This Viral Comparison Photo Is Reminding Moms Why Postbirth Rest Is So Effing Necessary

Paper plates and placentas — they're two things that seem entirely unrelated (save for the fact that they both start with the letter "p"), but they actually have more in common than you may think. Laura Fry, the woman behind the Facebook page Labor of Love – Lancaster, PA, recently shared a powerful realization she had about the connection between these two entities, and it's sure to blow your mind.

A mother and birth advocate, according to Scary Mommy, Fry posted a simple image of a blue-trim paper plate with a measuring tape extended across it to show its diameter. "22cm or 8.6 inches. That is the exact diameter of a paper plate, AKA the fine china in our house. It is also the average diameter of a placenta," Fry wrote in the caption. Whoa — that's a pretty crazy visual, if you stop to think about it for a second.

She went on to explain how there are plenty of "good reasons" moms are instructed to minimize physical activity for about a month after giving birth. "One of those reasons is that after the baby is born, mothers are left with a wound on the inside of their uterus where the placenta was attached. That wound will take at least 4-6 weeks to completely heal." Fry warned that although some new moms may assume they're fine and dandy after having a "complication-free vaginal delivery," they're actually still vulnerable to postpartum infections and hemorrhaging. Yikes!

Fry also added in a worthy reminder: "To those mothers, rest! To their husbands, partners, parents, in-laws, friends — let them rest! Help out as much as you can and don't let them overdo it!"

The mom made sure to edit her caption by clarifying that she is "not a medical professional" and that her post was solely meant to serve as a word of "common sense advice" for new moms to "take it easy." This certainly isn't the first time we've heard the advice to rest postpartum, but her stark comparison photo truly drives home how necessary it is.

When she shared her cautionary words on Facebook, the post went viral, amassing more than 14,000 shares and well over 2,000 comments. The general reaction? Minds were blown by Fry's paper plate/placenta comparison, as the photo was flooded with shocked comments like "I feel so dumb for never knowing this" and "Wow — I had no idea! Didn't even occur to me." Some moms were upset that they hadn't heard this advice before going through childbirth. "I wish someone would have shared this with me. I felt wonderful after a week and walked to the park...it took me twice as long to heal because of that one stupid walk," one Facebook user wrote. Another commented, "I was back to all my mom life stuff 3 days after my c section. I wish I would've stayed in bed resting for longer."

The bottom line: if possible, take adequate time to chill the f*ck out after childbirth. You body will thank you.