Blogger praised for stripped down, post-pregnancy snap
An Australian influencer has made waves with her refreshing before and after pregnancy snaps, which show a slightly more realistic version of birth than many are accustomed to.
Bikini model and body-positivity advocate Hannah Polites, took to Instagram following the birth of her son Arlo earlier in the week to share the kind of post birth selfie that frankly, we just don’t see enough.
The side-by-side snap shows Hannah at 38 weeks pregnant, next to an image taken 24 hours post-birth with - surprise, surprise - the belly still intact.
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“Although a little confronting for me, I want to be as real as possible with you all and share my post partum body journey exactly how it is,” the blogger captioned the shot.
Beyond having the commitment to take any kind of selfie within a day of delivering a baby, the blogger is being praised for showing off her body post-birth with no makeup, filters or strategic lighting to hide behind.
“The human body is so amazing and I’m so thankful that mine was able to grow, birth and now nurture my boy,” she wrote.
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“I’m in no rush to “bounce back” and will just be focusing on my family and new baby, not exercising for at least 6 weeks.”
In a world that demands our royal women take to the hospital steps impeccably presented hours after giving birth, the raw moment has been welcomed with open arms.
The Aussie mum’s 1.3 million followers are loving the post, and in just two hours its attracted over 30k likes and hundreds of comments.
“This is honestly such an amazing post especially for women that don't bounce back or know that "bouncing back" days after is a myth,” one woman wrote.
“THIS IS SO IMPORTANT. Thank you so much for sharing and keeping it real, you don’t know the number of new mums that you’ve brought comfort to with this post...” another shared.
“I am so happy to see this beautiful photo from you keepin it real!” another wrote.
The mum’s post comes on the back of intimate labour photos she shared to her page which drew a mixed reaction from fans, some of whom criticised her for prioritising ‘staged’ photos during her delivery.
The overwhelming response however, was remarkably positive with fans praising the mum and sharing that the raw shots brought ‘tears in their eyes’.
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The Instagram star has never shied away from getting real about pregnancy, sharing dozens of bikini snaps both during her first pregnancy with daughter Evaliah Grace, and her second with Arlo William.
The mum’s approach to her second pregnancy however, has definitely been a favourite with her fans and is raising awareness about how we should be approaching women’s bodies after deliveries.
“... my body created a beautiful life and that’s bloody incredible,” she concluded her post.
