The Theology of My Postpartum Body
invisible made visible
“The body, and it alone is capable of making visible what is invisible, the spiritual and divine. It was created to transfer into the visible reality of the world, the invisible mystery hidden in God from time immemorial, and thus to be a sign of it.” (Pope John Paul II, Feb 20, 1980).
In St. John Paul the Great’s historic Theology of the Body series, he shares what it means for us to be body-soul composites: both our bodies and our souls are of equal value and dignity, joined to create a unique being in the image and likeness of our creator, God Himself.
Our bodies make visible what is invisible.
When a woman becomes a mother, she is eternally changed by the co-creation of the new soul that has been entrusted to her. Because of this new life, the woman is now different. And so is the world. When a woman becomes a mother, her body, in fact, physically makes room for this new life. It grows and it stretches.
Her body changes and makes visible what is happening in eternity: this new life now has a place prepared for it in Heaven! (John 14:3). Heaven has been grown, it has been stretched.
Getting Your Body Back
There is no going back to “before”. And the mother’s lasting bodily changes are a physical image of that spiritual reality. The temptation to desire for her shape to return to as it was “pre-baby” is an outer attack on her body by the Evil One on the mother and her internal vocation. A mother’s body expresses the changes that have taken place within her soul. Where there once was no room, God created room.
Where I didn’t think I could possibly give any more, God stretched me by grace. My soul is clay in the potters hands and my body reflects the master craftsman at work (Jeremiah 18:7).
Christ Himself elevates the motherly sacrifice of the body through His own bodily sacrifice, “Here is my body given for you” (Luke 22:19). The bodily sacrifice of motherhood offers a unique participation in the cross. Even at her own expense, the woman provides shelter, safety, and nourishment for her children, so that they may have life.
The cross and the womb make unconditional love visible.
And so, I embrace my new image. Admitted, unwillingly at first. As someone who has battled disordered eating and body image, the effects that the miracle of my children had on my body were once unwelcome.
When I had our last son I tried to reassure myself, “It took 9 months to get this way, I will give myself 9 months to bounce back.” I struggled to look at myself in the mirror, hated having to buy new clothes to fit my new figure, and regressed to hyper-focused eating.
And even now, 4 years later, I have to remind myself of the goodness of my body when I stare into the closet wondering what to wear because nothing fits the way I want.
Somehow, though, Christ broke through with His truth of love and respect for what my body has done along with His very real understanding of the toll my body has undergone.
Stewardship of this gift
It wasn’t some magical realization; there was no lightbulb moment.
It truly came more through a delicate balance of grace and grit. Admittedly more grace, but a little effort and cooperation came on my end.
As I tried to continue to keep up with the little lives entrusted to my care, it became unavoidably obvious that I also had to care for myself. My physical and emotional well-being was so closely connected to theirs that I had to prioritize nutrition, fitness, and emotional regulation.
At first, I was tempted by the influx of supplements and programs promising energy and a snatched waist. Ads and influencers said all the things that I wanted to hear: you can have it all with this shake, this cleanse, this routine, or this life hack. One magic fix for just $129.99 per month and weekly coaching sessions with the woman who had figured it all out.
It was grace that alerted me to the disordered motives.
If integrated wellness was my goal, it could be accomplished without scrupulosity. If wholeness and holiness were what God wanted for my family, then it would be within the family that they could be found. One singular solution, as easy and nice as that would be, could never address the varying needs of not only my body, but for my husband’s and children’s as well.
Stewardship of my body, treating it with dignity and respect by giving it what it needs (good food, movement and strength, and rest) was possible. This deeper rooted wellness, not the quick fix, was all the more a reminder of the composite nature of our being. Body and soul. Both are valuable, precious, capable, and utterly dependent on God’s grace. Cooperating with this invitation revealed time and space for that stewardship to take form.
Stewarding my body well didn’t revert its shape, but it did heal it. Inside and out.
Say “yes” to the postpartum invitation
Then and now, I say “FIAT” to my motherhood; “FIAT” to all of the growth and stretching it brings to my body and to my life. I pray that all current and future mamas can say it with me…with faith and trust and confidence. This is where God has placed you, with who He has placed you. You were made for this.
Fiat - Monica
PS - Get Your Pink Back is a clothing line dedicated to supporting moms in not getting their pre-baby-bodies back, but regaining their wellness. Check it out and order some new swag!
Take a listen
SUMMER REWIND: My Marriage Before Jesus with Laura Phelps
SUMMER REWIND: Walking with our LGBTQ Family Members with Kim Zember
SUMMER REWIND: How Heroic Virtue Can Change Your Life and Relationships with the Swaffords
From the archives
A Husband's Guide to Postpartum Depression
Will We Have Stretch Marks in Heaven?
A Note from Us
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