Estrías, abdómenes flácidos, cicatrices, lactancia, pérdidas de peso, enfermedades y recién nacidos, son algunos de los elementos que forman parte de Take Back Post Partum (“Recuperarse del postparto”), un Instagram dedicado a recopilar imágenes e historias de mujeres que se convirtieron en madres y sufrieron el impacto en sus cuerpos.

January Harshe es la autora del proyecto, madre de seis hijos y oradora en charlas que promueven el empoderamiento de las mujeres durante y después del embarazo, quien se percató que al buscar #postparto en redes sociales sólo aparecían cremas anti-estrías y productos para adelgazar.

Es así como tuvo la idea de inundar este hashtag de imágenes reales, que representaran a todas las madres. “Dije, señoras, si quieren hacer un cambio, tenemos que hacerlo nosotras mismas”, dijo al portal Today.

Harshe solicitó a las mujeres que compartieran fotos de su cuerpo luego de un parto, sin edición, hasta que el material fue suficiente para crear un perfil a inicios de este año.

“Hubo una gran respuesta. Las mujeres dijeron: ‘Vamos a mostrar cómo es esto’… Lo que he aprendido es que todas luchan de una forma u otra. Cada una lo hace de manera diferente”, dijo la autora.

January recopiló historias y fotos en las que muestra la maternidad de distintas formas. En algunas imágenes, se ven madres felices con sus bebés, a otras tristes y sufriendo. Hay abdómenes con pocas marcas como otros que lucen su flacidez. Algunas muestran rastros de enfermedades que las hicieron adelgazar al extremo, como también otras modelan su sobrepeso.

“Trato de mostrar todas las variaciones de lo normal para el posparto y la maternidad”, detalló la creadora del proyecto quien destacó que los pilares fundamentales del sitio son la “solidaridad” y el “amor propio”, invitando a las madres a sentirse cómodas con su aspecto. “Hay millones como tú”, destacó en una publicación.

De la misma forma, la autora abrió el debate sobre el poco interés que muestra la sociedad por la recuperación de las mujeres tras convertirse en madres.

“¿A cuántas de ustedes se les ha preguntado cómo va su posparto en lugar de que les pregunten por el bebé? El bebé está bien, muchas gracias. Ellos comen, duermen y cagan cuando quieren, por favor. Los padres apenas pueden hacer algunas cosas de esas y definitivamente no cuando lo desean. Pregunte, escuche, brinde solidaridad y ofrezca apoyo cuando corresponda. Si no puede hacer eso, simplemente sonría o cómprele un café grande”, expresó.

Con más de 135 mil seguidores y más de 2 mil 200 fotos, Takebackpostpartum se convirtió en un éxito en la plataforma social, animando a miles de mujeres a compartir su vida maternal con el mundo.

Revisa aquí algunas imágenes.

“When I was pregnant with Paisley, there was always one thing that I would obsess about that scared me more than giving birth for the first time, #postpartum #depression. I would lay awake at night in fear of what emotions I would have after having her. Would I love her? Would I hate her? Would I feel resentment for what my body just went through? These are all very real thoughts that I had and I couldn’t get them out of my head. After dealing with depression and #anxiety my entire life, I was certain that going through it postpartum was inevitable. Then I had her and I felt….fine. In fact, I felt better than I had in my entire life. I felt happy and strong and powerful like I had just done something no other human ever could. Maybe it was just the #oxytocin talking but it was a feeling like I was floating on a cloud. Then days and weeks and months went by and the exhaustion finally set in. Around 6 months postpartum I started feeling defeated. Like if I didn’t get some kind of break soon then I would end up breaking myself. I remember sitting in my truck, tears streaming down my face because Paisley did a number of things that day that made me question whether or not I was a good mom. I felt this way for a couple weeks and then I finally was able to pull myself out of it. I’m not a doctor so I’m not sure if it was #PPD or not, but what I do know is that whatever you’re going through be it exhaustion, PPD, #PPA or even just feeling tired—you are GOING to get through this. Ask someone for help. Tell them you need their support. Take some time to practice self love and self care. You can’t pour from an empty glass. I know it’s hard, but you aren’t alone and you should never feel like you aren’t worthy enough to get the help you need. You are beyond worthy. You are the warrior goddess Mama that birthed that beautiful baby and you deserve every ounce of support and love that you can get. Don’t give up.” 🦋 @chloeandpaisley #motherhood #motherhoodrising #motherhoodsimplified #momlife #motherhoodlife #motherhoodthroughinstagram #honestlymothering #selflove #selfcare #takebackpostpartum

