Not so long ago, yoga enthusiast Hilaria Baldwin came in for major criticism over her first post-baby underwear selfie, with many claiming that she was setting unrealistic goals for mums struggling to get their pre-pregnancy figures back.
Yet another mum has set tongues wagging with her own post-baby selfies on Instagram this week, but for a very different reason.
Professional runner and mother-of-two Stephanie Rothstein Bruce has been hailed as 'awesome' and ‘inspirational’ by women all over the world, for sharing raw photos of what two pregnancies have done to her body.
A dedicated mum and fitness fanatic, Stephanie has become a major talking point after snapping pictures of her ‘stretch marks’ and loose stomach skin while working out – what she refers to as ‘the not-so-glamorous part of getting strong, post-baby’.
From shots of her sticking three fingers between her two ab walls to close-up images of the creased skin on her tummy as she does planks and crunches; Stephanie doesn’t hold back in ‘keeping it real’ for her followers.
And she certainly likes to encourage in her posts to her 23K-strong Instagram following. In one entry, marking 14 weeks postpartum, she wrote: “Still looks like a hot mess but the stability and strength is coming back to my core…It’s boring, monotonous but gets the job done. Stretch marks are here to stay!”
Stephanie has been hailed as a total ‘inspiration’ by her followers, with a number of fellow mums praising her for being real about her post-baby body – and her acceptance of all the changes motherhood has brought to her, physically.
“My stomach is just like that but I’ve learned to accept it. Thank you for sharing. Means a lot to me personally,” wrote one happy follower.
Fair play to Stephanie for sharing her journey and words of encouragement with her fellow mums.
