Dedicating your body to the months-long process of preparing for birth is amazing, joyful, painful and scary sometimes. Feeling the baby move or watching an elbow gouge out of your stomach, can be surreal.

Once that beautiful baby is nestled in your arms though, you forget the pain of labor and delivery, or the discomfort from a c-section. But sometimes, you're left with proof of what an amazing thing your body did. Stretch marks.

As if getting back into shape after having a baby isn't challenging enough when you're sleep deprived, discovering the snaggled lines down your stomach, thighs and hips once baby has been born can be defeating. Some women embrace their stretch marks like warriors who battled labor pains and won. Some slather themselves in cocoa butter and hope they'll disappear.

But for one mom with six kids, stretch marks became a point of contention between herself and her husband. When fitness fanatic Sharny Kieser, 36, shared on her Facebook page a confession about the ideal body, the one she'd dreamed of, her comments really resonated with other moms. 

To be truthful, she looks pretty darn amazing for having six kids close in age. Every woman dreams of being able to put on a bikini without feeling self-conscious. Sharny did, too. 

"I used to not see the point in exercise because my body was covered in stretch marks. What's the point in having a great body if I will never wear a bikini?' I'd think. If I was ever invited to the beach or a pool party, I'd always decline. On the odd occasion I couldn't avoid it, I'd stay inside, helping with the food or the cleaning."

But instead of focusing on the body she wanted, she dedicated herself to loving the body she now had. That's because Sharny overheard her husband talking with friends about her body.

Facebook/Sharny & Julius

Self-conscious at the mention of the word "stretch marks," she couldn't resist listening. That day, she learned the truth and it spilled right out of her husband's mouth.

"... I overheard my loving husband explaining to a bunch of his friends why he thought stretch marks were beautiful. They were a sign of being a woman. They are a result of the great love a mother has, that she would scar her own body to bring a child to life."

Sharny's self-doubts began to fade away, even though the stretch marks remained. She said the more her husband chatted up the beauty of her perceived skin flaws, she realized that she'd been wrong to harbor such sadness toward a healthy body that birthed six healthy, beauty gifts from God.

"I had hated myself for the very reasons he loved me. My body wasn't ruined or disgusting, it had transformed from a selfish girl's body into a selfless mother's body, and the scars were a symbol of that transition. A daily reminder that I was a mother. I looked at my stretch marks and I felt pride. I felt love. The love of my husband and the love of my children. Each one of them had been nurtured and lived behind those scars for nine months. I felt pride. I felt love. I felt love for myself."

Once Sharny adopted a new outlook toward her body, she also began treating herself better. She sought a healthier lifestyle and a solid, strong body, even one with those beautiful warrior mom stretch marks.

"I WANTED to eat healthy. I WANTED to exercise, I WANTED to do the things I loved. Just by changing the way I looked at myself with love and pride instead of hate, I had found the effortless motivation to care for my body."

Facebook/Sharny & Julius

Do you know what happened once Sharny started feeling better about herself and her mom bod? Once she began putting in hard work? She finally achieved the body she'd been dreaming of.

"The bikini body that I thought was not ever going to be possible for me after being covered in stretch marks, has became a reality for me. It started, though, with me loving myself first. Being grateful for what I had, not wishing for something better."

Sharny wrapped up her post by telling all women--not just moms--to love themselves and their bodies. It doesn't matter if they breastfed, bottle fed or don't have any children at all, "you're perfect."

"You should love you. Stop beating yourself up and start loving yourself. For the magic that is a woman's body is what you have."

What incredibly wise and motivating words Sharny shared with the world. As a mom of six kids who loves fitness, it's hard to imagine that she didn't love her body, but she finally did.

Take Sharny's advice to heart and know that you are beautiful just the way you are!

Sources: Facebook/Sharny & Julius FB Image Credit: Facebook/Sharny & Julius