We love Ali Fedotowsky’s vulnerability in her postpartum body reveal photo

In the first photo of the series she’s wearing a sarong around her stomach, but in the second and third photos Fedotowsky reveals the kind of stomach many mamas sport: It’s not perfectly taut, she’s not showing off any abs, but it is definity beautiful.

“If you swipe to see the second photo in this post, you see that my body has changed. My skin around my stomach is very loose and stretched out, I’m 15lbs heavier than I used to be, and my cup size has grown quite significantly,” Fedotowsky writes.

The photos are a sponsored post for Lilly and Lime Swimwear (a line made for women with larger busts) but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t brave. In fact, the fact that it’s an ad makes it even more amazing because research shows that when advertising only shows us bodies that don’t look like our own, women become ” generally more dissatisfied with their body and appearance” .

Ali Fedotowsky

On her blog Fedotowsky notes that a lot of comments on her previous Instagram posts have been followers remarking how slim she looks, or how much they wish they looked like she does postpartum. By dropping that sarong and showing her tummy Fedotowsky is showing other mothers that there is nothing wrong with their own.

“While I appreciate the positive comments, you guys are always so good to me, I keep trying to explain that I’m just good at picking out clothes that flatter my body and hide my tummy,” she wrote on her blog.

“I bounced back pretty quickly after I gave birth to Molly. But things are different this time and I’m OK with that. I’m learning to love my body and embrace how it’s changed. I hope I get back to my pre-pregnancy shape one day, but that may never happen. And if it doesn’t, that’s OK.”

Ali Fedotowsky

It is okay, because our bodies are more than our swimsuit selfies. They the vessels that carry us through life and carry our children and provide a safe, warm place for those children feel love.

Loose skin is a beautiful thing.