Loving Your Postpartum Body

By Guest Blogger Jessica Ballard

Ok, mamas. Think back to the first time you tried putting on non-maternity clothes after delivery. Did you cry? Did you instantly research names of local therapists? Nobody really emphasizes how much your body changes after you have a baby/babies. And nobody tells you how hard it can be to look at yourself in the mirror and stare at your new skin and love it. They don’t tell you that you’ll still look pregnant for days or weeks afterward. They don’t tell you that you may lose the baby weight but still not be able to fit into your old clothes.

I remember the first shopping trip after I had my twins. It was the morning of my two week postpartum checkup and I was on the hunt for some jeans. I had been wearing my maternity pants until that point and thought that some new jeans would help me feel better about myself. WRONG! It was awful. I wanted to cry. I pouted for the rest of the day, but I survived.

It’s HARD to accept that you are no longer who you once were. You’re now figuring out how to love the new you while also keeping an infant or two (or more!) alive. The last person you usually think to take care of is yourself. But I learned that you HAVE to look out for yourself in order to be a good mom.

Can I offer a few suggestions on feeling like the queen that we know you are?

• Give yourself some time
  • You know that old adage “it took 9 months to put it on, it’ll take at least 9 months to get it off”? Well, sometimes it takes less time and sometimes it takes more. I’m nearly 18 months postpartum and I still have a ways to go. But that’s okay. Until I get to where I feel I need to be, I’m going to love my body and appreciate it either way.

• Figure out your new style as a mom and what flatters you
  • After I accepted that my old clothes just aren’t going to fit anymore I looked at them in a different way. I don’t miss my old clothes. Mostly because they’re still hanging in my closet because I keep forgetting I need to get rid of them. But, I also don’t miss them because they aren’t me anymore. That isn’t my style. I have a few pre-pregnancy items that I love and wear but for the most part, my wardrobe is completely different. I started shopping around and have learned what works for me now. And of course, if you find something you love, buy it in multiple colors! I looked all over for inspiration. Friends, family, social media, blogs. And now, I think I finally figured it out.

• Get out of the house!
  • This is a piece of advice that all my fellow mom friends told me. Make it a point to get out of the house. I try to go somewhere at least once a weekend. It’s so hard getting twins out of the house but we are all in better moods once we get a change of scenery. Getting out of the house to meet up with a friend for lunch(with or without the kids) or just going to the grocery store can do wonders for your spirit. No, it’s not easy to get everyone out of the house, but I’ve never once regretted not going somewhere after we got there.

• Support and Compliment Your Fellow Woman
  • It feels great to receive a genuine compliment. Make someone else’s day. Let that girl at the gas station know you love her necklace, tell that server how great her nails look. Encourage a new mom.  Support and compliment your fellow woman! Making other feel good about themselves is rewarding because it also makes you feel good too.

I don’t look like the person I used to be. That’s okay though, I’m not that person anymore, I’m better. Even though it took me almost 18 months to realize it, I’m sure glad I did.

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