I am a mother to a 5 year old, & I have learned a lot about my body throughout the years since giving birth; including how amazing and strong it is. One thing I was worried about while pregnant (as far as aesthetics are concerned) was that my inner labia would look different, & that my vagina would not feel as tight after labor, due to the social stigma we are constantly surrounded by about vaginas and vulvas changing after birth. Hint: it's not true. Our vaginas were made to stretch and snap back. Some women have had slight urine leaks while laughing or from other activities right after giving birth, but it tends to go away within a short amount of time for most. Even though I myself didn't personally experience anything of that nature, anybody that has, should not ever feel ashamed, because what they got in return was the gift of creating life. I think it is beautiful that the female body is capable of creating life. (For those who can't have children, you are no less amazing than a woman who can). To say the least, after I had my son my vagina snapped right back to its pre-pregnancy self and my inner labia looked and felt the same as it did before giving birth vaginally. Once I had some time to heal, it was the same as before. The vagina is a pretty neat organ, meant to be stretched for intercourse and child bearing. Its kind of like a strong hair band. If you stretch it before letting it go, it will snap back to where it was prior to stretching it. Some people are uneducated and make false statements about women with children being "loose" or looking different downstairs after having children. That's not true. The way that the inner labia look has nothing to do with how much intercourse one has had, nor does it change the way it looks after having children. I wish somebody would have told me this when I was pregnant. It would have saved me some anxiety. There is actually a chance I might be pregnant again (I am just waiting for a blood test to confirm it). If I am, I feel grateful to know better this time. I make a point to educate others when they make these wrongful statements, even if its meant in "jest"; because it's not only untrue, but body shaming is never cool in any form. Vulvas and labia come in all variations and are unique & lovely in their own ways. When I look at mine, I feel better than I ever did about it before, because I know that it helped push new life into the world. It is the best thing that ever happened to me, and I can't wait to find out for certain if I might be doing it again 9 months from now.
M. - 27 years old