Becoming a mother is a life-changing experience that brings with it a host of physical and mental changes. The journey from pregnancy to postpartum can be both challenging and rewarding, and new mothers need to be aware of the changes they may experience.

We sat down to talk with five brave women about the changes to their bodies after becoming mothers. Read on to get an honest insight into the physical and mental changes they experienced after becoming parents.

Try to accept the physical body changes

“It’s OK that your body doesn't just bounce back to the way it was. Give your body time to heal. I have stretch marks and I'm totally fine with that. It's a change to my body that wasn’t there before my pregnancy. But they are there because my body is now producing milk, and I'm so happy to be able to feed my daughter” - Tashana, mother to Nora

Sometimes it is hard to come to terms with the changes

“I definitely wasn't prepared for how much my body would change. I had an emergency C-section and find it kind of hard to come to terms with the scar. For the first couple of months, I couldn't even look at the scar. I just didn't want to see it” - Lisa-Marie, mother to Leo

New priorities

“Before becoming a parent, I would become so stressed about these little things. Like a stain on my couch could ruin my day. Now I’m just like ‘who cares’, and I will move a pillow to cover it. Yeah, I don't care about these little things anymore” - Amela, mother to Mila

Be at peace with oneself

“I think it's important to be at peace with oneself. I am a mother, and I have a body that has produced a child. So right now, I don't think it's as important how I look. The most important thing is that my son is doing well and that we are doing well as a family. It's not that important if you have a little extra weight on the sides, if your hair is tied up in a knot, or if you have makeup on. Before I used to make a fuss about tiny things. Now I just say, ‘who cares’. I have developed such a big "who cares button”. I didn't have that before” - Katrine, mother to Lucas

Remember self-care

“There's one quote that I always remember when I'm having a stressful day. It is that you can't pour from an empty cup. For me, it just means that I have to care of myself so I can continue caring for my daughter” - Emily, mother to Ottilie