Rumer Willis is embracing every stage of her postpartum journey.
In fact, one year after welcoming her baby girl Louetta with partner Derek Richard Thomas, the 35-year-old revealed how becoming a mom has given her a fresh outlook on her body.
"Leaning in to my mama curves in the jungle," Rumer captioned her April 22 Instagram, alongside several snaps of herself in a bikini. "It's been a journey of continuous curiosity and growth to see how much room and acceptance I can give my body as it continues to shift and transform after birthing a little human."
The eldest daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore explained why it's important to celebrate herself and set an example for baby Louetta.
"I hope to continue feeling in my loving of myself in all the many shapes and sizes it will come in," she continued, "so I can show my daughter what unconditional self love and acceptance looks like."
Although Rumer has accepted the changes that come with motherhood, she's still learning valuable lessons.
"This has been such an experience from the moment I got pregnant til now," the House Bunny star told E! News' Francesca Amiker in November. "It's been such an exercise in surrender and self-trust. Everyone will give you advice—grandparents, friends, sisters, doctors—and the truth is you really have to trust yourself."
That's the approach she's taken with breastfeeding, especially since people have tried inserting their opinions.
"If people look at me weird or judge me, that's fine," Rumer said. "Whatever your journey is, don't be ashamed. It's such a privilege to be able to feed your child and have those moments of connection. Are you going to prioritize what other people think of you over your connection with your child?"
Instead of feeding into the mom-shaming, the actress has used her experience to empower others.
"It doesn't seem like there's a general container of support for women to continue on their breastfeeding journey," she noted. "So, it's really important to be able to talk about it."
Since becoming a mom, Rumer has candidly discussed everything from breastfeeding to her body image. Keep reading to see all of her words of wisdom.
Rumer Willis welcomed her first child with boyfriend Derek Thomas in April 2023, introducing their daughter Louetta Isley Thomas Willis to the world in an Instagram post.
"You are pure magic," Rumer captioned the photo. "You are more than we ever dreamed of."
Rumer, the eldest daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore, revealed Lou was born at home and later shared images of her birth experience.
One month after Lou's birth, Rumer penned an emotional message to her daughter, sharing that she had "waited and dreamed of you my whole life."
"You have changed my life in the most profound way," the House Bunny actress continued. "It is the privilege and honor of my life to be your Mother and I will do everything and anything for you always. I hope you never stop wanting to sleep next to me or take baths with me."
Rumer went on to thank her sisters, Tallulah Willis and Scout Willis, for supporting her through her pregnancy and at-home birth experience.
To my sisters, my best friends, my partners in crime," she wrote, "to have you there to share in the moment that I was able to bring my girl in the world is a moment I will never forget. You have watched and supported me on the journey and know what it meant to bring another precious girl into our lineage."
"One of the first things i said after you were born was 'oh my girl, I missed you,'" Rumer revealed in a May 2023 Instagram post. "I feel like i have always known you and you me. You are the most beautiful creature I have ever met."
The actress added, "Every moment and contraction and every bit of the pain of birth was worth it and I would do it a thousand times over if it means getting to spend one sec with you."
"I am so grateful to have you in my life and our daughters life," Rumer captioned a birthday post for Thomas in 2023. "You are such a great dad and our girl is so lucky to call you papa."
Rumer paid tribute to her dad on Father's Day 2023, writing that seeing the Die Hard actor—who was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia earlier this year—hold his first grandchild as "something I will treasure for the rest of my life."
"His sweetness and love for her was so pure and beautiful," Rumer shared of Bruce. "Papa I'm so lucky to have you and so is Lou. Thank you for being the silliest, most loving, coolest Daddio a girl could ask for."
In an August 2023 post, Rumer listed several life happenings that had brought her joy lately, including putting "tiny bows in tiny hairs," the "most precious toe buttons" and "mini naps with mini hands."
Just days before her 35th birthday, Rumer posed nude in an Instagram photo, reflecting on her body image in the caption.
Sharing that she had spent "so many years trying to shape and mold" her body into something she "thought was desirable," the Dancing With the Stars champion celebrated that she is "a little softer and rounder and jiggly and different" after giving birth.
"That's ok, more than ok it's kind of amazing because I grew a person inside of it," she wrote. "I know my body is still readjusting, but whatever shape it ends up in I am just grateful for all that it did and continues to do."
Acknowledging her "ongoing process of transformation," Rumer explained that she was "grateful for every twist and turn" of her postpartum journey.
"My breasts, might be bigger and perhaps ever so drifting downward but what a gift and privilege that they can feed and provide nourishment for my Lou," she wrote. "They also make a fantastic pillow while we cosleep. My hips and tummy, now softer and rounder, cradle my daughter in safety, warmth, and love."
Rumer marked her 35th birthday by sharing a photo of herself breastfeeding Lou, writing on Instagram, "This past year has come with so much growth, so many challenges and fears to overcome but right along side more joy than I could ever imagine. I truly learned what it is to surrender into the deepest core of myself and find a strength and a primal power I didn't know I had."
"This new version of me is someone I love more than I ever thought I could. I feel more comfortable in my skin," she continued. "More confident than I ever imagined. I have known for so many years that being a mother would bring me into alignment with a divine purpose I have always felt and to known that my intuition was right has given me a trust within myself that I am so deeply grateful for."