The Biggest Mistake I Made Postpartum
Before I was pregnant, I always imagined my pregnancy (whenever that time came) to be filled with lots of activity. I imagined that I would be the perfect ‘healthy’ pregnant girl who still worked out 5 days a week, and stayed very active during those 9 months. But boy was I wrong. The nausea, the exhaustion and coping with my body changing was a lot more than I ever anticipated. I was hoping the healthier and more active I was during my pregnancy, the easier it would be to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight. And that led me to the biggest mistake I made postpartum.
I wanted my pre-baby body back immediately. That was the biggest mistake I made postpartum.
Society Pressure
I think any new mom, or any woman who is a mom has seen the society pressure of getting back to your old self shortly after having a baby. Whether we want to admit it or not, the pressure is out there. Although the pressure isn’t directly given to us, we see it as a viewer and an outsider. Which leads me to the next problem – Social Media.
Social Media was not helpful
As much as I wanted social media to be encouraging and helpful when it came to getting back to pre-pregnancy, that just wasn’t the reality. Social media brought so much pressure, and gave such an unrealistic view of a woman’s postpartum journey. I would see women getting back into exercise approximately 6 weeks after giving birth, and jumping back in HARD. I followed my doctor’s recommendations and wasn’t super in a rush to get back into working out, but once I was given the okay, I put so much pressure on myself to get my body back as soon as possible.
Social media was toxic. And I didn’t go looking for it. Pages would pop-up online in my instagram ads or my friends on facebook. It was everywhere, and I couldn’t escape from it. I tried to let social media motivate me for a long time. But I then soon realized how toxic it really was.
No Realistic Goals
There’s Nothing Wrong with having a goal to get back to your pre-pregnancy body. But it also needs to be realistic. I can’t say I ever saw women sharing their realistic goals. It all seemed to be about getting to your pre-baby body as soon as possible. It’s great to have the goal to get back to your pre-baby body. But it’s important to make it realistic. And realistically, it’s been over 2 years, and I’m still not there yet.
Know that it’s OKAY.
I’m still not at my pre-pregnancy weight, because let’s face it, I had FAR more time to dedicate to working out before I became pregnant. I was in good shape to begin with, but I could easily dedicate an hour (and sometimes more) to a good workout. I ate healthier because I had more time. Now I’m running around trying to find something my toddler will eat that;s not popsicles or suckers. And when I make chicken nuggets for him, I’m just going to eat the leftovers because I’m too tired to make a healthy meal for myself. And that’s OKAY.
Don’t let social media guilt trip you. If you’re like me, your priorities have changed. The minimal free time you get you may not want to spend in the gym. Instead of having your child playing with toys in his pack-n-play while you walk the treadmill for 30 minutes, you may just want to sit on the couch and take a breather. Whatever works for you and your schedule, that’s all that matters.
The biggest mistake I made for myself postpartum was trying to get my pre-baby body back too quickly. I tried to rush it and would get mad at myself when I would over indulge, or when I would skip a workout. Your postpartum journey may not look like everyone else’s. But that’s because you aren’t like everyone else. Prioritize yourself and your needs and then you will truly be happy.
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