Moms on a Mission to #TakeBackPostpartum are Thousands Strong
Sick of ads for stretch mark creams, a mom changes postpartum on social media.
— -- When blogger January Harshe started posting on Instagram with the hashtag #postpartum just before the birth of her sixth child, she realized quickly it wasn't at all what she thought it was.
"There was all this spam, lots of advertisements about getting rid of stretchmarks," the Texas mom said. "It had nothing to do with the fourth trimester," a term used to describe the months immediately following the birth of a baby.
So Harshe, the woman behind the blog Birth Without Fear, decided to take back postpartum. And #takebackpostpartum was born.
The hashtag's birth coincided with the birth of her daughter, now 11 weeks old. Since then, it's amassed almost 18k followers.
And while there's certainly no shortage of post-baby belly photos and stretch marks on display, there's plenty more being shared: namely, what those first days with baby are really all about.
Harshe is pretty savvy when it comes to social media, and isn't surprised by the incredible response the account is receiving. "But I am in some ways in awe," she said. "Women are insecure about their bodies, about motherhood, and the second you give a voice to that, other women face their insecurities and fears and become stronger themselves."
She's not ready to rest though. Harshe's next movement? #Dontforgetdads.
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