There’s a movement on social media at the moment where mums share pics of their postpartum bodies, warts and all (so to speak). Flabby tummies, stretch marks, sagging breasts and everything else. And I love it.
It’s so important that, as mums, we celebrate what our bodies have achieved in bringing our precious babies into this world. That superhuman effort is, of course, going to leave some scars. We stretch, we hurt, we tear, and we are definitely not the same after it (in body or mind). It’s actually astounding what our bodies can do and yes, that should be celebrated.
However, while I’m all for embracing our postpartum bodies, there comes a point where we need to cut the bullshit and start making sure that we’re healthy.
One mum shared a picture of her body saying she was 13 months postpartum and was eating ALL of the hamburgers because mum life is tough. I completely agree that we need a little reward after all the pain and struggle.
Of course, we deserve to eat yummy things. But when it becomes a habit, and something that is ensuring we stay overweight well after our babies have arrived, maybe we need to stop using them as an excuse for unhealthy habits.
What sort of example do you want to set for your children long term? Source: Facebook.
By all means, take your time to lose the baby weight. Do it slowly, because nurturing your body and mind is so important. Being a mum should be your most important role, not shredding your body.
However, I strongly believe that being the best mum you can be involves making sure you feel good (physically and mentally) and are healthy enough to take care of your littlies for a very long time to come. That means treating your body right - exercising and eating well. It's also about what sort of example you want to set for your children long term.
When we cheer each other on for mistreating our bodies, it’s only setting ourselves up for future health problems. Recent research commissioned by baby food brand Bellamy's Organic shows that nine out of 10 mums forsake their own health and nutrition "due to the pressures of being a good mum".
We all know just how much many mothers tend to put their children first and themselves last, and the research shows just how much mounting parenting pressures can hurt a woman’s health.
I know just how hard it is. I had two babies in 17 months, and with a two-year-old and 10-month-old, life is just plain full-on. I know about the pressures. But I do my best to fit in exercise here and there, and eat well I’d say 70 per cent of the time.
As with all things in life, I think it’s all about balance.
Rewarding yourself and embracing (plus celebrating) your post baby body, but also balancing that by making your health a priority along with the well-being of your baby and the rest of your family.
Top Comments
Bad mums! Don't they even know that they're no longer unique complicated people capable of making their own decisions to suit the nuances of their own situation? No. Now they're mothers their bodies aren't their own properties. Eating burgers after nearly 40 weeks of an extremely restrictive diet because it makes them happy. Oh my how awful.
I don't really get it either. What's the obsession? Giving birth has a major effect on your body, probably the most transformational outside of puberty. People are as interested in your stretch marks about as much as seeing your appendix scar after surgery. I've had a baby, now look, I have stretch marks. What reaction are you expecting? Someone to write back with a New Testament of the Bible? I Zen like inspiration? The solution to cold fusion? The meaning of life?
Clearly you've not had your body transformed by pregnancy and childbirth. It's kind of a big deal when the vehicle you've always used to get around in is taken over by an alien life form with lots of weird stuff happening and then left altered by the process.