Unfortunately, we live in an era when social media and other media outlets treat postpartum figures as something to hide – pushing moms to agonize over every pound and loose bit of skin. Many people celebrate dad bods, but mom bods never get the same positive energy.
The negative stigma surrounding mom bods can lead to unhealthy fad diets, weight loss supplements, restrictive shapewear, and overly intense workouts. Although there’s nothing wrong with wanting to set fitness goals after pregnancy, you shouldn’t feel shamed for how your body looks after growing a child for nine months.
Do you find yourself stuck in that negative mentality? Have you been trying to “fix” the way your body looks? There’s a better way: a strong dose of self-love. Instead of forcing your powerful and heroic body to conform to social norms, find ways to love yourself despite and because of your battle scars.
Your body is amazing as you are! You and your body have been through a lot over the last year or maybe even longer. Going through pregnancy and the postpartum experience takes a toll on your mental and physical health. Be kind to yourself as you continue your healing journey, keeping in mind how far you’ve already come. Your stretch marks and extra skin are your warrior symbols. Embrace them!
Here’s how to celebrate your mom bod and lean into self-love.
Reach Body Neutrality
Body positivity is a fantastic goal: feeling so good about how you look and feel that you just can’t help but love your body. This level of enthusiasm, however, might not be possible for most postpartum moms. It’s a far leap, especially when overcoming pregnancy hormones along with baby blues or possibly postpartum depression.
Instead, make body neutrality your goal for now. Learn to see your body as neither good nor bad but merely the shell holding your existence. Over time you may grow to love your appearance more, but you’ll also begin to appreciate the amazing qualities you have aside from the way you look.
Prioritize Joyful Movement
Even though it may be tempting to start hitting the cardio hard to burn off extra calories and get back to your prepregnancy weight, it just isn’t practical or even possible. You need to use this time to get rest and to allow your body to heal. Pregnancy and birth are traumatic experiences requiring at least six weeks of recovery.
Enjoy this time to move at a slower pace. Embrace the extra time with your new little one. Instead of intense workouts, try some joyful movement instead. Start with peaceful walks to build up your stamina. Once you get the all-clear from your doctor, you can try dancing, boxing, running, or rowing. As long as you’re moving your body in a way that feels fun to you, that’s what matters.
Schedule Pampering Appointments
Treat yourself to some time away from your baby — it’s more than fine to leave for short periods. Schedule a massage, haircut, or mani-pedi as a form of relaxation and self-care. Tending to your own needs and wants is the ultimate act of self-love, not selfishness.
If you had these beauty appointments regularly before becoming pregnant or giving birth, returning could bring a sense of normalcy to your currently uncertain world.
Nourish Yourself
You and your body are heroic for bringing life into the world. The last thing you should do to your body is punish it for looking different after that feat. Forcing yourself to eat a minimal amount of calories or cutting out whole food groups will make you feel deprived and surely won’t improve your body image.
Instead, focus on taking in a healthy amount of calories for your age and size. Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, fish, meat, whole grains, and healthy fats. Foods that contain vitamins, minerals, and omega-3s can boost your metabolism, give you energy, and fight depression. Your relationship with food doesn’t need to be focused on weight loss. Energy and mood stability are arguably more important in facing the challenges of motherhood.
Buy Clothes That Fit
Now, more than ever, you need to wear clothing that makes you feel comfortable and good about yourself. It’s an awkward time when you don’t fit into your prepregnancy clothes but your maternity wear looks large and frumpy.
Use this as an opportunity to get a few new things in your current size, not the size you want to be. You deserve clothing that fits your body and makes you feel beautiful. Don’t let celebrity moms — who have personal trainers and endless time on their hands — make you think you need to be a certain size after pregnancy.
Get Off Social Media
Scrolling through Instagram isn’t doing you any favors. Stop wasting time staring longingly at overly edited photos of mommy influencers with teams of people helping them look the way they do. Remember that social media is a highlight reel, not the whole truth. Unfollow anyone who makes you feel unsatisfactory and stick to uplifting accounts or quit social media altogether.
Ditch the Scale
Unfortunately, maternal care forces you to be intimately familiar with your fluctuations in weight. After all, it’s important to measure how much the baby has grown and keep your weight gain within normal limits to prevent gestational diabetes. Now that you’re no longer headed to the OB’s office so frequently, however, you can officially ditch the scale.
Even if you achieve your prepregnancy weight, you’ll probably never look quite the same again, which doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Turn your attention away from the number on the scale to how you feel in your clothes and the things your body can do. You’re more awesome than a scale will ever tell you.
