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Former Bachelorette contestant Ali Fedotowsky knows how easy it is to get caught up [3] in how your body used to look after giving birth [4]. In a moving Instagram post [5], the mom explained that while it's hard not to notice that new wrinkle or stretch mark, it's best not to pay it any mind. And frankly, it's the reminder that every mom [6] needs.
"Self-love is a difficult thing to fully embrace," she wrote. "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 20s, and my stomach has lumps and bumps that didn't used to be there."
Although it's always easier to be extremely self-critical — motherhood is no easy feat, after all [7] — it's important to embrace and celebrate the physical battle scars of parenting.
"But then I try to remember that my hips are wider because they give birth to two beautiful children," she said. "My wrinkles are deeper because I've spent countless sleepless nights making sure my kiddos are cared for, fed, and loved. 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."