Midwife, Missi Burgess, has shared a message for mums about the importance of being real about motherhood.

Sharing the post from Take Back Postpastum, Missi wrote:

“It’s wonderful and beautiful to have a new baby. But the Johnson & Johnson commercials are not reality. A BIG part of reducing postpartum depression is to start keeping it real. Many moms have days just like this. I did!  It’s okay to not be okay all the time. Parenting is hard and it’s okay to feel like you are totally screwing up. I am actually fighting the urge to say something positive to tie this up in a neat little bow. Sometimes there is not a neat little bow and it’s just hard.”

“My body feels broken… everything hurts… I don’t feel like I’m bonding as easily this time around… today has gone to shit.” @austinbirthphotos

Feeling this. ❤️ “My body feels broken… everything hurts… I don’t feel like I’m bonding as easily this time around… today has gone to shit.” @austinbirthphotos _ These are excerpts from my raw postpartum session with this incredible woman, mother, human, photographer and friend @heathergallagher.photography _ #takebackpostpartum #postpartumwithoutfear #motherhoodunplugged #motherhood #birthbecomesher #birthwithoutfear #candidmotherhood #fourthtrimester #thesincerestoryteller #dearphotographer #postpartum #birthphotographer

A post shared by @ takebackpostpartum on Mar 13, 2018 at 9:20am PDT

Another touching image shared by take back postpartum captioned:

“This is me, at the peak of my postpartum depression. I asked Shiloh to take a picture of me, so I could remember how far I’d come, if I ever came out of it. I was lower than low, I wasn’t even myself. Looking back at this photo I remember perfectly the pain I felt, the dread in waking up everyday, the physical pain that engulfed me from thoughts in my brain. I had never known consuming, mind altering emotion such as this that flooded every fiber of my being, making its way through my veins like a plague.

This is what postpartum depression looks like, or at least what it did for me. I didn’t want to leave this life, but it seemed like the only way that would rid me of the pain I was in. I didn’t ask for it, it wasn’t welcome. But there it was, and I kicked its fucking ass and beat it to the ground before I let it consume me, or much worse, take my life.”

“This is a picture I most likely will not keep up for very long. This is me, at the peak of my postpartum depression. I asked Shiloh to take a picture of me, so I could remember how far I’d come, if I ever came out of it. I was lower than low, I wasn’t even myself. Looking back at this photo I remember perfectly the pain I felt, the dread in waking up everyday, the physical pain that engulfed me from thoughts in my brain. I had never known consuming, mind altering emotion such as this that flooded every fiber of my being, making its way through my veins like a plague. This is what postpartum depression looks like, or at least what it did for me. I didn’t want to leave this life, but it seemed like the only way that would rid me of the pain I was in. I didn’t ask for it, it wasn’t welcome. But there it was, and I kicked its fucking ass and beat it to the ground before I let it consume me, or much worse, take my life.” @themanifestingmamma #thisisppd . . . . #ppd #postpartumdepression #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealth #overcomingppd #mentalhealthsupport #communityovercompetition #stopcensoringmotherhood #motherhoodunited #motherhoodrising #motherhood #takebackpostpartum A post shared by @ takebackpostpartum on Feb 16, 2018 at 9:43am PST

And another inspiring post – read full post below on Instagram

Yup. This kid is upside down. Trying to unblock a milk duct ???????? Post partum looks a little like this ???????? ✔Tired as fuck
✔Leaking tits
✔Infected and blocked milk ducts
✔A floppy gut
✔Uneven boobs
✔Tears (quite a few)
✔Covered in baby shit, vomit and piss
✔Bleeding cracked nips
✔Pretending you are listening to your 7 and 9 year old but you don’t know what the fuck they are saying
✔Eating and drinkng more than you did when you were pregnant

Yup. This kid is upside down. Trying to unblock a milk duct ???????? Post partum looks a little like this ???????? ✔Tired as fuck ✔Leaking tits ✔Infected and blocked milk ducts ✔A floppy gut ✔Uneven boobs ✔Tears (quite a few) ✔Covered in baby shit, vomit and piss ✔Bleeding cracked nips ✔Pretending you are listening to your 7 and 9 year old but you don’t know what the fuck they are saying ✔Eating and drinkng more than you did when you were pregnant As you can see its super glamorous and I wouldn’t change it for the world. Also this need to “bounce” back ? Our bodies carried a human for 40 weeks, birthed the bloody thing, the last thing we shoukd worry about is loosing weight, or getting back to normal, or trying to be a hero and do everything. I learnt my lesson with the first two. It does sweet fuck all for your mental health Thank your amazing body for doing such an awesome job. Don’t expect too much from your self and remember this too shall pass. From a blistered nipple mumma xx @benessa_v #takebackpostpartum

A post shared by @ takebackpostpartum on Dec 15, 2017 at 1:11pm PST

AND another real post partum snap: “This was me, 8 days postpartum. I was exhausted, sweaty, milky, crusty, still bloody, a bit sore down there, sore everywhere else in my body, my breasts were engorged and working in overdrive to support both my newborn on one side, and my 2 year old on the other – it was the only way I could nap them, so this is how we did it, I’d tandem nurse them both, and I would try to close my eyes as well, because, essentially, I would be trapped in that spot for the next 2-3 hours. This was my life for the following year, more or less.

@ellianagilbertphotography, “This was me, 8 days postpartum. I was exhausted, sweaty, milky, crusty, still bloody, a bit sore down there, sore everywhere else in my body, my breasts were engorged and working in overdrive to support both my newborn on one side, and my 2 year old on the other – it was the only way I could nap them, so this is how we did it, I’d tandem nurse them both, and I would try to close my eyes as well, because, essentially, I would be trapped in that spot for the next 2-3 hours. This was my life for the following year, more or less. This isn’t the only way to do things, certainly not the only “right” way to do things… but it’s how I lived through my first year with a newborn and a toddler, and I don’t regret any of it. But, god, did it ever take a toll. Almost 4 years later and I am still working to climb out of the fog that was my life back then. I’m getting into a gym regimen now, and am taking better care of my gut, and how I feed myself, I no longer breastfeed and I have my body back to myself, which is SO GREAT – even though, every time I think about nursing my girls, my heart feels pinched and swollen and I tear up. ❤ It is a time I will forever cherish and feel proud of. I look at this photo and I can just FEEL the sacrifice. I love capturing the beauty of new parents in this phase of life. The beauty in the sacrifice is unlike anything else – the rawest form of beauty there is. I am glad this photo was taken of me – even though it was just a cellphone pic. I’m grateful that someone noticed and bothered to recognize me in that moment. Ask someone to snap a pic like this of you too. Don’t be shy. It’s worth it. People don’t think of it… You have you ask for it. You won’t be sorry. You’ll have that pic forever to look back on and remember what a BADASS you were during such a trying time in your life. A professional photographer is a luxury not affordable for everyone. But you can ask a close friend or relative to snap a pic with their or your phone. You won’t regret it.” #birthwithoutfear #takebackpostpartum

A post shared by @ takebackpostpartum on Nov 22, 2017 at 2:06pm PST

Does this all feel very familiar to you too?

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