Audrey Roloff has earned our admiration for her latest Instagram photo and post.
Because while irritating celebrities such as Kim Kardashian go around and talk irresponsibly about getting their pre-pregnancy body back as quickly as they can after having a baby...
... Roloff is here to tell us how it really is.
Back on January 8, Audrey and husband Jeremy Roloff welcomed their second child, a son named Bode.
Not long afterward, the former Little People, Big World star confessed on Instagram that she's thrilled to be a mother for a second time... but she's also struggling with one thing in particular.
"Postpartum has been hard on my body, but cuddling with these precious little loves makes my heart so full. What an honor it is to be their mama," she wrote as a caption to the following image.
As you can see, it features her, daughter Ember and newborn Bode:
Now, in a new social media post, Audrey has opened up even more about this same topic.
"Just keepin it real over here while this past week has been full of newborn snuggles and heart melting moments... it’s also been really hard," wrote Audrey as a caption to the very first photo shared above.
While depicting her bare belly just a week after giving birth, Roloff continued:
"With Ember and Bode I had really great pregnancies and labor/delivery experiences but once that 4th trimester hits my body just gets hit hard with all the things..."
Of course it does. She's been carrying a human being inside her womb for nine months!
Audrey, who gave birth past her due date on both blessed occasions, went on as follows:
"Thankfully this time I could draw from past experience and fought off getting mastitis 5 days postpartum like last time...
"Still... my milk comes in fast and furious, both my babies chomped my nipples to shreds on day one, and my milk is the brevé kind so engorgement is at least 5x my normal bra size."
This may get into the parenting weeds a little bit for some -- but, for millions of new mother, it speaks directly to them.
Motherhood is amazing, as Jeremy recently acknowledged. It's also very challenging on a number of levels.
Roloff said in this message that she'll share more details from Bode's delivery very soon, but added a lot more about what she's going through right now.
And we really do applaud her for it.
"Here I am showing up with my 1 week postpartum belly exposed and telling you my body hurts," she wrote.
"But despite the physical pains, I know these weeks of forced slow-down are exactly what my body and heart needs. REST. So if you’re in this season of life too, give yourself permission to rest and heal.
"I’m letting go of the pressure to rush back into working out, my social life, household chores, my pre-pregnancy clothes, or any kind of commitment that conflicts with recovery and rest."
Concluded the star:
I have to remind myself every day that rest is one of the most productive things I can do right now So I’ll be here with a baby on my chest, in milk stained pj’s, embracing JOMO (the joy of missing out).
And we'll be writing here following you, Audrey giving you props every step of the way.
