According to research and social media surveys, body image concerns among postpartum women are at an all time high. And struggling with poor self-esteem while newly postpartum can be a significant source of mental and emotional stress, leading to depression, and struggles with breastfeeding.
This is a very vulnerable time for even the strongest of women, and I’m here to say that if you’re struggling with postpartum body image, you are NOT alone.
You see, I am standing in the in-between. The in the middle. The “my body just did something AMAZING, and I’m so proud of it,” and the “I’m insanely uncomfortable in the aftermath of the miracle that my body performed.”
I am proud of my body and yet physically uncomfortable. Happy, and yet confused. I’m living in such an “I don’t know how to feel” world. On one hand, we should be totally proud of ourselves because of the obvious: We create, grow, and give birth to humans. We give life. Our organs rearrange themselves and we pop out 7 pound (sorry for you mamas of 10 pound babies) humans after our bones shift inside us enough to let them through OR (as I did) we undergo major surgery to deliver our tiny creations. What our bodies are capable of is insane.
We are taught to believe that if we eat well and exercise during pregnancy, we should be able to fit into our pre-pregnancy pants at 10 weeks postpartum. That we shouldn’t gain more than 25 pounds during pregnancy. That if we do gain more, we are doing something wrong. This was 100% me, I was that girl who believed if I just kept doing what I was doing at the gym and sticking to a meal plan I would not put on weight and would be back in my size 26 jeans weeks after giving birth..... REALITY CHECK !! This is not a realistic expectation to have and TRUST me when I tell you I gained more than 25 pounds.
We aren’t all the same. We all gain differently. Our bodies know what we need and our bodies are amazing at doing exactly what it needs to make a baby.
I am grateful I was able to workout my entire pregnancy, I had tons of energy and my nausea only lasted the first 3 months. I was so happy to be able to workout 5 days a week and keep my body moving till 38 weeks pregnant.
BUT you know what .... I still gained 40 pounds, I did get down to my pre baby weight while I was breastfeeding however as I sit here 10 months post partum I have slowly gained back some of that weight and am struggling hard to drop it. Clothes don't fit the same and you will hardly ever catch me outside in a crop top these days BUT I have been back in the gym (or doing Covid at home workouts) for 7 months and I feel stronger than ever.
The unrealistic expectation I had for myself put so much pressure on my breastfeeding experience, I knew in order to produce milk I needed the additional calories HOWEVER in order to start dropping weight I needed to be in a caloric deficit. Unfortunately at that time I had given into the pressure and my milk supply quickly dried up by 6 months post partum.
Not everyone bounces back in 10 weeks just because they stayed active through pregnancy. I don’t think new moms should be subjected to seeing SO MUCH of that on social media. It’s damaging. It makes us feel like failures if we don’t look a certain way by a certain week postpartum. And that’s not ok.
It’s kind of exhausting to even think about the pressures put on newly postpartum mamas.
SO ALWAYS REMEMBER –
Don’t rush into any fitness style that you’re not ready for – especially for the sake of losing weight.
Get off the scale and focus on small changes you can make that are easy to sustain. Whether it’s a healthier food choice, or getting out for a walk each day, or just 10 minutes of stretching (alone time!), focus on the small wins each day instead of the bigger end goal that seems to be too distant and difficult right now.
Get off social media. As a blogger / fitness enthusiast – this one is tough for me. But as long as we’re watching others, we’re going to compare ourselves to others. I made a point to ONLY follow accounts that inspire me and motivate me in a positive way.
Give yourself time, grace, compassion, while being patient and consistent with your efforts.
And if you are struggling to accept your new postpartum body…I am with you
コメント