You Hate The Fact That You Bought The Dream When They Sold You One

You know...I'm getting really tired of people making such a big deal out of Princess Kate's round post-partum belly.


Don't misinterpret my words here.

I think she is beautiful. Just from the short amount of time that she spent in the hospital, it's fairly obvious that she had an uncomplicated vaginal delivery. She walked out of the hospital the following day, and while the entire world seemed to be focused on her abdomen, I was eyeballing her ankles, which weren't sloshing around at all like mine were right after giving birth.

She really is gorgeous, and they make a beautiful new family.

What is bothering me is the fact that it's such an enigma for a woman in the public eye to be seen out and about with a round belly after giving birth.

It shouldn't be a big deal.

This is what new moms look like.

It takes six weeks for a uterus to shrink back to normal size after birth. For anyone's uterus to shrink back. Being famous, being rich, having personal trainers and chefs, having all the binders and wraps in the world can't change basic biology. 

It takes six weeks for it to shrink down, and that's just your uterus. It's often said that it takes about a year for your entire body to get back to what it was before pregnancy.

Except we live in a world full of celebrities that refuse to be seen publicly until their stomachs are flat again. Who refuse any kind of public appearance until they are thin again. Who believe that we'll somehow think less of them if they, god forbid, look like they just had a baby.

They did just have a baby. They aren't supposed to be back in their skinny jeans the next day. Honest.

The polar opposite of Kate's perfect public post-partum pooch is Kim Kardashian, who actually refused to be photographed again after the baby until she was "photo worthy", presumably because she thinks she has some image to uphold. Some false, house arrested, shut-in-until-perfect image.

It's not real.

It's no great wonder that so many women, myself included, beat ourselves up for looking like we just had a baby when we did just have a baby.

In other words, looking like we are supposed to at a time in our lives when we are supposed to look that way.

But we reject it. We push it away. We tell ourselves we are fat and sloppy. We see this artificial image that Hollywood throws at us, in this imagined world where every new mom hides in her house until she's runway worthy again and compare ourselves to it. Never mind the fact that we aren't rich or famous, don't have personal trainers and chefs and binders and wraps. We still compare ourselves.

We need to stop.

Real life isn't like that.

Real new moms have to go to doctor's appointments and grocery stores. They might even leave the confines of their houses to take older kids to school, to have coffee with friends. And they take those still-round bellies with them.

Kate, I applaud you for wearing a dress that didn't hide your mommy belly.

Kate, I commend you for making all us commoners feel normal.

Kate, I thank you for portraying real motherhood for all the world to see.

Kate, I appreciate you for proving that motherhood is beautiful, even and especially when it's still round.