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A woman has been hailed an “inspiration” after she shared a photo of her body on Instagram 24-hours after giving birth.
The image shows Erica Andrews, a midwife from Zanesville, Ohio, with her stomach curving outwards from carrying her child for 9months, with her newborn son Silar Ambrose Osler nuzzled against her bare breast.
Alongside the image, Ms Andrews wrote in a poetic message: “This is what 24 hours postpartum looks like. Baby in sling. Skin to skin. Adult diapers. And a rosy glow.
“I feel raw. Emotional. Different. I feel like I'm on the undulating surface of the rippling ocean being tossed back and forth between happiness, gratitude, melancholy, and grief.”
“The emptiness in my womb brings a heavy feeling crashing into reality but then this new little life whimpers, searching for the breast with soft rooting, and I feel whole again.”
This is what 24 hours postpartum looks like. Baby in sling. Skin to skin. Adult diapers. And a rosy glow. My body feels like it ran a marathon and my heart is wide open from yesterday's travels. Birth opens us like an earthquake opens the earth and I am still in the intimate, fragile throes of that opening. I feel raw. Emotional. Different. I feel like I'm on the undulating surface of the rippling ocean being tossed back and forth between happiness, gratitude, melancholy, and grief. 23 hours ago I held life within and 24 hours ago I surged and transformed allowing life to flow through me, into my waiting hands. The emptiness in my womb brings a heavy feeling crashing into reality but then this new little life whimpers, searching for the breast with soft rooting, and I feel whole again. I am still processing the beautiful transition my whole family has traveled through and I am in complete awe of our strength as humans, women, and mothers. This time is simply unlike any other. #fourthtrimester
A photo posted by Erica (@laughing.moon) on Jan 9, 2016 at 3:57pm PST
“I am in complete awe of our strength as humans, women, and mothers,' she added. 'This time is simply unlike any other,” she added.
Ms Andrews gave birth to her son at home on 8 January.
The photo came to public attention recently after Ms Andrews shared the image on Instagram, and passed it on to manufacturer Sakura Bloom, The firm then shared it on social media.
“Beautiful! we couldn't love this any more [sic],” the company wrote on its Facebook page.
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The photo has since been shared over 30,000 times and liked by other 116,000 Facebook users.
Over 5,000 Facebook members commented on the post, praising Ms Andrews for her honesty.
User Selina Cudmore wrote: “You are in inspiration and a breath of fresh air it's literally brought tears to my eyes it brought me back to almost a year ago now when I had my diego it was the craziest and most exciting time of my life and you touched my heart by reminding how amazing it is what us women are capable of and how we bring life into this world and what we endure to do it!!!”
Another user Kat Fawell wrote: “Absolutely beautiful! Resonates with me and the births of my children. Inspirational! Thanks for keeping it real!"
Erica later thanked viewers for their support, a comment which was liked over 7,000 times.
“I can't respond to all of you loving mamas but your comments have moved me to tears, thank you for your love and welcoming my raw and honest words,” she said.
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