We live in a world where we are bombarded with people who ‘snapped back’ after pregnancy or those who are going on crash diets and strict exercise routines to ‘get their body back’. And even though it has taken almost ten months to grow your baby, the media tells us it should take ten hours tops to get back to how we looked before.
The truth is, though, that having children does have an impact on the body, and some of those changes are permanent. Genetics has a lot to do with it, and our lifestyle also has an impact. It is important to think about everything that your body has been through and is still going through as a starting point.
When it comes to post-baby body confidence, what can help?
Neutrality over positivity
Mentally and emotionally, it can feel like a leap to go from being unhappy with your body to being confident and happy. There is a middle ground that can be amazing for many people. Instead of looking at your body in a negative or a positive way, consider it neutral.
What this means is that you’re aiming for the acceptance of the body you have right now; it isn’t bad or good; it just is.
When you get to acceptance, you can make more informed and considered decisions on what you want to do going forward.
Clothing
The movies and Tv shows often show people leaving the hospital with a completely flat stomach post-birth, but for almost everyone who gives birth, it is rounded and soft. Everything has been stretched and needs time to find its new space. When we try to get back into our pre-pregnancy clothing, this can make us feel bad because our bodies just aren’t the same shape.
Maternity clothing can be your saviour here because it is stretchy and soft, and in some cases supportive too.
Sizing up or down doesn’t matter – what matters is that you are comfortable.
Self Care
In the early days of newborn, self-care moments might be few and far between – but it is important anyway. Showing your body and mind some love is important. It helps to keep you bonded with your body and respect all the work it has put in.
Self-care might be a cup of tea in the morning in peace while your partner has the baby(ies), a facial at the local spa, a long soak in the bath, or even researching if a mommy makeover reduces stretch marks. Self-care is about what makes you feel good, no matter what that looks like.
Time
So what if your baby is now 2,4, or 24? Everything worth anything takes time to happen, and life is so busy that body confidence and joy can take time. We often expect huge weight loss and those marks of pregnancy, like swollen ankles and a bad back, to leave quickly.
Not to mention how much time babies take up! It can be tough. Sometimes the best thing to do is to keep reminding yourself this can take time.
The best part is that it doesn’t matter when you start; all that matters is that you do: Powerful Ways to Take Better Care of Your Body – mommypalooza™ | Kansas City Lifestyle Blogger.
