For whatever reason, we have this idea that the first few months after giving birth is all sunshine and giggling babies when, really, it’s not. That’s why we love moms—like Alexandra Kilmurray—who give us a much-needed dose of reality by telling us what postpartum life is really like.

Kilmurray is unapologetically honest about the many struggles new moms face: the physical and mental changes, and the possibility of postpartum depression. In a moving Instagram post, she writes, “It took me 18 months to get here, 18 months to not cry when I look in the mirror, 18 months to finally feel beautiful in my own skin again!” Check out the full post below: