To all the Mamas out there ,
Look down at your stretch marks. Your scars. Your stretched out skin. These are your tiger stripes. Your badge of honor. You may try to use all the creams and work outs wanting to erase them. But tigers don’t do that. They wear them on the outside.
Mamma, you are the one who is fearless. You are the one who pushes your body not for yourself but for the little worlds you want to give your all to. Your stripes are more stunning that a six pack. Your stripes are selfless not selfish. They are the result of bringing in life not serving its own. You may hate them, but others would kill for them. These marks are the beauty the world cannot see. That the world is missing out on. No more letting the world feed you with lies of defining beauty. Don’t let it take away the truth behind your stripes. Count them as your blessings, because that is what they are.
You are beautiful,
you are strong,
you are fearless,
you are selfless,
you are a mom.
If you know a mama who needs a bit of encouragement please share
Hylaandpeterechols.com 
I love this. There is so much judgement out there and so many of us question our parenting skills, but we are all just doing our best.
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I’m not a mom but a dad instead, to six kids. One thing I can say about the experience of pregnancy is that while it changed the body of my wife, I found those changes to be for the better. They were signs of strength and resiliency of the human race to keep on moving forward. I don’t think any woman should ever be ashamed of her body. We wear our scars as badges of honour. My personal story is immeshed in cancer and other related medical issues. Each scar I have is a story of what I’ve been through. I’m not ashamed to tell my story behind every scar…. it’s the same for stretch marks, no woman should ever be afraid of outwardly displaying her story.
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This is awesome. I try to appreciate my stretch marks but I admit, sometimes I wish I didn’t have so dang many!
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Aww, I love this; it’s such an uplifting and encouraging read! And since I sort of needed to see this today … thank you.
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I am so glad you were encouraged!
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Beautifully said!! After 3 kids, including twins, my body is definitely not the same as before, but neither is my life, and I wouldn’t change any of it for the world!! Check out a video I did of moms telling us what they love about their “Mom Bods” https://youtu.be/U47_IUjjFO8
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This is a great message. I’m going to go hug my mom ASAP.
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This is so beautiful Hyla and so inspiring! Wow, love how you compare the stretch marks to tiger stripes and badge of honor. This post deserves to be reposted, shared and retweeted everywhere for mother’s day!
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This has to be one of the most encouraging and beautiful things I’ve read. Mommies should read this and it will definitely make them feel better about those stretch marks.
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Thank you! If you know someone who you think really needs the encouragement feel free to share. 😊
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This is a nice bit of encouragement for those mothers who seem to be ashamed of their stretch marks. (which I don’t really understand – the majority of people have stretch marks or scars) Embrace your beauty.
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Very nice analogy – I admit to hating mine, but also realize that they’re a part of my journey so far.
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Love this! It is always good to be reminded of how beautiful those stripes are and what they represent! Especially in a world that covets perfection! Great article!!!
Namaste! 🙏🏻❤️
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This is so well said and so important to remember and to not be hard on ourselves! So inspiring!
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Even non mammas have these! Move on I say, it ain’t all that much of a big deal!
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This is so perfect! For all women. There’s so much judgement towards Women to have the “perfect” body and it causes so much misery.
Ellie
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I actually liked my stretch marks better before they started fading. The ones right below my belly button were slightly raised and felt cool.
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Beautifully written! And Im glad that you can still see the beauty in your body and all its imperfections. Mommy of one here, my body isn’t the same either…but I love me. And she was worth it.
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I love this. Lol, I don’t have stretch marks and my c-section was done so well, its not visible. But this works for the gray hairs I can’t seem to dye away.
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Thanks for this. Reminds me to be grateful when the days are hard.
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Thank you for the reminder! I’m not normally one to be self-conscious because – as a pale ginger whose tan is still white – I’ve never matched others with my skin appearance and habits. But every now and then I look down and realize those stretch marks show up below the leg of my shorts and find myself thinking, “Why didn’t I change /before/ I went out in public.”
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Wonderfully encouraging!!
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Thank you for this beautiful reminder. Though I’m so grateful for my motherhood, it’s not always easy for me to deal with its effects on my body. I frequently find myself having to stamp down those unwanted insecurities.
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