Dear Pre-Baby Body,
I thought you'd always be here. I figured you'd never get wrinkles, or sag in weird places, or get bulges. You've never been super-skinny, or super-fit, and you never had a taut butt; most of the time, it was so flat that I was constantly at risk of flashing my butt crack out of the top of my sagging jeans. Nonetheless, I thought you'd always be there for me, with your smooth if not less than perfect form.
In high school, everything hurt me: boys, school, mean girls. But nothing affected you. You held firm, even with my regular diet of Cherry Coke, individual pizzas and Skittles. I barely exercised. If laziness was a sport in high school, I probably would've gotten a varsity letter. But still, my weight and my waistline remained untouched.
In college, I practically lived on cafeteria slop, alcohol and Cheez-Its. I'd beat you up night after night. I gained weight and lost it again. You got mad at me. You even made me sick sometimes. But I always bounced back. You always forgave me.
Then I got pregnant, and you disappeared. So I'd like to send you off with this goodbye letter.
Before I got pregnant, I could jump without wetting my pants. Hell, I could even run. I never had to worry about peeing myself while laughing at a funny movie, because you were oh so wonderfully un-leaky. But those days are gone now.
Before I had my babies, my breasts didn't so much hang as sit firmly on my chest. There wasn't a prominent blue boob vein to be seen. The nipples weren't the least bit purple or stretched out or cracked, and they pointed straight out instead of down.
Of course, once I got pregnant, my nipples turned purple within the first few months and they never fully returned to their pre-baby state. So thanks for that, body.
Remember, pre-baby body, how I used to groom you so lovingly? I'd start by treating you to a long, steamy shower, with every delicious-smelling body product imaginable. Then I would shave your legs, using real shaving cream instead of lather from a pube-covered bar of soap. And speaking of pubes, remember how we used to trim and then shave those, too?
I took you for granted, pre-baby body. I poked and prodded you and stuffed you with junk food, and every time, without fail, you'd bounce back like a Slinky.
These days, of course, I'm a lot more busy. I have kids. Long, leisurely, grooming-filled showers are a thing of the past. If I shave my underarms every few days, that's pretty much as good as it gets. I hope you don't mind, body, but after all, it is winter. We can totally rock leg hair and no one will notice, right? And if man buns could become a trend, why couldn't long pubic hair? Pubic buns, anyone?
Remember, too, pre-baby body, how I used to give us pedicures every couple of weeks? Our toes were always so adorable. I still have that oversized makeup bag full of nail polishes I used to use, only now those polishes are pretty crusty and don't see much use.
I took you for granted, pre-baby body. I poked and prodded you and stuffed you with junk food, and every time, without fail, you'd bounce back like a Slinky. But after kids, my body is about as pliable as twice kiln-fired clay. It bloats. It sags. It pooches. It stays poochy. A 9-pound human form filling one's abdominal cavity has a way of causing permanent change, in a way that a dorm meal could never hope to do.
My bones ache. I'm tired, and not the kind of tired that sleeping until noon on a Saturday can fix. I'm tired to my core. Sleeping in will Never. Happen. Again.
Nothing is the same since you left, pre-baby body, but I don't miss you. You see, my purple nipples have fed and comforted each of my children on countless long nights. That fat bulge on my hip makes a perfect baby seat. My hair doesn't need to smell like coconut conditioner, because it smells like me and that's comforting to my kids. And my feet aren't cute, but they still do a passable job stepping around Legos on the floor.
Goodbye forever, pre-baby body. You've served me well, but I don't need you anymore.
Fondly,
Samantha
