Going through childbirth is a life-changing event, no matter how many times you’ve done it. The pain, the excitement, and the joy of bringing your baby into the world is nothing short of miraculous.
But after the main event is over and life resumes its adjusted routine, it’s common for new moms to have concerns about their post-partum bodies.
Getting back to normal is different for everyone, but there are some ways you can turn your mom-bod into your old one, or an even better version.
5 Steps in the Right Direction to Better Health After Pregnancy
Unlike in the movies, it’s not typical for a woman to go from carrying a baby for nine months to bouncing back like elastic into their pre-pregnancy shape. This false ideal makes it difficult, and even mentally distressing, for women who can’t seem to lose that extra baby weight.
When you’re ready to step up your physical and mental health, try these five ways to get in shape after a baby.
1. Get physical. Easier said than done with a demanding infant attached to your hip at all times, but sometimes that’s exactly what you need for some extra resistance!
Take a 10-minute walk, whether you feel like it or not. Getting out in the fresh air does something to relax our minds and rejuvenate our bodies. Burning calories and working unused muscles is a bonus!
2. Do something just for you. You don’t have to go wild and crazy, but your health and happiness depend on your self-care routine.
Get a sitter and book a massage or a mani/Pedi session. Have lunch with your best friend.
If your disappointment with your post-pregnancy body goes beyond the norm, your solution might need to be extraordinary, too. Don’t feel selfish or foolish if you need to step it up and do something you’ve been thinking about for a while.
Go get that tummy tuck or rhinoplasty surgery you’ve dreamt of. You brought a life into this world. You deserve to make yourself happy, too.
3. Stay off social media. Scrolling through your Instagram and Facebook feeds may keep you distracted from your responsibilities, but it also sets unrealistic ideals in your head. Images of perfect lives and perfect bodies can cause you to feel restless and unhappy at a time when you are already susceptible to strong emotions.
Instead of getting caught in the vortex of social media, take your child outside to play or do something physical. Your mind and body will thank you!
4. Join a mom’s club. Let’s face it. When you’ve been up all night feeding a child who refuses to be patient while you wake up enough to take care of him or her, the last thing you want to do is put on clothes and act like a big girl.
But when you get together with other moms, if you show up in your pajamas or puke-stained shirt without showering in days, there’s no judgment. They get you.
And that’s important.
However, if your mom’s club makes you feel shame because they’re perfect and so are their little ones, get a new circle. They aren’t real. You are.
Don’t give up after one bad experience. Getting out of the house is an important step to getting your body back in shape. You have to keep moving!
5. Dance with your kids. Whether you can bust a move or bust a hip, it doesn’t matter. Your kids, even infants, will love getting down to a groovy beat with you.
It helps you physically and mentally, and your children will remember the fun times Mom was silly with them.
It’s Not All About the Physical Needs
Getting your body back in shape requires you to first get back to health mentally. It’s going to take a lot of work and effort, and if you’re not taking care of your mind, too, you’ll constantly experience setbacks.
Work on your mind and body together, and you’ll see a quick return to the previous, but now improved, version of you.
These are great tips and I’m sure many pregnant women will find it really helpful. Thanks so much for sharing this