Kim Kardashian Breaking the Internet with Her Mom Body

Recently Paper Magazine and Kim Kardashian set up to "break the internet" with pictures of the new mother in all her naked glory. It's not clear if they succeeded or even what that means, but there is one thing to be said about Kim and her naked booty.
You go girl!
New mothers have countless struggles including body image issues. Some that go from a size 2 to a size 14 stay that way despite vigorous workouts and fad diets. Add postpartum depression and sleep deprivation and its a whole new ugly story.
Not surprisingly, Kim has gotten considerable backlash for her shoot with Paper. Most people saying that the nude photos were "trashy" and "tasteless."
One commenter stated, "You know, I've always thought Kim Kardashian was a gorgeous woman, but she truly shows how little class she has..you're a mother now Kim, if you can't have respect for yourself at least have it for your daughter."  
There is nothing disrespecting about the human body in all it's natural or enhanced states. This is especially true for mothers. To have the confidence to take nude pictures of your body after going through the brutal change of not only pregnancy, but child birth is nothing short of amazing and deserves respect.
According to biomedical, "Pregnancy and childbirth are associated with weight gain in women, and retention of weight gained during pregnancy can lead to obesity in later life. Diet and physical activity are factors that can influence the loss of retained pregnancy weight after birth."
While it's true that, like most celebrities, Kim no doubt had an army of nannies, personal trainers and nutritionists to help her get back into shape after having little North, that does not take away from her accomplishments. She grew a person, brought her into the world and then got her body back.
You flaunt that mama body, Kim!
Just because a woman becomes a mother that does not mean that everything that made up who she was before disappears. The woman who was a daughter, sister, friend, artist, writer, reader or whatever else that makes up a person does not become invalid because she is now a mother.
It adds to her.
She is now a mother, along with all those other things that make up the human condition. The idea that the identity that existed before motherhood disappearing after the baby comes is reinforced by questions like, "How does it feel to be a mom?"
That is a loaded question. It suggests that new moms feel different than they did before the baby was born. In some aspects she does. Sleep deprivation, fear, loneliness, anxiety are at the top of the list, but essentially, they are the same person they were before giving birth, only now they have a small person to take care of.
Just because Kim is a mother doesn't mean that who she was before doesn't exist anymore. She is still who she was before her child was born, take it or leave it.
If anything, motherhood has seemed to improve her a little. This photo shoot shows that mothers don't have to be hidden behind the nun's habit. The naked body is nothing to be ashamed of. After all, it's only natural.

The Qualms of Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding is intimate and private. It gives a chance for mother and child to bond. It offers security and comfort to the child while providing essential nutrients that the baby needs to grow up big and strong.
The question is, if breastfeeding is so wonderful, why is there so much negativity toward it?
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, doctors suggest that woman breastfeed for the first six months of their baby's life. Although, most pediatricians advise that woman breastfeed as long as two years of life.
It is the personal choice of the parents and child who is being breastfed. If a mother chooses to breastfeed into toddlerhood it is her personal choice. That being said, there is a lot of disapproval from society when it comes to toddlers and breastfeeding.
Recently, a breastfeeding mother was kicked off a Delta airlines flight for not necessarily breastfeeding her child, but for not moving her sleeping 2.5 year old from her breast to her car seat fast enough for the flight attendant.

For anyone who has traveled with a toddler, they know that if that child is sleeping, you do your best to keep them that way when on an airplane or in a car. The mother had explained to the flight attendant that she was moving as fast as she could. When that wasn't enough, the flight attendant told the mother to gather her things and escorted her off the plane, leaving her stranded.
When the mother's partner called the airline to complain, the representative stated, "Why is a 2.5 year old breastfeeding, anyway?"
The answer, of course, is obvious:
That's none of your business.
Sadly, this is not an isolated incident. Not only for Delta, (there have been other times where flight attendants kicked breastfeeding moms off flight for indecently) but in society as a whole. There is general negativity when it comes to breastfeeding and moms. This is especially the case when breastfeeding in public.
People are apposed to mothers breastfeeding in public because they say that it violates the public nudity laws. This is 2014. Women walk around showing more skin than a breastfeeding mother and yet they aren't asked to cover up. Most mothers do cover while they are breastfeeding, even though the law does not require them to.
Nation wide, mothers have the right to breastfeed their child in public, i.e. parks, restaurants, schools, bus stops and where ever else mother feel the need without covering up.

This goes for toddlers, too. Most kids will call the shots. Even with their growing independence, some toddlers still need that closeness past the age of one. Not to mention the health benefits of "extended breastfeeding" such as protection from illness for mom and baby, brain boost, and comfort.
So, as long as it is working for both mother and child, go ahead and breastfeed past the age of one if you want to.
And for all the Negative Nancys that feel that they have the right to comment, that's not really your business, now is it?

Finding the Balance

You hear it all the time. After the baby comes the new parents' lives completely shift from being all about each other to all about the new addition to the family. Date nights and sleeping in disappears with the 6 o'clock wake up call from the crib and crashing after the baby is asleep.
Luxuries like getting a manicure or hair styled?
Forget it!
That being said, having a baby does not mean that the identities and dynamics that the new parents had totally disappear. It's important for not only parenthood, but for partnership to maintain a sense of self.
Although babies can be very demanding and time consuming, it's important to remember that marriage is not only a partnership in aspects to parenting. There is a balance between all that it means to be a parent and where a couple was before the baby came.
In a blog that appeared on babycenter.com the blogger stated, " Just a few months ago I caught myself forcefully begging Ryan [my husband] to pay attention to me for once! Say ‘hi’ to me first once. When did I become a second class citizen in this house? Weeks of no makeup and a wardrobe filled with sweats was beginning to take a toll on my self esteem as a woman."
It's hard. People have lives to live and when children come into the equation it's hard to let in anything else. Still, for the health of both the individuals and the household on a whole, take some time to do adult things. Even if it has to be after the kids are already asleep. Ask about each other's days. Talk about something else besides what the kids did that day.
Not everything needs to fall on the dad either. The fall out that a lot of married couples feel after the baby comes is no one's fault. It happens. The demands of the baby are louder than the demands of each other's. Find time for each other.

Don't disappear. Here are some things to try:
Try saying hello to your partner first and your baby(s) second. It sounds hard to "put baby second" but you have two loved ones that have been apart from you all day and are anxious for your attention.
Compliment and encourage your partner. So what if she's still in the same yoga pants you left her in when you left the house 12 hours ago? It may have been that kind of day.
Be sensitive to your partner's mood. Although she may have been home in her yoga pants all day, she still had a long and tiring day.
Go on a date! Once a week, or once a month, it doesn't matter how frequent. Take some adult time and actively try to not only talk about your children.
Have sex. Don't forget about that! No one what's to "pencil in" sex, but if that what it takes, do it. Both you and your partner will be happier for it.

What it boils down to is making time for each other. Family life can be all consuming, but you can't neglect your individual needs. The little things will keep piling until you feel unappreciated and neglected. Open communication and compassion can go a really long way.