Jessica McCoy, 27 years old, had a very difficult time accepting her postpartum body, especially when the child that she was supposed to bore had to be aborted three months before the expected date, according to People.
McCoy, who works as an executive assistant in Missouri, had to have an abortion due to the fact that doctors detected fetal abnormalities with the baby.
McCoy shared a photo of her postpartum body on Instagram and encouraged everyone to accept the body that you have and cherish it.
McCoy said, “I am not okay with my body. I think I would’ve been okay if Evie was here, although she would’ve likely still been cooking inside me. The fact that I am bigger than I normally am and don’t have my baby makes it harder.
“I dealt with a postpartum body after [my first child] Brennan And I was uncomfortable in my larger body, but it grew my beautiful little man, and how could I be upset with it when I looked at him? Every day I get clothes on and they’re tight. And every day I’m reminded that I grew my baby for six months and she died. It really is a constant reminder to me.”
McCoy told People, “I’ve never seen anyone post about their feelings toward their body after pregnancy loss. I’ve seen so many body positive posts by women celebrating their body because it grew their beautiful child, and I fully support that, but at this time, I don’t feel that. I feel anger toward my body. I feel like I can’t trust it. I feel broken.
And every time I look in the mirror or put clothes on, it’s a reminder that my sweet girl is gone.”
She wants her Instagram page to be a space for people to open up and share their experiences.
McCoy said, “I wanted to share my experience in case any other women feel the same way so that they won’t feel so alone. I know it has worked because I’ve had literally hundreds of comments and messages from women thanking me for sharing and letting me know my story helped them to want to share their experiences, so that people they know can be helped as well.”
McCoy’s body positivity message should be helpful to everyone.
McCoy said, “Of course, with the nature of my loss, I have received some very hateful comments from those in the pro-life group, which is sad, because you’d think that people who are ‘pro-life’ would be kind because they’re often religious.
“Some have even posted that they wish that I was dead (the irony here is not lost on me), but they really don’t bother me because I know my decision was 100 percent made with love for my daughter and never wanting her to suffer.”
McCoy hopes that she could inspire other women to do the same thing.
McCoy said, “Many women experience body image issues on a regular basis. When those body image issues are coupled with pregnancy loss, it makes the experience that much more painful. It is a constant reminder of what could have been and it is hard to deal with having a different body and no baby to show for it.
“And hardly anyone is talking about it. I want to help with starting the conversation because it helps to know that others are out there, feeling the same way as you.”
