After having a baby the pressure to lose the baby weight is all around us. It can come from the TV, social media, magazines, family members or friends and the general public. Regardless of where the pressure comes from the message is usually the same…you must fix or improve your body postpartum.
What if…instead of believing that you needed to fix or improve your postpartum body you just loved it instead. Yes, that is probably easier said than done for most people but it is an important thing to consider. You can consider your body and your life as being in a state of limbo immediately postpartum. There are so many things that have changed is such a short period of time about both your life and your body and it is going to take some time to adjust to those changes. By being loving and compassionate with yourself and your body as well as finding gratitude in each and every day you will set yourself up in a more positive mindset overall.
The time period immediately postpartum should not be about the pressures of “losing the baby weight” or “getting back to the pre-baby body”. What if we instead focused on the time immediately postpartum to be in the moment, focus on the baby snuggles and soaking in all the sweet new moments you are going to experience.
Tune in and listen to the things you are saying to yourself. Notice the harsh criticisms and try to make those things more positive (even if they are only a little bit more positive). You can also ask yourself why you feel the goal of “losing the baby weight” is so important to you? How do you imagine your life changing when you reach that goal weight? Was this a goal that you chose, or was it planted there by the media or another person? Taking the time to think about some of these questions can really help you see why focusing on getting your body back to your pre-baby body is important to you, or maybe you will find it’s not actually all that important to you.
For some women who are struggling to see their body is a positive light, mantras can be helpful. When choosing mantras you need to choose something that is meaningful to you. It is recommended that you repeat these mantras to yourself out loud as often as you need to hear them. Some examples of mantras include: “My body rocks. It created this gorgeous baby.” or “I will not compare my postpartum body with any other moms postpartum body, nor will I measure the speed at which other moms are losing their baby weight against my progression.” or “I will trust the process and be honest with myself.” Feel free to create your own mantras that resonate with you, looking online can give you some ideas if you need a starting place. Some people also find it helpful to write these mantras down on sticky notes and place them around their home or other places they frequent. Seeing these phrases more often throughout the day can help you remember to say them to yourself and it’s also a nice reminder as well.
I would also encourage you to continue to move your body and do the things that you want to (within your healing time frame of course). Physical activity and fitness are so important during your postpartum period for both your mental and physical health. This doesn’t mean that you need to go out and run a marathon or lift crazy weights…sometimes a ten minute walk around the block is enough. Exercise produces feel good hormones and will also help to remind that your body is strong and powerful and it will be able to do the same things physically again (maybe it will be able to do even more). Look at exercise as a tool in your postpartum healing tool box and respect it through the healing process.
At the end of the day your goal immediately postpartum should focus on figuring out how to love your perfectly imperfect body. You body is the same as it was before yet it will feel very different and that is okay. It has done something incredible, it has grown a human being. You body is strong, fierce and you should be celebrating your body for those things.
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