On the first day of this month, baby Axel Mayfield turned one year old. His parents Paola and Russ are so proud of their baby boy.
Now, one year after giving birth, fitness model Paola is showing off her post-baby body, but admitting that she has yet to reach her post partum goal.
On January 1, Pao marked the one-year milestone since giving birth. Now, she's flaunting her body's progress.
"It took me about six months to be close to my pre-pregnancy body," Paola admits in the captions of the images you're about to see.
She spent half a year, she says, "and I’m not even there yet."
"But I do feel better," Paola highlights. Take a look at the first half of what she shared:
Paola shared a pair of boomerang images -- silent, repeating videos -- which we have parsed into a pair of gifs for your convenience.
"In the first six months of my postpartum," she writes, "I only cared about taking care of Axel and enjoying our new adventure."
"I did enjoy my daily walks and I still do," Paola affirms.
But it took her until the beginning of summer to focus upon her fitness journey.
"I’ve noticed that people think that I am only focused on my looks," Paola observes, "and I am too vain."
She wants fans and followers to know that a few photos don't tell her life story "and that isn’t true."
"I live by the rule, 'if you don’t love yourself, who else?'” Pao explains.
Sometimes, that means flaunting what she has on camera. That makes sense.
"I spend most of the time in sweat pants or like this," Paola says, referring to her less-than-overdressed state.
She notes that she spends a lot of time at home in casual or skimpy clothing "and without makeup."
That sounds very comfortable, especially in an overheated hellscape like Florida.
She explains that, of course, she dolls herself up a bit before snapping selfies or leaving the house.
"But when I go out," Pao writes, "I do my best to look good."
That is normal behavior for most people, and especially for women, whom society judges based upon their appearances.
"I am proud of my hard work and my results," she affirms.
Paola loves documenting her physical achievements "and I love sharing them with you!"
"Can you spot the cellulite?" Paola asks her fans and followers a year after birthing baby Axel.
"I still have some," she notes, "and it is ok!"
That is a very healthy message for people to hear.
"It’s all about being confident," Pao emphasizes, "even in your worst moments."
Paola highlights the overarching importance of confidence "because in the end we are our most prominent critics."
She is absolutely right. Very few people in the world would focus upon a stranger's every flaw as intensely as they would themselves.
"We live in a world where everyone is judging your every move," she notes.
Pao then advises her followers "so you better love and take care of yourself!"
We are so amazed, as always, by Paola Mayfield's incredibly fit body.
Of course, there's no need to have a "post-baby body."
The months or years or decades after childbirth are about being a parent, not trying in vain to recreate a body forever changed by pregnancy.
Just as we applaud Pao, a model and celebrity, for her accomplishments, we remind ourselves to not hold everyday people to distorted body standards.
