An Aussie mother of quadruplets has made it her mission to show that not everything is always as it seems on Instagram, revealing the realities of her post-partum body in an attempt to "keep it real".
Western Australia woman Natalie Maree has over 26,000 followers on her Instagram account 'kikiandthequads' which documents her life with her now nine-week-old quadruplets, and two-year-old daughter Kiki.
In a recent post, the mum-of-five revealed the reality of a five-week postpartum stomach, with two photos - one with her T-shirt covering her tum and one with it exposed.
"If I ONLY posted the first picture the comments would've been along the lines of 'you look great for just having quads'," Maree captioned the post.
"If I ONLY posted the second photo I would've received 'you should be so proud of what your body has done'.
"Parts of me and I'm sure many others would JUST want to post the first photo. The other part of me wants to be REAL to prevent a false sense of reality (que social media world)."
She reminded followers to be kind to mothers battling with their sense of self after having children.
"The reality is I grew four miracles in this belly! I am goddamn proud of what my body has done and can do!
"The reality also is I'd be lying to myself and all of you if I said I loved what my belly looks like now."
The honesty of her post resonated with other parents, who thanked the "brave" mum for "keeping it real".
"Absolutely no one can tell you how you should feel," one fellow mum posted.
"I only grew twins and I hate my stomach. But, I was blessed with two healthy beautiful babies and this is what gets me through."
"You are incredible and beautiful," wrote another. "What a wonderful role model you are to your tribe."
