METAMORPHOSIS INTO MOTHERHOOD
Artipoppe Babywearing Story | By Julia Samokhvalova
Your baby is born, and he’s the most beautiful thing in the world. Those tiny little fingers, the fluffy hair, the angelic face… You can’t stop looking at him. You buy him these cute little outfits, the softest little blankets… You scuttle past the mirror, not noticing that you’re still in your washed out maternity pants, and that someone obviously spit up on your t-shirt. This happened to me – and more than once. A lot of mothers don’t bother much about their looks after they have a baby, and this is in no way a bad thing. But a lot of times, we really miss it. Caring for ourselves, feeling beautiful. It’s not only about looks, it’s also about confidence, control, empowerment. Yet we often choose to deny ourselves these things.
Why do we do that? Because we are tired. Because we experience baby blues. Because we’ve gained weight and got stretch marks and dislike our new bodies. Because the baby gets all of our attention and our energy. Because sometimes it’s almost considered shameful to care about our looks – we have a baby! – and so, we feel guilty for caring. Your baby deserves the most beautiful things. So when you pick out that amazing wrap, which looks so nice on you both, you’re making a step in the right direction. You feel prettier. Maybe later, you will find clothes that fit you better, and that look good with the wrap. Maybe you’ll pick up a nice matching lipstick. Or maybe you won’t – you’ll just light up and smile when the lady in the store compliments you on your wrap.
When my youngest was a few weeks old, I cried looking at myself in the mirror. I thought I was the ugliest thing ever. I had a stressful pregnancy, I had gained a lot of weight, I was exhausted. But my baby looked great, and we looked great together, especially wrapped up. We did a few photoshoots for Artipoppe a few weeks later. I washed my hair, chose some nice clothes that still fit me (very little from my wardrobe did), and wrapped my baby in these wonderful pieces of fabric. And suddenly, it wasn’t so bad.
Looking back to these pictures, I think I look good. I realize that this was the moment that changed it for me in terms on confidence. In these pictures, I see a woman. A mother. Someone who really enjoys being close to her child. The beauty of a mother is sometimes very different from the beauty of a girl, but it’s in no way less stunning. It’s even more dignified. The way I see it, wraps help us emphasize that beauty. Which is why I’ll keep on babywearing – you can’t have too much beauty in your life.
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