How do you bounce back postpartum?

There is no bouncing back. There is only moving forward.

Your body is forever changed postpartum. We don’t go through puberty and then say “I want my 10-year-old body back.” It just doesn’t work that way. We accept aging then. Yet somehow we go through a pregnancy and think we’ve failed when our bodies don’t go back to how they were before? Make it make sense!

Even if you lose the weight you gained, you may have scars, stretch marks, loose skin or cellulite. You may experience physical symptoms (prolapse, birth injury, leaks, diastasis, hernia) that have changed you.

After I had my first baby, I did go back to my pre-baby weight immediately (genetics). I received so many compliments on how great I looked as if that’s what mattered. But no one asked how I felt. I was leaking, feeling constant pressure in my pelvic floor, and my abs had a massive diastasis. I felt weak and not like the mobile athlete I once was. I was deeply anxious. I didn’t care how the heck I looked. I wanted someone to acknowledge how I felt. I needed help FEELING better.

We tell ourselves that getting our bodies back will make ourselves feel good, but that’s just not true. You can change how you feel without ever changing how you look. How you feel in your body matters more than how you look in your body. And I’m aware of the thin privilege I have in saying that.

If you are struggling with body image or disordered eating - get help from a mental health therapist. It’s not just a mindset thing. Diet culture is so deeply engrained that we often don’t even realize how much we’re affected by it. It’s patriarchy and supremacy culture wrapped up in a billion-dollar industry.

It constantly distracts us from how terrible we feel to put the emphasis on how we look. No matter what, our looks will change as we age. That’s normal.

Let’s move forward and focus on FEELING our best through every stage!

✅Need help navigating symptoms or fitness in pregnancy, postpartum or beyond? Book your virtual consultation here. 💪🏽

❓Did you feel pressure to snap back? Where do you think the pressure comes from? Family? Friends? Media? Somewhere else?