Kourtney Kardashian urges new moms to embrace their postpartum bodies: 'Try to be kind'
Kourtney Kardashian is embracing her postpartum body and encouraging other new moms to do the same.
Sharing a photo of herself swimming in the ocean in a bikini on her Instagram story Sunday, the "Kardashians" star, who welcomed son Rocky with husband Travis Barker late last year, wrote a message for other "new mommies."
"Your body is beautiful at all stages," she wrote. "During pregnancy as we are glowing and growing, postpartum as we are healing and shrinking, and then that period I find the hardest as our bodies are still adjusting."
She continued, "And if you're breastfeeding, that's a whole other part of it. I try to be kind to myself as my body finds a new normal."
Concluding the note with a reminder to the other moms and herself, she wrote, "The pressure put on us to bounce back when everything is new and different isn't realistic. Life is beautiful, you are beautiful."
The postpartum period is defined as the 12 weeks following the birth of a child, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. The postpartum period is also often called the "fourth trimester" by medical experts because a woman's body is still undergoing hormonal and physical changes and recovering physically from giving birth, whether by vaginal delivery or cesarean section.
Citing the importance of the postpartum period, ACOG has in recent years released new guidelines to help encourage more postpartum care. The organization now recommends that all postpartum women have contact with their OB-GYN or obstetrics provider within the first three weeks after delivery and that care should continue on an ongoing basis, ending with a "comprehensive postpartum visit no later than 12 weeks after birth."
In addition to Rocky, Kardashian is also a mom to three other children -- Mason, 14, Penelope, 11 and Reign, 9 -- whom she shares with her ex Scott Disick.
After tying the knot with Barker in 2022, the Lemme founder became a stepmom to Barker's children with ex Shanna Moakler, stepdaughter Atiana, 25, Landon, 20 and Alabama, 18.
ABC News' Katie Kindelan contributed to this article.
