A mother of ᴛʀɪᴘʟᴇᴛs said Sᴛʀᴜɢɢʟᴇᴅ for years with Iɴꜰᴇʀᴛɪʟɪᴛʏ, and now, after ɢɪᴠɪɴɢ ʙɪʀᴛʜ to ᴛʀɪᴘʟᴇᴛs, she’s learning how to appreciate her body, stretch marks and all. Desiree Fortin, 30, who lives in San Diego with her husband Ryan, 31, said she has always felt ‘proud’ of her body after ɢɪᴠɪɴɢ ʙɪʀᴛʜ to one-year-old Charlize, Jax and Sawyer following ᴅɪꜰꜰɪᴄᴜʟᴛɪᴇs with Iɴꜰᴇʀᴛɪʟɪᴛʏ. But recently she was prompted to reassess her feelings about her post-ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ stomach after two people mistakenly thought she was ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ. The photographer and stay-at-home mother, who suffered from ᴘᴏsᴛᴘᴀʀᴛᴜᴍ ᴅᴇᴘʀᴇssɪᴏɴ and ᴀɴxɪᴇᴛʏ after her ᴄʜɪʟᴅʀᴇɴ’s ʙɪʀᴛʜ, said she was congratulated on her “ʙᴀʙʏ ʙᴜᴍᴘ” twice in one week.

She said: “I am not ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ. However, I do have a little left over postpartum pooch, but I have always felt amazing and proud of my body after having my ᴛʀɪᴘʟᴇᴛs. What I went through to bring them into this world, and the sᴄᴀʀs that represent my story,’ she wrote on her blog.” Initially she ‘ʙʀᴜsʜᴇᴅ ɪᴛ ᴏꜰꜰ’ but but when it happened a second ᴛι̇ɱe she started questioning her relationship with her body.

Desiree said: “I was challenged to really think about my body. Was I really proud of the ᴡᴏᴜɴᴅs left behind on my stomach after ᴄᴀʀʀʏɪɴɢ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴇʟɪᴠᴇʀɪɴɢ ᴍʏᴛʀɪᴘʟᴇᴛs? Was I really beautiful? Do I really appreciate the fact that these sᴄᴀʀs represent the miracle of life? Did I truly understand the value of my hope ᴡᴏᴜɴᴅs? She said her stretch marks are a reminder of the change my body never saw coming during her sᴛʀᴜɢɢʟᴇ to get ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ but that they also represent ᴇxᴛʀᴇᴍᴇ ᴊᴏʏ of having children.

She added: “Every little wrinkle, every sᴄᴀʀ, and the sᴀɢɢʏ sᴋɪɴ that rolls over my jeans show how great Gᴏᴅ is in impossible situations.” She calls them hope ᴡᴏᴜɴᴅs and her children hope babies because of the long journey she went on to become ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ. I called, and still call, my babies my “hope babies.” My body is very different than what it used to be and I see hope when I look at my ᴡᴏᴜɴᴅs and all it took to become a mother. I also see my journey as a mother and knew the term “hope ᴡᴏᴜɴᴅs” would perfectly describe the sᴄᴀʀs on my body and truly represent my story so well.

The Fortin ᴛʀɪᴘʟᴇᴛs were born on Aug. 17 ᴠɪᴀ C-sᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ. I delivered at 34 weeks and one day, which was amazing because there were doctors who told me I’d ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ɪᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ꜰᴀʀ. But Gᴏᴅ gave me a miracle ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ and today we are the proud parents of identical ᴛᴡɪɴ boys Sawyer Reed and Jax Ryan, and one little girl Charlize Hope. Our little angels are the most precious gift. My heart is ᴏᴠᴇʀᴡʜᴇʟᴍᴇᴅ when I think about the fact that we are now a family of five.

Life since the babies were born has been busy, ᴄʀᴀᴢʏ and full of adventure. I still cannot believe that Gᴏᴅ has given me not one, but three tiny huɱaпs that I get to share my life with day in and day out. I love getting smiles from my babies and watching them grow. I get lost in love staring at them — my heart overflows with thanksgiving because they are here. Being their mom is undoubtedly the greatest job in the world, but my journey was not easy. There were countless days where I laid sᴏʙʙɪɴɢ on my bathroom floor because of ᴀ ɴᴇɢᴀᴛɪᴠᴇ ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ ᴛᴇsᴛ ᴏʀ ᴀ ꜰᴀɪʟᴇᴅ ꜰᴇʀᴛɪʟɪᴛʏ ᴛʀᴇᴀᴛᴍᴇɴᴛ. But it was worth every sᴀʟᴛʏ ᴛᴇᴀʀ to finally become a parent.

As well as positive emotions, Desiree said the sᴄᴀʀs also symbolize her ‘ᴅᴀʀᴋ ᴅᴀʏs’ as a new mother when she suffered from sleep deprivation, ᴀɴxɪᴇᴛʏ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴇᴘʀᴇssɪᴏɴ. She wrote: “I felt ashamed of myself and incredibly lonely. I see that when I look at my sᴄᴀʀs.”

She responded to the ᴍɪsʟᴇᴅ ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ comments by posing for a series of photographs in a bath. She told: “I felt so empowered and inspired to continually embrace my body for the beauty it is and truly represents.” She said numerous mothers have contacted her about their sᴄᴀʀs since speaking publicly about the subject. She added: “Behind every sᴄᴀʀ and tiger stripe is beautiful strong woɱaп who brought life into this world and she has a story and that is something to be proud of”.