Stretch Marks, Squishy Tummy: Lara Quigaman Gets Real About Changes Motherhood Brings

Beauty fades, and there is no escaping this truth. Not even for a beauty queen, apparently. In her latest Instagram post, Miss International 2005 Lara Quigaman-Alcaraz, a mom of two, wrote about the joys of motherhood that transcends physical looks.

Two days ahead of Mother's Day, the actress posted a black-and-white photo of her kids Noah, 6 years old, and Tobias, 7 months old, on the bed beside her. Only her tummy was shown, which had visible loose skin and stretch marks. 

"When I had children, it wasn't just my body that changed, my whole life did. Most of the time I am exhausted, I am tired, sometimes I cry (parang ngayon, parang tanga, umiiyak habang nagtatype ????) there are times when I feel like I can't do it anymore," she began her caption for the photo. 

"I look in the mirror and I see messy hair, walang ligo, my tummy covered in stretchmarks so deep you can play 'sungka', skin so loose, you can probably make a bag out of it, my breasts — well you my fellow moms know what these two look like now — and then I look at my sons and they look back, one smiles back and the older one tells me 'your tummy is so squishy mom, i love it...???? and even though I feel insecure about my body, I am not going to complain."

Lara is not alone in her sentiments. A few other celebrity moms have proudly bared their stretch marks and loose tummy skin as badges of honor to uplift other moms who sometimes can't help but feel bad about themselves. Denise Laurel and Kylie Padilla, and recently, preggo mom Andi Eigenmann, have posted unretouched photos to show off their "tiger stripes" to say it's okay to not look perfect. 

The 36-year-old mom continued her caption with, "Kung ang kapalit naman ng lahat ng sakripisyong ito eh ang mga ngiti ng mga anak ko, okay na okay na ako. I will be grateful to God everyday for the gifts He has entrusted to me."

The beauty queen had previously written about other physical changes she went through which are normal postpartum, such as a bald spot on her head (postpartum hair loss). She also wished people tried to be more sensitive and knew better than to ask women who just gave birth, "Bakit ang laki pa din ng tyan mo?"   

What other parents are reading

Melissa Ricks on Accepting Her Curvier Body: 'I'm Not Who I Used to Be, and That's Fine.'

"To mommies, nanays, mamas reading this — it may be hard right now, but it's all worth it, and know that soon, our babies will grow up and we will miss their littleness, their 'hypernessness' and the noises and messes they make, and our bodies will remind us that we once carried them and nurtured them."

Lara ended her post with an empowering message to all fellow moms.

"You are Strong, You are Amazing, YOU ARE NOT ALONE. You may feel unappreciated but God sees you, knows you and what you're going through and He loves you. Smile na, He's got us...Tara Sungka tayo. Happy Mother's Day Mamas!"

Lara is married to actor Marco Alcaraz, whom she wed in civil rites in Vancouver, Canada in January 2011, and again on July 8, 2012 in a Christian ceremony in Tagaytay, Philippines.

What other parents are reading

Judy Ann Santos Is Learning to 'Love My Imperfectly Perfect Body'

5 Ways Parents of Preschoolers Can Raise a Body-Positive Kid

Valerie 'Bangs' Garcia Is Back to Her Pre-Baby Body Less Than a Year After Her CS

6 Flattering Holiday Looks for Your New Mom-Body (Models Are Real Moms!)