A professional athlete is sharing photos of her stretch mark-covered stomach in a bid to show the real effect pregnancy has on a woman’s body.
Stephanie Rothstein Bruce is a long-distance runner who is active in the racing circuit, representing America.
The 34-year-old fitness fanatic is also mother to two children, aged 2 and 3 years.
She regularly updates her Instagram page with details of her run, as well as offering a look at the sagging skin pregnancy has caused on her tummy.
“When I look down I see stretch marks that are here to stay, ab muscles that need continued strengthening, legs that are powerful, and feet that are ready to fly!” she wrote.
Stephanie is open about other ways her body has changed too, revealing that even though she can easily run half marathons she still “pees her pants” and suffers other post-partum issues.
“It still looks like a hot mess but the stability and strength is coming back to my core. The big 3: bird dogs, side planks, McGill crunch performed twice a day, every day with extreme precision. It’s boring, monotonous but gets the job done. Stretch marks are here to stay! ” she wrote.
She wrote on her blog – “I can stick 3 fingers in my belly in the space between the left and right sides of my abdominal muscles. It’s the most unnatural natural part of pregnancy and the post partum side effects. They call this diastasis recti and it is the bane of my existence. ”
She hopes her photos will encourage other women to show off their post baby bodies, rather that being embarrassed by them.
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