FIT PREGNANCY » GET YOUR PRE-BABY BODY BACK

I admit it, I was mislead, much like the rest of society it seems. One of the things that most upset me during my first pregnancy was the thought that I would never have a 'good' body again. I was overwhelmed with joy about the life I was carrying inside me, but the thought of the body I would be left with was a bitter pill to swallow. As I watched my waistband grow my anxiety over it grew too.

I kept replaying the visions of 'mom jeans' and mini-vans in my head, and I just couldn't picture myself there. I convinced myself I could pull off the hip, young mom look, but a new vision quickly formed in my mind - one of an overly padded woman stuffed into her teen jeans, with a muffin top and a stamp on her head that screamed 'desperation'. I felt like I would be living in this state of limbo, where I looked and acted like a stereotypical mom, yet in my mind I would still feel young and (heaven forbid) sexy! I spent the whole pregnancy unable to reconcile those two people in my mind. 

Why did I feel this way?

Well, I am highly suspicious that it was society's fault. Moms are so often portrayed in this frumpy light, or as they call it, a matronly way. How many women have you known that had a certain edgy look to them, until they had a baby? Then they go get that mom haircut and banish their entire wardrobe to the spare closet – or even get rid of it all together, replacing it with elastic waistbands, nursing bras and oversized t-shirts? Are you guilty? Did you trade in your thong for granny panties too?

I suppose I did it because I didn’t think my new mom body would look so hot in my skinny clothes, because I knew I would never have my pre-baby body back. Isn’t that what you were all told? Maybe no one has told you in those exact words, directly to your face, but I guarantee that’s the perception most women have. We hear the comments all the time. Some of my favorites are:

•  “They say your weight permanently goes up about 5kg with every pregnancy” 
• “I would love to wear stuff like that, but I have had kids”
• “I would love to be in your shape, but I have had kids”
• “I know I will never have abs again, because I have had kids… c-sections, two of them”

Let’s get real and cut through the crap. You absolutely can have your body back after having children! And honestly, if you really wanted to, you can have an even better body than you did before giving birth.

The secret?

You can’t simply want it, you have to act on it and do something about it! No, your body will not just magically spring back, even if you drop all the weight. There are many moms that manage to drop the kilos they gained, but their bodies are not the same. They still appear wider and fluffier, because some of the changes from pregnancy take quite a while to go back to normal, like the widening of the pelvis and hips. That is a skeletal change that takes time to return to normal. And yes, some changes may be permanent. Typically, breast tissue will not have the same density as it did before, and if you get stretch marks they don’t fully go away. But even those improve over time. However, you can control the formation of stretch marks and/or the severity with which they occur.

 So how do you get your body back? 

The first step is to formulate a plan.

• Take steps during your pregnancy that will make the recovery easier. These include eating healthy, keeping your weight gain in the normal or healthy range, continuing physical activity, taking your vitamins, and using an emollient moisturiser on those stretch-prone areas, such as breasts, your belly and hips. If you get stretch marks anywhere else, you just flat out gained too much weight, there is just no way to sugar coat it. 

• Ditch the old mentality that lets women off the hook just because they have had kids! I know it exists because I hear about it every single day when people comment on my physique, and then fail to contain their surprise when learning I have children (three of them, all by c-section… triple shock right?) No, it’s not. I am not some anomaly and you can’t reason all of it away with the genetics excuse. I ditched the old mentality and I took action!

• Plan your meals and be prepared. Having a baby is hard work. It will drain you and leave you to scavenge in the pantry for whatever quick and easy food is available. In most cases, quick and easy is another way to say carbs and fats. Spend a couple of hours on one day planning your meals and cooking up lots of food that can be portioned out and kept in the fridge. Being prepared works 100% of the time. Being unprepared fails 100% of the time. Any guesses on which category you need to fall into to get your body back?

•  Make a schedule with your husband or significant other that factors in 'me time'. Make sure that you have back up or help at least four days a week so you can get a workout in. Yes, you will be tired and napping seems like the best way to alleviate that, but the reality is quite the contrary. Working out and having those few sessions a week since baby will do wonders for your energy levels, and it gets you closer and closer to that pre-baby body.

• Quit letting yourself off the hook. If you screw up your plan day after day, week after week be honest with yourself. Quit that self-negotiation that will keep you in a body you are not happy with. “It’s OK I missed my work out again, I was extra tired. I needed the rest” or “I know I didn’t get my food prepared this week and have to snack on the go, but I will cook my food up next week”. You are only letting yourself down with this mentality and if you don’t stop… go ahead and buy those mom jeans with elastic waistbands.

• Fake it until you make it. Get in the shower, fix your hair, put your make-up on. It doesn’t matter if you are just staying at home with your baby. It seems that it’s the women that allow themselves to get into that slump that really struggle to get out of it. Having a baby is no excuse to miss your shower for a couple of days. Don’t act surprised, I can’t tell you how many women I have heard say “a shower is a luxury”. Ummm, no it’s not, it’s a necessity. If you are letting a baby keep you from showering, you my friend are in for a whole new life that revolves solely around your child. Reality check: Those kids usually end up as the ones no one wants to be around, and feel inept and despondent when they get out into the real world, only to realise that it does not, in fact, revolve around them. Trust me, you will be doing them a disservice in life, so get in the shower!

• Don’t give up. Yes, it will take you a little while to get your body back. Don’t do what I did and take your pre-baby clothes to the hospital, thinking you will be wearing them home after the delivery. But follow the steps above, be persistent, don’t settle and you will get the body you want.

Without a doubt, having children is a miraculous gift and I cherish mine immensely. Unfortunately I think many people confuse loving their children with the need to give up their own lives entirely. The truth is I love my kids enough to take care of myself, love them enough to make time to love myself and I love them enough to be an example to them, by giving them the knowledge of what clean eating is and that gym time is just as much a part of a normal day as a shower is. I love them enough to greet their father first, with a kiss, when I walk through the door, to demonstrate to them what a loving marriage and partnership looks like. I love them unconditionally, which doesn't let you off the hook from loving yourself the same way. Give it a shot! Everyone in your household will be happier for it.