Tia Mowry shared a powerful photo and message about her postpartum body

Tia Mowry welcomed her second child, a baby girl, just seven weeks ago. And while the entertainment industry definitely praises women for “bouncing back” after having a baby, Mowry is here to remind everyone that not all moms “bounce back” as quickly as the women in the magazines — including her.

She shared an honest photo on Instagram showing how she looks seven weeks after pregnancy, and the inspiring post also came with an important reminder for all of the new mommies out there:

“Some #pregnant women after giving birth no longer have a belly after 7 weeks,” she wrote. “While others it may take a little longer. Me, I’m the latter.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkZwUaClmRE/?taken-by=tiamowry

“I remember after giving birth to Cree, my belly didn’t all of a sudden go flat,” she continued. “I did have a C-Section, (as well as with my second pregnancy) and I thought something was wrong with me. I had seen in magazines the many women on the beach a few weeks #postpartum in a two piece. To be honest, it had to take time for me to embrace my new body. With this second pregnancy, I now have embraced that fact that I’ve housed a human being. A miracle. A life. If it takes a while for me to get back to my normal self, than so be it.”

She finished the post with a body-positive message that can serve as inspiration for everyone, not just moms.

“This.Is.Me. And I love me.”

Her message reminds us that we should all love ourselves a little bit more and not hold ourselves to ridiculous expectations.

This isn’t the first time the actress has championed the idea of loving yourself, either. Throughout her second pregnancy, she frequently posted photos of her changing body, embracing all that a woman’s body can do.

“A woman’s body can do amazing things,” she captioned a photo of herself sporting PJs and no makeup:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BgOhlyhBG1a/?taken-by=tiamowry

And she was definitely right about that! Her body allowed her to deliver a healthy baby girl, weighing 6 pounds and 4 ounces, on May 5:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BicX1eVFao9/?taken-by=tiamowry

And since her daughter birth, she’s embracing motherhood and all that comes with it — no sleep and all.

After the royal wedding, she proudly posted to Instagram, writing that she was “No Kate Middleton,” who had gotten all dressed up for the royal wedding just weeks after welcoming her third child.

She topped the post off with “#teamnosleep” and “#mom.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BjFXuwmhzel/?taken-by=tiamowry

Again — this is definitely something moms can relate to!

Seven weeks after her daughter’s birth, not only is Mowry showing off her postpartum bod, but she’s also finally announcing her baby girl’s name: Cairo Tiahna Hardrict:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BknYTIhFfN-/?taken-by=tiamowry

Baby Cairo joins Mowry’s son with husband Cory Hardrict, 7-year-old Cree, making them an adorable family of four.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkJSNsNBz6-/?taken-by=tiamowry

Congratulations to the new mom — and props to her for loving herself through every step of this pregnancy journey, and for reminding all moms to do the same!