You're More Like Princess Kate than You Think

Recently, Kate Middleton and Prince William welcomed their third child into the world. He is beautiful baby boy. They named him Louis Arthur Charles. Prince William’s middle name is Louis.

I’m sure you’ve seen the pictures. Kate Middleton and Prince William stand on the steps of the Lindo Wing at St. Mary's Hospital just 7 hours after giving birth to present their newest baby to the world.

Seven hours after birth. Here comes the comparison. The internet is filled with hilarious memes about how we all look 7 others after giving birth. For most of us, we were puffy, laying in a hospital bed, and maybe still covered in bodily fluids. I remember the giant maxi pad and the discomforts of just having a baby. Most of us probably hadn’t had a shower, or maybe were still hooked up to hospital gadgets to keep us safe.

When I see Kate on the steps I start to compare, too. Her hair is perfect. Her makeup looks fresh. The woman does not look like she was pregnant, already. My stomach looks worse than hers now at 18 months postpartum.

But let’s be real to ourselves. Our bodies do amazing things to have a baby. Not all of us like to be fixed up or have makeup on. If we had help and a style squad, we would probably look awesome, too.

Prince William and Kate may be fancy, but they got one thing right in these photos. The look on their faces is the same as ours, momma. It’s a look of adoration. Remember the first day with your new baby? The smell? The smiles on your faces and the little squeaky sounds of a newborn? They genuinely look happy and like proud parents.

When I remember how I was those first hours after birthing my babies, I remember nothing but pure joy. Of course I was tired. I was uncomfortable. But things were new. Things were different. Things were real, from the blood stained hospital gown to the painful nursing sessions with a new nursling. The connection with my husband was real. The excited phone calls with family were sweet. No one can take those memories away from me or your own memories from you, momma.

So let’s stop comparing ourselves to Kate Middleton. Yeah, she looks like she has it all together, but we see the highlight reel. We see her in the public eye. I’m sure she wakes up to tiny little humans begging for cereal and wears yoga pants just as much as we do, momma. And that is okay. We are all moms, and we are all in this together.

Karyn Meyerhoff is a mom of three in Arkansas where she needs to go look at her baby albums now.