Intentional. This is your new mantra as a mom-to-be. Own the experience, and celebrate everything it brings.
Admittedly, I didn’t feel that way when I was pregnant. I kind of wanted to hide. To downplay how important and magical this experience was for me. That’s why I’m so grateful that I met Kortnee Goode (of Sheslovetarian blog and Instagram) – a multi-passionate artist who showcased her pregnancy and motherhood in a way that can only be described as unapologetically beautiful.
“I made a choice to be intentional with my pregnancy” she states over and over as I ask her about it. Here, we delve into celebrating motherhood, celebrating your body, and being courageous. And of course, how to OWN it.
On showcasing and celebrating her pregnancy
Oh, you’re one of those EXTRA pregnant people who do all the pictures and all that stuff.
Kortnee laughs while recalling someone’s comments. “Well I just wanted to document my journey. I felt amazing, knowing how blessed I am to be a vessel for a new life – that was really important to me. It was pivotal, and a beautiful journey.
“We are in a society where it’s okay to talk crap about yourself. It’s okay to not think highly of yourself, or not think you’re beautiful because of others’ beauty standards. But something I learned a little later in my journey was: through all of your phases – love yourself. Once you start to see all of the things that you are meant to do, all of the things that give you purpose as you grow, you’ll regret not loving yourself.
“I wanted to celebrate every chance I got. I wanted those memories for my daughter. So yeah, I was that “extra” mom who got all the pictures, and documented my journey. I wanted to make sure that I loved myself through and through and that I transferred that to her as well.”
On courage
It’s about owning it. It’s another stage in my life, it’ll pass just like time. So just make the best of it
I mention to Kortnee that seeing her pregnancy photos kind of made me regret not having my own. Women create all sorts of reasons to hide. For me – I was self-conscious, not about how I looked – about how I would appear. “Extra”… “Vain”, I tell her I wish I had the courage to be unapologetic.
“It does take courage, it really does. I wanted to find strength in vulnerability. Your body is so different, you’re dealing with things you’ve never dealt with before, and emotions you’ve never felt before. I wanted to find the resilience to celebrate my body in its woes as well as its glory. That was important to me.”
On body positivity
This is the dopest thing I’ve ever done
Kortnee jokes about pregnancy, after sharing that she really did have her moments and her hardships. “But it’s all in your mindset and how you look at it. I look at the stretchmarks on my stomach and I say ‘I earned these. These are war wounds’. We have a choice in a lot of things and I choose to be as intentional as possible and to look at my journey in a positive light.”
On postpartum body image
“I hear so much about the snap-back. All moms’ bods matter! Your body has gone through this crazy journey just like you. Continue to be intentional with it and appreciate all that it’s taken your through. Continue to love your body. Take it day by day, and make steps to loving what you “see in the mirror. It doesn’t matter what anyone says or what you look like. You are phenomenal.”
Final words of wisdom
“It’s a choice. You have to depend on yourself for that feeling. You have to make the choice to love what you see when you look in the mirror. Pregnancy is such a beautiful process because of what comes of it, and you the person, you the spirit, you’re just as beautiful as the process.” And on a final note, Kortnee adds:
Nothing beats a woman, and nothing beats a mother.
And on a final final note, this Sheslovetarian made sure to express her gratitude for her husband who makes her feel beautiful each and every day.”
Thank you Kortnee for sharing your beautiful point of view. To learn more about her, check her out on Instagram @sheslovetarian and on her blog sheslovetarian.com