The weird feeling of body competition so many women feel after childbirth — you know, the pressure to quickly “bounce back” into their pre-childbirth bodies like some kind of sci-fi project — is overwhelming. Never mind the 40ish weeks that body just spent creating a tiny human. Despite it all, the people must know: When will you be able to wear that two-piece swimsuit again?
One fitness trainer is fighting back against this warped view of postpartum bodies. Emily Skye is a global ambassador for Reebok and an all-around fitness guru based Down Under. She recently gave birth to a little girl, and despite many people assuring her she’d have “no problem” losing the baby weight (what with her fit lifestyle and all) Skye is here to assure us that several days after giving birth, she still looks pregnant. Yep.
More: This Mom’s Before & After Pics Get Real About Post-Baby Bodies
“So many people told me I would ‘bounce right back’ after giving birth like a lot of other fit women do,” Skye said in a lengthy caption on Instagram. “Well that’s definitely not the case for me! It’s only 5 days after I gave birth to Mia and I look about 6 or so months pregnant.”
Of course, every pregnancy story is different. Despite Skye’s attempts to workout during her pregnancy, she was often in too much pain or it was simply too uncomfortable to commit to a regimen. But now, instead of hiding her “imperfect” postpartum body, she’s doing a good deed for all of womankind: She’s putting it on full display, “granny undies” and all.
“I can tell I’m going to have a LOT of hard work ahead of me to get fit and strong again which I KNOW I can do but it’s not my priority right now,” she continued. “Spending this time with my daughter is. Getting my ‘body back’ can take a back seat for the time being… I’ll get there in a realistic time frame & I refuse to put pressure on myself to get there.”
More: 15 Celebrity Moms Who Make Us Feel Better About Our Postpartum Bodies
When it comes to Instagram, every demographic has its obnoxious trends. From staged “sleeping” selfies (come on; you’re not asleep — you took the photo) to avocado toast, there are a number of traps we fall victim to and grow exhausted of seeing. But for moms and moms-to-be, there may well be no trend as divisive as the “snap back” phenomenon — that postpartum photo many women feel pressured to take in an effort to show the world how much weight they’ve quickly lost after giving birth. And while it’s true that some women shed pounds in a snap, others don’t shed them quickly or ever — and that’s absolutely wonderful too.
Check out the rest of Skye’s heartfelt message below.
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