People are LOVING this mum for sharing her postpartum belly a day after birth

Posted in Birth.
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Queensland midwife and now mum-of-two Hannah Polites has been tracking her little one’s arrival on Instagram over the last few days.

Welcoming baby Arlo

Hannah shared a photo of herself and family as she was about to head off to hospital. Then several of herself in labour and of her new arrival, a tiny boy named Arlo.

They are all gorgeous to be honest, capturing the excitement and emotion of welcoming a new little life.

Now, a side-by-side pair of photos Hannah’s shared of herself after she gave birth is attracting lots of attention.

The images show the new mum at almost-full term and then alongside it a photo of her shortly after she’s given birth.

“A little confronting”

Hannah’s hoping to spark discussion about what postpartum bellies can look like and bust the ‘bouncing back’ myth once and for all.

“38 weeks pregnant / 24hrs post birth,” she captioned the post on Instagram. “Although a little confronting for me, I want to be as real as possible with you all and share my postpartum body journey exactly how it is.”

“I was tired, pale and a little sore but so proud of what I’d just achieved the day before,” she continued. “The human body is so amazing and I’m so thankful that mine was able to grow, birth and now nurture my boy.”

Celebrating her life-creating body was top-of-mind for Hannah, and returning to her pre-pregnancy shape was not.

“I’m in no rush to ‘bounce back,’” she wrote, “and will just be focusing on my family and new baby, not exercising for at least 6 weeks.”

View this post on Instagram

38 weeks pregnant 🤰🏼 24hrs post birth 🤱🏼✨💕 Although a little confronting for me, I want to be as real as possible with you all and share my post partum body journey exactly how it is. I was tired, pale and a little sore but so proud of what I’d just achieved the day before. The human body is so amazing and I’m so thankful that mine was able to grow, birth and now nurture my boy 😱👶🏼💖 I’m in no rush to “bounce back” and will just be focusing on my family and new baby, not exercising for at least 6 weeks. Evaliah has already asked why mama’s belly button “looks funny” and why my skin on my belly is so soft and she now knows that it’s because my body created a beautiful life and that’s bloody incredible ✨😭 #thankful #postpartumbody #postpartum

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A tender moment

Hannah’s followers LOVED her for this and shared their own stories about how women’s bodies recover from birth during the so-called ‘fourth trimester’.

“After mum had me, people knocked on her door to sell her stuff and then asked her when she was due,” one woman wrote.

“This is honestly such an amazing post especially for women that don’t bounce back or know that ‘bouncing back’ days after is a myth,” another follower posted.

“Such a tender moment to share,” one fan commented. “So many women look at their post-baby bodies in shame and it warms my heart so much to see this.”

It warmed our hearts too!

View this post on Instagram

My dearest husband… I wouldn’t be the mother I am without you 💖 I want to THANK YOU… For holding my hair back whilst I was so sick for the first 29 weeks ✨ For never complaining when I cooked the same dinners for months because it’s all I could stand ✨ For giving me your pillows and letting me take up 3/4 of the bed ✨ For attending hypnobirthing classes, encouraging my birth dreams and always believing that I could have a positive birth experience ✨ For saying exactly what I needed to hear in labour and giving me strength when I couldn’t find it – I’ll never forget the way you looked at me and how proud your eyes were, you told me that I was so strong and I believed you without doubt ✨ For letting me squeeze your hand that little bit tighter towards the end and lifting our boy onto my chest when I just didn’t have the energy ✨ For bringing our family home 4hrs post birth and ensuring I’ve had constant meals, water and heat packs to recover ✨ For being the ultimate, attending, loving and devoted husband. 💑 You’re my soulmate… I notice you, appreciate you and could not be more proud to have you as our children’s father, parenting alongside you. If you can’t tell, my heart is bursting and I’m so filled with love for my family 💖 WE DID IT 😭🙏🏻✨💕👶🏼 #birth #husband #appreciationpost

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Brilliant work, Hannah – and congratulations to the whole family on the birth of beautiful baby Arlo!

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