How Baby

OKAY FIRST OF ALL

I WROTE A GAME. A WHOLE GAME. AND PEOPLE REALLY LIKE IT.

And you might like it too! It’s a game about growing up on an alien planet, making choices that determine your future, falling in love, grief, being an invasive species on a planet that’s actively trying to repel you, dying, and being reborn to make better choices next time. I put a lot of work into it, and a lot of heart. I’m really proud of it, and I’d love it if you could play it.

Okay, enough of that,,,

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Local mom boosts her confidence with these six weird tricks! Doctors hate her!!

Seriously though, adjusting to who you are and how you look after giving birth is a huge slog. Everyone knows about stretch marks and weight gain, but there’s a million other things that slowly erode your confidence and the feeling that you, you, really live in your body.

But: compounding this is the entire idea that a postpartum body is shameful, malformed, and to be ‘fixed’ as soon as possible. Postpartum bodies aren’t always beautiful OR perfectly functional to live in, to be quite frank, but that doesn’t mean they deserve the disrespect and disgust they get.

So many people suffer from low self-confidence after giving birth. I really, really did. You’re putting so much effort into keeping this tiny helpless thing alive that everything feels secondary, and then you realize it’s been years since you felt or did one kind thing for yourself. It’s unhealthy, and it’ll creep up on you, and then society will say it’s your fault that you didn’t have the discipline (or money) to ‘bounce back’ when what you really needed was encouragement to move forward into your new postpartum self.

(The last panel is facetious, of course. If throwing a molotov cocktail would destroy misogyny and fatphobia, I’d be out there already.

Also, cover your face if you’re gonna be throwing around molotovs. Who raised you? Geez.)

If anyone’s interested, here are my actual tips for ‘feeling normal’ after giving birth:

– let go of clothing that makes you feel bad now. It’s okay to stock your wardrobe with comfortable ‘mom staples’ like leggings, maxi dresses, and athleisure so you don’t stress about it. It’s simply not worth the stress.
– you don’t need a twelve-step skincare regimen, but always try to shower and brush your teeth. You will feel better.
– don’t forget the basics: you NEED to eat, sleep, drink, and take your meds and/or vitamins. You are not superhuman (sorry) and you need to take care of your very real physical needs.
– find something, ANYTHING, that gets you moving. NOT for weight loss, not as a punishment – but because YOU LIVE IN YOUR BODY, and taking care of it encourages you to love it.