Tess Holliday Opened Up About Struggling With Motherhood

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There's no denying that motherhood involves a lot of changes, and can often require a lot of adjustments. Though she had already been a mother, model Tess Holliday opened up about the early days of being a mom to her second son, Bowie Juniper.

On Tuesday, Holliday posted a throwback photo of herself breastfeeding Bowie, writing that the photo was taken "during a dark time in my life."

"It's not #tbt technically, but I found this photo on my phone now from September of last year & it gave me so many feels," she wrote.

"I was an emotional mess + struggling to find my way as a new mom again," she admitted.

Though looking at the photo initially reminded her of a time when she was struggling with motherhood, it became an important memento of one of the most beautiful parts of being a mom.

"When I looked at this photo a wave of sadness poured over me, but now I only see my tiny bubs nursing & Sweetie looking on like a nervous new mom," she wrote.

The photo, she said, is now a reminder of the fact that motherhood is often imperfect and overwhelming, but it's always worth it.

"Life is messy, love is complicated, & it can all feel so overwhelming but we grow & learn," she wrote. "I'm so grateful for my life & appreciate it all, even if I can't always see the light at the end... it's there. Promise."

Holliday is also a mother to an 11-year-old son, Rylee, from a previous relationship. But as any parent with more than one child will tell you, each experience is entirely unique, and each comes with its own struggles. Motherhood isn't always easy to talk about, but thanks to moms like Holliday who are choosing to be open about their struggles as well as the most beautiful parts of being a mother, we're opening up the conversation about what parenting is really like.