What my body has achieved

In our BISS Post-Baby Body series we're exploring how real mums feel about their bodies since having children. Karen Whitlock , blogger at Stopping At Two

, reveals the amazing things her body has done...

I had originally planned to share with you my thoughts about how amazing the female body is as it is able to carry and nourish new human life through pregnancy and then on to breastfeeding, changing the composition of the breastmilk based on the needs of your growing child. I mean, that’s pretty awesome isn’t it? It doesn’t matter about your body shape or size, how can you not see that as being the biggest achievement possible?

However, for me, everything changed this weekend. I slipped and went over on my ankle, taking a bit of the bone off the ankle and now I am stuck in a cast. It’s only now, that I fully appreciate how amazing my body is. Not because it has got through two successful pregnancies, enduring fluctuating hormones, massive changes both physically and emotionally, and nurtured new life within it, but because every day for around forty years it has kept me alive. I haven’t just survived. I have lived, and until now, I have taken that for granted.

So what has my body actually achieved today? Well, its biggest achievement has been to take a bath. I have managed to get in, wash my hair and body and then get out of the bath, whilst not getting my right leg wet or putting any weight on it, ALL BY MYSELF!

You might not be convinced that this is a particularly big achievement, but my point is that it is until something goes wrong with our bodies, then we really take for granted just how amazing it is. You are reading this because your brain has the capacity to learn, to interpret letters and to understand what they mean. Your heart, which is beating and never fatiguing, is pumping around 5 litres of blood around your body every minute. Involuntary systems in your body are maintaining your internal temperature and blood glucose levels, whilst others are removing toxic substances from your body.

My body is different since becoming a mum. It’s flabby, saggy and squishy. But it has done such great things. Pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding or even just caring for our children are pretty big achievements for any body, but actually, the mundane tasks that our bodies just get on and do every day without us even thinking about are the real achievements that we should be celebrating.

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