Mum Blogger Defends Her Mumbod Pic

An Australian mummy blogger has lashed out at Facebook for removing a photograph of her posing in her underwear whilst holding her daughter.

Constance Hall wrote about her post-baby body in a blog post which subsequently went viral, but Facebook later removed the accompanying image.

She reacted with this message:

"Facebook deleted the photo of my glorious curvaceous comfy body the other night. In an act that can only be described as #mumbod envy. Don't worry admin, one day you will have a comfy #mumbod too."

I know some of you are 'over' mumbod talk - you're well enough acquainted with your own saggy skin and stretch marks to really not feel the need to check out snaps of anyone else's post-baby body, but I've got to say that I loved this pic and totally applaud Constance for sharing it.

And yes, I wish Facebook had seen fit to leave it be.

Why?

Because snaps like this one, which show a real mum's body in all its glory, actually do make me hate myself a little less. Whenever I'm faced with a warts-and-all image of motherhood as depicted in this magnificent selfie, I'm somehow better able to face my own flaws and imperfections in the mirror.

I'm not naturally one of those mums who revels in her stretch-marks, wearing them with pride and claiming them as badges of honour for having borne her babies. I'm not that mum. I'm the one who always wears an extra layer even when it's too hot to justify doing so because I prefer to feel like my jelly-belly is encased in a little more armour than is probably strictly necessary.

I'm the mum who avoids the swimming pool unless absolutely necessary, and at the same time hates herself for putting her own body hangups ahead of her kids' capacity to enjoy frolicking around together in the water without a care in the world.

I'm the one who even hides under a towel in a wetsuit on the beach instead of striding purposefully into the surf beside my kids when they're gearing up to ride some waves. I'm worrying less about reading the water and more about who might be laughing at the sight of me encased head to toe in unforgiving neoprene.

You might look at me and think I'm not in terrible shape but that's not the point here. What you think of my post-baby body doesn't bother me, it's how it makes me feel that matters, and the bottom line is that pictures like the one which Facebook removed genuinely make me feel better about myself, so I'm grateful every time someone posts one. Every day they do, I stand a little straighter, smile a little wider and walk a little taller.

But we'd love to hear your view. Do candid post-baby body photos make you feel better about yourself, or are you in support of Facebook's decision to remove the image? Share your thoughts by leaving us a comment below, or join the conversation over on the Playpennies Facebook page.