We all know how bitter sweet social media can be. It’s the love/hate trap that we all fall into. Being able to use it to build up a business and with tonnes of free resources, most of us couldn’t be without it. But when scrolling through evening after evening, the things that we see are also very damaging. Both our conscious and our subconscious take so much in and this is where the comparisonitis can set in. Comparing ourselves to others, others homes, jobs, lifestyles, the way that we parent our children, and maybe even the most damaging of all.. our appearance and all of the negative emotions that come with that.
When we go through motherhood we are all on a very different journey. WE are different, our babies are different, the way we want to parent is different, and of course all of our pregnancies and birth stories are different.
Yet we still can’t help but compare and although we know deep down that social media only shares peoples ‘best bits’ we still get sucked in.
Social media can be a fantastic tool and also offers a tonne of support for new mums, but again it can bring us to darker places when we see that our bodies aren’t the same as someone else’s
A few months ago I decided to unfollow all of the accounts that made me feel bad in myself. Some were ‘rich home’ accounts, some were even other photographers (as business comparisonitis is lethal too) … but mainly accounts that showed that ‘perfect’ body as their main focus
I have a daughter myself so it is something that does make me nervous, knowing that she will grow up into this world that is very social media focused and that she may one day look in the mirror and decide that she no longer likes what she sees. The thought of that breaks my heart.
However, on the positive side, there are so many brilliant accounts out there now that really focus on body positivity and they are really pushing to normalise all shapes and sizes. Particularly postpartum body confidence, as that is something that I struggled with myself.
I wanted to join them in this, to help turn social media into an empowering tool, and to help new mums feel confident in their bodies again. And once our children see that we love ourselves, then maybe our daughters and other young girls will follow too.
As my work is focused purely on new mums and their babies I knew that this was an area that I wanted to touch on most in my posts -The postpartum body and all that it brings.
Most of my followers are expecting women, or brand new Mumas… and so being able to remind them to love their body, know what changes to expect before/after their baby arrives, and to appreciate it for all that it went through is something really special
I have recently been working on this project and I was able to meet some incredible women, and focus their images on their stretch marks, their excess skin and their birthing scars.
The response that I have received from these posts online, and from those women themselves has been amazing
This is something that I would love to offer during my normal newborn and baby photoshoots, so if you are planning on attending a shoot with me soon, please do let me know prior to your shoot if this is something that you would like included… as I’d love to work with you and get you onto that journey to loving your body again!
Author: Annie Allen
Professional Photographer specialising in maternity, newborn, baby, birthday and family photography.
Postpartum body confidence motherhood blog
Aldershot Hampshire based (covering Guildford, Farnham, Camberley, Woking, Reading, Basingstoke and Bracknell areas)
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