Having a baby is no easy task — pregnancy takes a physical, mental, and emotional toll on new moms.
It's not easy to be pregnant or to have an infant, but some moms truly take the challenges in stride, like this news anchor who was criticized for her pregnancy.
Janene Crossley knows the difficulties of motherhood and pregnancy too well — she has four young kids.
Somehow, Janene manages to still look put-together and beautiful every day, despite probably having to chase around four rambunctious little ones all the time.
Recently, though, Janene was lying in bed with all four of her babies when one of her daughters asked her why her belly felt like "bubble gum."
Janene, who is proud of her post-baby body, knew exactly how to respond to her daughter — in both a funny and realistic way.
She posted her "bubble gum belly" response on the Facebook page Love What Matters, where over 16,000 people reacted to it and over 1,100 people shared it.
Janene wrote:
When your 5 year old sees your post-partum stomach and gives it a big ol’ tummy twister while laughing hysterically and hollering ‘IT FEELS LIKE BUBBLE GUM!!!’, you post that ridiculous, unflattering open-mouth pic instead of the “prettier” one.
Oh, sweet girl… I hope you always feel confident in the skin you’re in.
Stretched, loose and marked up. It's beautiful.
This belly of mine will forever share my story. It’s a novel that pleaded and prayed to house my babies.
The fresh, crepe-paper skin means that tiny Avery is nestled in my arm instead of on the inside.
My sore chest means that I’m still single-handedly growing this baby.
What a straight up miracle this is. I'm feeling 100% proud of this post-partum body, with its jelly abs and shriveled up skin.
It made me a mother. A mother who now has cellulite because that’s just how my body handled pregnancy.
This was my road to Motherhood. Paved with miserable pregnancies and yet a lifetime of unconditional pure love for these 4 little ones.
And yeah, I’ll make these girls reenact this childhood photo when they’re grown with bubblegum bellies of their own.
Janene is not only honest about her body, she's also open about talking about the challenges she faced during her pregnancies.
She's truly an inspiration for other moms who are learning to feel comfortable in their post-baby bodies.
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