Embracing Your Mom Body

Embracing your mom body    

Body changes after having kids are inevitable and these changes affect us differently. After my first pregnancy, I put so much pressure on myself to try and get my body back to what it used to be pre-baby. Any meal I had that did not meet my ‘healthy eating’ standard was followed by guilt. This went on to a point where I could no longer help how I was feeling.

There is so much pressure for women to look a certain way in terms of their bodies but there are things about our mom bodies that we should embrace and celebrate.

Motherhood is a blessing

First and foremost, you need to acknowledge that your body  went through a lot of changes to be able to carry your little miracle. Being a mom truly is a blessing and our bodies should be given the credit for  the transformation that happens leading to birthing our babies. The changes to your body did not happen overnight and it’s  quite unfair to put so much pressure on yourself to just snap back to how things were before having kids. As moms , we need to give ourselves the grace of time to work on our bodies after having kids.

It is unfortunate that despite the fact that most women struggle to embrace their postpartum bodies, the media and society already has an unrealistic standard that women feel they should attain  in terms of body image. We are different and our bodies are different. It’s these differences that make each of us unique and special. I believe the important aspect above everything is being healthy and happy with yourself while keeping in mind that ‘healthy’ will look different from person to person.

Love your body in its different forms

I have gone through many changes with my body , from gaining to losing weight and putting it back on. I’ve also gone through a period  where I was unhappy with my body  and I was constantly feeling that something needed to be changed. Please don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to lose weight but it’s the underlying feelings leading to that desire that can be somewhat toxic.  Looking back , I realise that people’s comments about my body led me to think that I was not supposed to be of a certain size or body shape and this led me to develop this distorted view of my body image and I  imposed other people’s opinions over myself. I’m really glad that I’m in a better space now and I know that people’s definition of a healthy or good looking body does not have to be my own.

 A work in progress 

Through all the changes and experiences , I have finally come to a point where I have accepted how my body is at the moment and have decided to work towards a healthier me. I aim to achieve this by striving to adopt a healthy lifestyle; choosing  healthy  meal options and trying to stay active as often as I can. I have no set period to achieve specific body goals , but I’m  taking each day as it comes, enjoying my journey and I refuse to put myself under unnecessary pressure and stress.

I would love to encourage fellow mommies to love their bodies through the changes. You can work towards a healthier you as well as the body shape you want and it’s possible to achieve this, however,  it should come from loving and accepting yourself while striving towards the image you desire. It’s also my wish that as  women , we would be more sensitive and gracious towards each other rather than dishing out unpleasant comments about the next person’s body and magnifying  what we know could be a source of insecurity for that person.

Love,
Muhluri

Photo from Unsplash.com.