Rachel Hollis wanted to share a photo of herself in a bikini to encourage other mums to be proud of their bodies.
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But the US lifestyle blogger had no idea the picture would be viewed more than 10 million times, shared almost 50,000 times and attract 390,000 Facebook likes.
"I have stretch marks and I wear a bikini. I have a belly that's permanently flabby from carrying three giant babies and I wear a bikini. My belly button is saggy... (which is something I didn't even know was possible before!!) and I wear a bikini," Hollis wrote when she posted her pic on The Chic Site's Facebook page on March 22.
"I wear a bikini because I'm proud of this body and every mark on it. Those marks prove that I was blessed enough to carry my babies and that flabby tummy means I worked hard to lose what weight I could.
"I wear a bikini because the only man who's opinion matters knows what I went through to look this way. That same man says he's never seen anything sexier than my body, marks and all. They aren't scars ladies, they're stripes and you've earned them. Flaunt that body with pride!"
The overwhelming response to the post came quickly with women thanking Hollis for helping them to accept their own preceived imperfections. Some even posted pics of themselves wearing bikinis in a show of solidarity.
The post also prompted supportive comments from men who said they loved the post-baby bodies of their own partners.
The reaction to her post surprised and pleased Hollis.
"It touches my heart that people are having this reaction to it," she told Today.com.
The 32-year-old said she grew up "chubby", but had never tried to lose weight until she after she had children.
Hollis said the photo was taken one week after she had completed her first marathon.
"I thought, it's not going to get better than this. My body is never going to be smaller than it is right now, so if there's ever time to show off your belly, this is probably it," she told Today.com.
"[My body is] never ever going to be like a Victoria's Secret model. But I think I look good, and my husband wants to make out with me, so I'm doing something right."
Hollis is not the only mum to speak publicly recently about her acceptance that her body will never be the same due to the effects of pregnancy.
In a recent interview with Glamour.com the Hollywood mum Drew Barrymore explained how she felt like a kangaroo after carrying her two children for nine months.
"After making two babies, holy cow, does your body do some crazy stuff! It's hard to stay positive and love yourself," she said.
"You feel like a kangaroo with a giant pouch; everything's saggy and weird. But you think about how beautiful it is that you're able to make children.
"When I lose sight of that, I exercise, read Dr. Seuss's Oh, the Places You'll Go!, and spend time with my kids. Then I start to see things that are bigger than myself."