Ali Fedotowsky-Manno wants to give fellow moms a real look at the effects pregnancy can have on a woman’s body.
The mother of two, 34, shared a photo of her post-baby body on Instagram Monday with an inspirational message about the importance of acknowledging the positive physical transformations after giving birth.
“Self-love is a difficult thing to fully embrace. When I look at myself in the mirror I can’t help but notice that my hips are wider than they used to be, my wrinkles are deeper than when I was in my 20’s, and my stomach has lumps and bumps that didn’t used to be there,” said The Bachelorette alum, who shares 5-month-old son Riley Doran and 2-year-old daughter Molly Sullivan with husband Kevin Manno.
“But then I try to remember that my hips are wider because they give birth to two beautiful children. My wrinkles are deeper because I’ve spent countless sleepless nights making sure my kiddos are cared for, fed, and loved,” she said.
“And my belly is extra squishy because it spent 18 months making sure two sweet little babies had a place to call home. Sometimes what we see as ‘flaws’ on the outside, are actually what make us stunningly beautiful on the inside,” Fedotowsky-Manno concluded.
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The former reality star also gave her fans and followers on her Instagram Story an extra pep talk about body image and embracing new curves.
“My body is just one woman’s body of the millions of women all over the world. And all our bodies are beautiful!” Fedotowsky-Manno said in one video.
“It’s crazy how down we can get on ourselves when we look in the mirror and see our so-called flaws,” she continued. “But recently I started realizing that many of my so-called flaws are what gave me my beautiful family and I’m grateful for them!” she said in another clip.
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This isn’t the first time Fedotowsky-Manno has opened up about learning to love her body after babies. In July, the mom of two shared “her most vulnerable Instagram post ever” when she posted three photos that showed off her postpartum stomach.
“I know it’s important to be open and honest about my postpartum body in hopes that it helps even one person out there who is struggling with their own body image,” she wrote.
“If you swipe to see the second photo in this post, you see that my body has changed. My skin around my stomach is very loose and stretched out, I’m 15lbs heavier than I used to be, and my cup size has grown quite significantly,” she said.
At the time, she also posted photos and video of her “extra fat” and “loose” skin around her stomach area, admitting she was “so nervous” to do so. “This is what my body really looks like and I am okay with that. I LOVE my body!” she said.
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