

My arms are strong enough to carry a 26 lb baby, a diaper bag, the dry cleaning and 4 over packed grocery bags at the same time, I can do anything right now! 

Jessica

 

1) Tell us a little bit about your family.

 

I am a mommy of two- Aaron (3yrs) and Omar (1.5yrs).  My boys are 14 months apart and I would like to add that the two under two experience… is no joke! I am currently working from home but I spend most of my time working from Starbucks. Coming from a traditional Mexican family, it is definitely a challenge to redefine what it means to be both a professional and a non-traditional mom. My boys are the coolest little humans I have ever met and they are teaching me how to become a better person every day.