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I got pregnant last February so it’s been almost a year of my body experiencing changes. First, growing to accommodate my beautiful baby girl and now that she’s here my body transitioning back to its pre-pregnancy state. This is my third pregnancy so I’m much more comfortable with this process than I was with my first child. Actually, I still remember being a new mother and having the fear that I would never lose the pregnancy weight. As a matter of fact, there was a day in particular that always come to mind — my oldest daughter was about 2 weeks old and I was about to take her for a walk. I had put on a new coat and as I tried to tie the belt around my stomach I thought I looked stuffed and I cried at the image I saw looking back at me in the mirror. After having that breakdown, in only a few more weeks I realized that I was even smaller than before getting pregnant. That experience taught me to allow my body heal itself and embrace my postpartum body through the transition. Here’s how I am doing it:
Positive Self-Talk
I got the book Real Love: The Art of Mindful Connection as a gift over the holidays and while I’m not finished reading it I’m much more aware now of when I say negative things to or abut myself. While the whole world may not be on board when it comes to embracing my postpartum body.
Nurture it by Grazing
You probably don’t have the option of eating the way you did before you had your baby and you’re probably skipping meals or eating much later than you like to. Well, at least that’s what’s happening to me. I’m not the type of girl who would voluntarily skip meals! Actually, I’m the opposite, the girl counting down to the next meal while I’m still eating the current meal. When I worked outside of my home, I would always volunteer for the earliest lunchtime slot. It wasn’t until I became a mother that missing meals became a thing, it wasn’t much of a thing with my first child but it started with my second, now with my third, it’s out of control. I’ve been sharing how late I end up having my dinner in my Instagram stories and I even confessed feeling like I’m failing as a new mom because I just can’t seem to get all of my meals. The truth is breastfeeding requires a lot of me and while I love it (this isn’t meant to be a complaint post) I’m just not taking good enough care of myself. So on Sunday, after I wrote about how I was feeling in my journal, I realized that I should challenge myself to eat all of my meals. Sure, finding the time to eat with a newborn that I’m breastfeeding is hard but I’m going to do more grazing through the day so I don’t end up starving. At least until she’s a little older and I’m not nursing as frequently and I have more time to take care of myself. Don’t skip meals in hopes to lose weight either, focus on your nutrition because you need to be nourished to care for your children.
Stick to a simple style
I’ve been keeping my style as simple as possible since I gave birth in November. Of course, on the days that I have time and feel like it I do get dressed up but otherwise, I go for a very easy casual style. For instance, this lace shoulder sweater courtesy of PinkBlush Maternity is perfect for my current style. It’s cozy and romantic while functional for a new mom like myself.
Don’t hide your body
I totally get why some moms feel like covering up under baggy clothing would be a better Sure there are a lot of ways you can dress to hide some of your flaws but that’s not necessary. As proud as I was to share my body transitioning to have my baby I enjoy showing the journey.
How do you embrace your postpartum body?
Disclaimer: This statements made in Mamas’ Stores are not medical advice. The Mama’s Stories section is a place for women to share THEIR EXPERIENCES with postpartum health topics. Statements or third-party promotions made by mother’s do not necessarily reflect the 4th Trimester Project brand. The 4th Trimester Project does not endorse the statements, brands, or products mentioned in any posts. The 4th Trimester Project aims to only partner and promote people and organizations who adhere to the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes (also known as the WHO Code). For details, click here .
