Whether or not you’ve birthed a child before, it’s common knowledge that moms can’t just get back to their normal lives right away. Their body just went through a roller coaster of changes, and obviously is going to need some time to get back to how it used to be.

A standard maternity leave is 12 weeks, but some experts say moms need more than that, even up to a year. This can be hard to understand if you’ve never given birth before. How much could bearing a child really do you to your body?

Well, a lot. And one woman finally came up with a brilliant way to show that women need a lot of time to heal and recover after a human comes out of their bodies. By simply using an image of a paper plate and a ruler, she made it easy to understand how bad the wound left by your placenta after birth can be.

The woman’s name is Laura Fry, and she recently posted the below photo on the Labor of Love Facebook page, located in Pennsylvania:

“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,” she begins. All right, you’ve certainly grabbed our attention.

She then discusses how after you give birth, you’re told to take it easy for up to six weeks and how one of the reasons for this is because “After the baby is born, mothers are left with a wound on the inside of their uterus where the placenta was attached,” Fry writes. “That wound will take at least 4-6 weeks to completely heal. During that time they are still susceptible to infection and hemorrhaging.”

Fry goes on to say that no matter what kind of delivery you have, and even if you’re feeling relatively okay after birth, it’s important to rest and not overexert yourself.

She also gives a shout out to the loved ones of the new mom: “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!”

You know how they say the simplest things can make a world of difference? This simple image of a plate and a ruler just made things click for a lot of people. Her post was shared almost 15,000 times with more than 7,000 likes. The comments on the post are overwhelmingly positive.

“Agreed, birthing not given the proper rituals and support, drive thru deliveries, limited time off, culture is so out of [whack] in support of nurturing families. Even a paper plate is more logical!” one woman said.

“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. Hubbys, ask for help and MAKE THEM REST!” another said.

What do you think of this intellectual Facebook post? Do you think it really puts childbirth into perspective for others? If you’re a mom, how long did you rest before getting back to your normal life?