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"When you’re a bigger woman, somehow it makes certain people think you don’t deserve to say you have a “real” postpartum body. . THIS. IS. FALSE. . You grew a human. You birthed a human, whether they came out of your lady bits or through surgery. You have a postpartum body. Period. End of story. It doesn’t matter what that body looks like. There is no definition of what a postpartum body is supposed to look like, contrary to what some people will try and force you to believe. You will see women who have no marks, or have 50. You will see women whose stomachs went right back to being smooth and flat, or hang down with loose skin. You will see women who have lots of fat on their bellies, or who have none. You will see women who were in great shape and toned when they got pregnant and women who were considered “plus size” when they got pregnant. Some women stayed in shape through pregnancy while others gained weight. But what do all of these women have in common after birthing these adorable humans? . They. Have. A. Postpartum. Body. . They have a story. Their story matters and it counts. They can post the photo if they want to. And not every photo will look the same. I am SO DONE with hearing that certain women aren’t allowed to consider their body a “real” postpartum body and post their love for it. . So here it is. Another lovely photo of my postpartum body." @meg.boggs #takebackpostpartum

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"Comment with a 🎉 if you have any of the following: stretch marks, cellulite, a mama pooch, a papa pooch, just yer average pooch, a six pack, long legs, short legs, a big butt, a teensy butt, an in-between butt, muscles, fat anywhere on your body, dark-toned skin, light-toned skin, ANY TONE OF SKIN COLOR, a lot of facial hair, no facial hair, one arm – or two (or three!), birth marks of any kind, scars of any kind, freckles, eyelashes, a neck, etc, etc, etc. My point? 🍉 ALL OF THE ABOVE – AND MORE – PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS THAT UNIQUELY MAKE UP YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL, LOVABLE, & WORTHY OF RESPECT, ACCEPTANCE, AND (YOU GUESSED IT!) LOVE. 🍉 There is nothing you need to lose or change or limit EXCEPT the beliefs that keep you thinking you are ONLY of value when you are losing & changing & limiting. YOU WERE BORN INTO WORTHINESS, MY LOVES. You are awe-some for existing in the body you have – and guess what the coolest part is? YOU DON’T EVEN HAVE TO LOVE YOUR BODY RIGHT NOW TO ATTAIN THAT WORTHINESS. You can show up with as much body-hating baggage as I did after I birthed my daughter in 2015. All that is needed is the willingness – if even for a single moment in your day! – to believe in something DIFFERENT." 🎉 @thelindsaywolf #postpartumbody #takebackpostpartum

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@ellianagilbertphotography, "This was me, 8 days postpartum. I was exhausted, sweaty, milky, crusty, still bloody, a bit sore down there, sore everywhere else in my body, my breasts were engorged and working in overdrive to support both my newborn on one side, and my 2 year old on the other – it was the only way I could nap them, so this is how we did it, I'd tandem nurse them both, and I would try to close my eyes as well, because, essentially, I would be trapped in that spot for the next 2-3 hours. This was my life for the following year, more or less. This isn't the only way to do things, certainly not the only "right" way to do things… but it's how I lived through my first year with a newborn and a toddler, and I don't regret any of it. But, god, did it ever take a toll. Almost 4 years later and I am still working to climb out of the fog that was my life back then. I'm getting into a gym regimen now, and am taking better care of my gut, and how I feed myself, I no longer breastfeed and I have my body back to myself, which is SO GREAT – even though, every time I think about nursing my girls, my heart feels pinched and swollen and I tear up. ❤ It is a time I will forever cherish and feel proud of. I look at this photo and I can just FEEL the sacrifice. I love capturing the beauty of new parents in this phase of life. The beauty in the sacrifice is unlike anything else – the rawest form of beauty there is. I am glad this photo was taken of me – even though it was just a cellphone pic. I'm grateful that someone noticed and bothered to recognize me in that moment. Ask someone to snap a pic like this of you too. Don't be shy. It's worth it. People don't think of it… You have you ask for it. You won't be sorry. You'll have that pic forever to look back on and remember what a BADASS you were during such a trying time in your life. A professional photographer is a luxury not affordable for everyone. But you can ask a close friend or relative to snap a pic with their or your phone. You won't regret it." #birthwithoutfear #takebackpostpartum

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