7 Truths About Your Body After Baby

Inside: Having a baby is miraculous- exhausting but amazing! Getting to know our new post baby body is so important. Read on to understand the 7 truths about your new body to help you feel comfortable and confident! You are not alone!

I’ve always been astonished at how women completely transform after becoming mothers. We go from normal everyday women to powerful creators of life!

We now have this great sense of responsibility, the overwhelming love for our children, the juggling of being a wife and a mom and so much more!

The journey from woman to mom is both internal (emotionally and mentally) AND physical (hello stretch, marks goodbye smooth tight skin).

What we thought we knew about our bodies quickly got thrown out the window because we have to learn all about our new post baby body. But getting acquainted with your new body will help you overcome the overwhelm of feeling like a stranger in your own body so you can start feeling comfortable and confident!

Bottom line is: we have to understand the truth that our post baby body is different than our body before we were pregnant.

Understanding this will help you know that you are not alone in what you are facing!

Here Are Some Truths About your Body After Baby:

 Truth #1: Your Body Goes Through A Lot

As mothers, our bodies go through so many different stages:

• when you’re first pregnant and have fatigue
• when you’re nauseous and tired over morning all day sickness
• when you start to grow your baby and your bump gets bigger
• when you’re huge and can’t wait to have your baby
• when you’re in labor and delivery and pushing your body to push out a beautiful baby
• and now afterward, where you’re recovering from your delivery, feeding your baby, and trying to figure out this new “post-baby mom body”.

Our bodies have just been through a lot!

Even if it’s a year after you had your baby- your body is still going through a lot! You may see this in a different way throughout the day. Maybe you can’t hold your bladder as long as you used to. (Guilty!) Or maybe you get tired faster. These are all totally normal!

Truth #2: You May Not Be Able to Lose Weight as Quickly

I have found out the hard way that I cannot lose weight as quickly as I did before I was pregnant. Before my post baby body, I used to be able to go on a hard diet and lose 5 pounds in 10 days. Not. Any. More.

Try not to be fixated on a weight “number”, instead focus on feeling healthy. This is easy to say and easy to read but sure as heck not easy to do. Trust me, I know!

Losing weight is not just about looking good but about feeling good. It’s important to know and recognize the difference. If you’re totally comfortable with your new body then hooray!

But if you feel like you want to lose some weight and feel a little better then work at it- set goals and just do it!

Truth #3: You May Not Be Able to Lose Weight Using the Same Methods You Used To

I used to be able to just drink fresh juices and lose weight in what seemed like a second. Now it’s not that easy.

Try not to focus on what you USED to do. I have learned that being a mom is all about adapting. Adapting to new roles, adapting to new situations and new scenarios.

We have to adapt to our new lifestyle so why not just accept the fact that things are different and be okay with the different.

Truth #4: Your Post Baby Body is Different From All The Changes

Having a baby changes your life– especially your body. In your post baby body, your hips may get wider, your breasts may get bigger, your hair may get thinner or your hair may get thicker, your feet may get bigger! Changes galore!

It’s okay to realize that things may never be the same and that’s okay! Focus on what you can change and what you would like to better but also try to accept and love the things that are new about you.

One of my biggest changes was my feet grew during pregnancy. I have no idea why or the science behind this but all I know is I was a shoe size 8 and now I’m a 9. This irked me to no end! But I LOVE my old shoes and I was so excited to wear then again after pregnancy. I spent yeeeaaarrrssss building my shoe collection and now I can’t even wear a quarter of them!

Does this bother me? YES! But all I can do is keep moving forward. I always think maybe when I continue to lose the baby weight my feet will go back to normal size?? Who knows!

BONUS: Don’t forget to grab your copy of the FREE Self-Care Cheatsheet to help you focus on your self-care and start feeling confident in your own skin! Get the download by filling out the form below!

Truth #5: Now You Have to Eat Right AND Exercise

I know how badly I want to lose weight and feel healthy. I learned that I have to make sure to combine healthy food with exercise. I never realized how important being active was. Because I live in New York City before I was pregnant I used to walk to the subway, walk to the store, walk to work, walk to school- I didn’t realize how active I was in my everyday life!

Now that I stay at home with Baby L I’m not as active, and man can I tell. I started to walk every day with Baby L and not only do I feel better but she loves it too.

So be sure to eat healthily and exercise! And exercise the way YOU feel comfortable, not the way you see other people doing it. If you want to just walk for 30 minutes a day, do it! If you want to run, do it! If you want to swim, do it! Do what works for you!

Truth #6: You May Have Stretch-Marks

This is a perfect example of your body being different now than when it was before you were pregnant. Hello, post baby body!

I know some women who don’t have one stretch mark and then I know some who have them all over! If you don’t have stretch marks then I’m sure you get a lot of women asking you ‘how did you do it?!’

If you do have stretch marks don’t be discouraged! Your baby is here and it’s all because of you!

I personally have a lot of stretch marks. It’s because I had so much water retention in the last 2 weeks of pregnancy that my arms and legs began to abnormally stretch. No matter what I did it would not go away. I also tried every stretch mark prevention remedy there was and they didn’t seem to work!

So, trust me, I know the frustration but I also know the relief that comes with just accepting this is who I am. My stretch marks are the tale of my delivery victory! This doesn’t mean that I don’t take care of them and moisturize my body in those areas. I also try to watch my weight so they don’t grow but I’ve accepted “this is me, this is my post-baby body and I will love it”.

Truth #7: Other Mothers Will Look and Feel Better Than You

Man, this is a truth that is hard to swallow. Know that everyone has their own way of doing things. Not everyone went through what you did and you won’t go through what everyone else did.

Our experiences shape who we are and have an effect on us, because of this we are all different.

The truth is, someone is doing better than you but you are also doing better than someone else. We can’t compare our stories, kids, and bodies to other mothers.

While it’s okay to feel disappointed it’s also important we don’t dwell on that too much where we feel like we can’t move on or better ourselves.

Free Self Care Cheat Sheet

Start feeling comfortable and confident in your post baby mom bod by focusing on your self-care! This FREE self-care cheat sheet will help you take a few minutes out for yourself each week so you can be rejuvenated 🙂

Get the free cheat sheet now!

As much as we want to snap our fingers and make our post-baby bodies perfect, the reality is our body went through a lot. It’s best not to overly push ourselves to be like how we used to because then it can negatively affect other areas of our lives.

Even though at times you might feel like a stranger in your own body, accepting the fact that your post-baby body is different than before we were pregnant can help you feel confident and good about yourself.

And when you feel good about ourselves you’re happier… and when you’re happier your kids are happier…and when your kids are happy then your husband is happier.

As mothers and wives, we play a huge role in our home and feeling confident and good about ourselves goes a long way!

Are there any other post-baby body truths that you are experiencing? I’d love to hear them- share them below! As always, feel free to personally contact me here for any personal support, encouragement or even just to share your story with me.

Wait! Do you love free printables??

Become part of the Mastering Mom Life Insider tribe and get instant, exclusive access to my Mom Treasury filled with FREE printables + worksheets to make mom life easier!