Fitness Blogger Hits Back at Haters Who Said Pregnancy Would 'Ruin' Her Body

Australian fitness blogger Emily Skye has built a loyal Instagram following of 2.4 million people thanks to her incredible physique, as well as her penchant for being real about the work she puts in to maintain it. But when she became pregnant last year, some of her followers didn’t hesitate to voice their doubts about her postpartum body.

"‘Your body is ruined now.’ ‘You’ll never be the same.’ ‘Let’s see what happens to your body once you have a baby.’ ‘You’ll bounce back.’ Blah blah blah. People always have something to say and there will always be naysayers, so you should stop listening to them,” Skye—who gave birth in December—writes in a recent Instagram post.

And she posted a picture to prove her point. It shows a side-by-side comparison of what her body looked like six weeks postpartum next to what her body looks like now, eight months after birth. In the first photo, her pregnancy belly is still slightly visible. In the more recent photo, her amazing abs are back in action—proving all those haters wrong.

“I’m happy, I feel great, and I’m getting fitter and stronger every day,” she says.

She’s quick to point out that it’s not the return of her abs that has her feeling so good—it’s what her body has been able to achieve.

“I’m absolutely blown away by my body because it grew a human and is still making food for that human,” she says. “I actually love my body more than ever now (so does @recdedmond.) And I’ve never felt more confident. Love yourself no matter what, choose to be your best and never doubt yourself—you most certainly can look and feel amazing whether you’ve had a baby or not!”

This isn’t the first time the new mom has opened up about her postpartum body. In July, when she was about six months post-birth, she shared a close-up of her stomach to show that yes, birthing a child often does lead to loose skin and stretch marks—but that it’s beautiful all the same.

“I couldn’t care less if my tummy stays like this forever—I’m proud of my body and love it for everything it does, ESPECIALLY for growing my little Mia,” she says in her caption. “Some stretch marks, loose skin, or cellulite don’t make me love my body any less—quite the opposite actually.”

Skye decided to share the photo, which received more than 118,600 likes, because she’d received comments about how “easy” it is for some women to bounce back post-pregnancy, and she wanted to remind moms that striving for physical and mental health should be the priority—not rock-hard abs.

“Don’t compare your journey, body, life etc., to anyone else’s,” she says. “Focus on your own journey and be proud of everything you achieve. You are capable and you are worthy.”

When it comes to loving your postpartum body, Sky has plenty of good company. Check out these amazing mamas who have embraced the strength and acomplishments of their bodies after baby.