What Are You Passing Along? (And No, We are Not Talking About Genetics)
by Holly Rodriguez

When many women find out they are pregnant, their mind is bombarded with a whirlwind of concerns- among them, standing in the mirror and wondering how much their body will change.

As the pregnancy progresses, a magical transformation takes place as the pregnant belly takes shape and the mother is overcome with glee- in the beginning. And as you begin to literally burst out of your clothing, you begin to wonder if your body will ever return to its original state. After birth, many women grieve the loss of their pre-Mommy body shape, and the reality of the post-birth "pouch" that is, the belly that often exists after baby is born.

Well, not this mommy.

As card-carrying member of the Goddess Only Club, I started out with a "sizeable" advantage over the "average" American woman - I haven't even considered a pair of size 8, 9 or 10 jeans since I was in junior high school. And because of that, I realized in college that I was at a crossroads with accepting my body- either learn to love my body, and be amazed by it, or walk around in a shadow of self-loathing cast by an influx of media influences that brainwash us into thinking there is only one way for us to look. I decided to work on loving my body. However, I am human and a woman in America, so I had my good days when I loved my body, and bad days when I didn't really want to see myself naked. But I worked hard against allowing myself to succumb to feelings of inferiority because I did not look like Jessica Alba, Eva Langoria or Halle Berry. I've watched and continue to watch many of my friends and peers continue to endure the struggle to look more like the "Size 8"(or less) ideal, whether they are child-free, pregnant or postpartum. And I simply wanted to expend my energy on something more significant and substantial.

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