One common topic during a pregnancy is your weight. Your doctor talks about it, your family and friends talk about it, and for some reason, even strangers decide to talk about it. I’ll admit I was terrified of gaining weight during my pregnancy. I’ve always had an issue with weight. I’m short and non-athletic. I was thin during my teenage years, but as I hit my mid 20’s, the metabolism slowed down and the calories sped up.
I was determined not to let pregnancy get the better of me. I knew losing extra weight would be almost impossible with a baby and I didn’t want to deal with that. Turns out, I was so sick during the majority of my pregnancy I never even gained the recommended amount of weight.
I can’t lie to you guys, it was sort of beautiful during the few months I felt well enough to eat. Cheeseburgers and fries WITH a shake and zero guilt was something I hadn’t experienced in over 10 years. I relished it.
2 weeks after my daughter was born, I was back in my pre-pregnancy clothes and then this funny thing happened. I started to gain weight.
People spend a lot of time talking about weight gain during pregnancy. No one talks about Post-Partum weight gain. I don’t know why we don’t talk about it. Every woman I mentioned it to said “Oh yeah, that happens.”
A lot of things contribute to post-partum weight gain. If you read any article about reasons you’re gaining weight, they always include things like, not getting enough sleep, being stressed, not exercising, eating too quickly, and filling up on junk food. Those things are the definition of having a baby.
Now I know there are some women out there that run a 5K with the kid strapped to their back but I’m not that woman. I admire you, I stare in awe at your awesomeness. I’ll be sitting over here with my package of Oreos.
My daughter is about to be 8 months old and I know it’s time to work on losing the 10 pounds I’ve gained since her birth. While I’m not pleased at what I see in the mirror right now, I’ve decided the best thing I can do is to give myself some grace and honestly you should too.
As women, we’ve been taught from a young age to try and have the perfect body. “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels” and all that jazz, but girl, you’ve been through some stuff.
Health-wise my weight is just fine. This is pure vanity and while a part of me wants to yell “forget societal pressures!” the other part of me is worried about something deeper than my dress size.
I mentioned I have a daughter. Not just a child, but a daughter, and it’s only a matter of time before she starts getting comments about her appearance too. I want her to see a mom who has confidence in her body. I’m not worried about hitting certain fitness or weight goals. I’m worried about feeling good in my body and while some will disagree, I think that’s all you should worry about too.
Everyone feels good in different places. Maybe running and hitting weight lifting goals gives you confidence. Maybe it’s fitting into a size 4 dress or maybe you’re happy at a size 10.
For me? I want to teach my daughter that life is about balance. I want her to grow up eating a healthy diet, but realizing that a slice of cake every now and then is good for the soul. In order to do that I know that I need to lead by example. I don’t want her to hear me say, “Oh – no cupcake for me, my jeans are too tight!” I don’t want her to see me never order anything except a salad with dressing on the side.
In order to do these things, I know I need to get back to where I’m comfortable with my body. I realize it won’t be a quick process and that’s okay with me. I’ll get there and you will too.
