I Can't Believe I Heart My Pregnant Body (We Heart It - I Heart My Body 2012)

A lot can change in 12 months. For last years I Heart My Body campaign, I was physically fit and learning to embrace my appearance for what it truly was - healthy, strong, beautiful. I wasn't sure if I would participate again this year, I saw some of the negative responses from people and I was saddened that some misunderstood the purpose of the campaign. It was a promotion and celebration of body love, yes, but it was also a chance to show each other what REAL women look like. 

Something that we just don't get the opportunity to see very often.

I decided to remove the post earlier this year because those few opinions were enough to make me feel vulnerable about having pictures of myself in my underwear 'out there'. 

I also felt that I had got what I needed out of it. I had shown real images of me after becoming a mother and what that looked like. I had made some small dent in the countless number of photoshopped and surgically enhanced images we have come to accept as normal and I had felt liberated by publishing the images when I ordinarily baulk  at the idea of wearing a bikini at the beach in front of my closest friends. Now, I regret taking the post down because it was an important reminder to me that what your mind perceives is not always an accurate reflection and most importantly, it's such a small part of who I am.

This year, I have a different focus. 

This year, I love my body for what it is capable of.