How to learn to love your stretch marks.

Stretch marks are so common, yet many people feel bad about them. Stretch marks happen when skin gets pulled by rapid growth. Underlying all that is the reason your skin is elastic by nature. Stretch marks are natural, normal, and not there because you did anything wrong. Knowing more about them helped me accept them; they’re natural and normal. You can learn to love your stretch marks. They’re not there because you’re lazy, bad, or guilty. They happen for a reason, and there’s nothing you can do about it. However, understanding them helps us accept them as part of a natural cycle that occurs in our lives. Stretch marks are a natural part of life. They happen to everyone, and they’re not something you should be embarrassed about. Stretch marks are small tears in the dermis layer of skin that occur when the tissue is stretched rapidly. This can happen during weight gain or loss, growth spurts, puberty, or even just getting older. Stretch marks are a part of motherhood as well. And they're pretty awesome, no matter what society tells you. Maybe you had them with your last kid, or maybe you’re just getting started and so far so good. Either way, don't feel bad about the marks that signal your body has done one of the most amazing things: made another human.

Make a positive shift in your relationship with your body and honor the changes being a mother has made in your life.

These are a small part of our lives that have changed, for the better. They have been like a badge or medal of honor for the journey we’ve taken through motherhood.