We have all seen the photos, stories, and tweets about the dad bod, celebrities like David Harbour from "Stranger Things", Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, Jay-Z, etc, and so many women including myself find these men sexy. But when a woman, mom or not, has a little extra weight on them it's not ok, and we need to lose weight because it's not sexy.

So why is it ok for men to have this quote-unquote dad bod, but it's not ok for us to show off and rock, and feel sexy in our body that is not stick thin and tall? We have had this unrealistic image that we need to strive for. We get these thoughts in our heads daily when we look in the mirror. We think that we need to lose more weight, or my stomach and legs need to be tighter and thinner.

For moms, not all of us have the body that bounces right back after having kids. I'm short — 4'9" on a good day — and I used to weigh around 90-95 pounds before I had kids. I got pregnant at 25, I gained 45 pounds with my first and second son and 25 with my last son, and I had C-sections with all three. I could not lose the weight that I desperately wanted to lose. I'm now 35 and I still weigh 120 pounds.

Some may think that's not a lot, but with how short I am, it looks like more. But I have come to embrace my mom bod. I work out, eat well, and I don't deprive myself of a cupcake or candy bar. My body went through a lot with my last two pregnancies, and I have had bad mental health days about how I look there were days.

I cried because I hated the way I looked.

For the longest time, I didn't feel sexy in anything. I hated shopping for clothes, and trying them on was a nightmare. But this past summer, I decided to stop all the dieting. I started working out and eat well. I eat the right portion size for a meal. I was done with not eating the food I loved.

And now I'm embracing my mom bod. This body has grown and given life to three amazing little boys, and with the scars and trauma that my body went through, I wouldn't change it for the world. So to all the women who have had kids (or not) and are struggling with body image, know that you are beautiful the way you are.

Take care of yourself by working out and eating good foods, but don't deprive yourself of a cupcake.

I'm finally loving my body.

It's still not where I want it to be, but that's ok, some things take a little more time and patience. So to all the moms out there that may be going through the same thing, I want you to look in the mirror and find five things you like about your body and tell yourself that you are beautiful no matter what people and society says.

We as humans are not perfect and neither are our bodies.