i was so excited to get pregnant. i just knew i’d love it. and i did. i loved every second.

i have always been an active person. i enjoy it – running or taking walks, being outdoors; i partake in the occasional bouts of yoga; and i may get into workout videos here and there – so i thought ‘hey, no problem…my body will bounce right back after the pregnancy’. while i did try to continue doing something in the form of exercise, i didn’t keep it up as i originally planned when i found out we were expecting a little bundle. but, still, i figured there would be no need to panic about weight gained and lack of exercise…and i certainly wasn’t counting my calories (i.e. oreos all day, every day). who has time for that anyway?

now, we are nine months post-baby and i’m sitting here looking at my health board on pinterest and listening to various people’s resolutions for weight loss, feeling unbelievable guilty for NOT having my pre-pregnancy body back. looking at all of these fit mothers showing off their six-packs holding their five month old babies. ‘why can’t i look like that?’ i think to myself, ‘what am i doing wrong?’.

self-image is something that new mothers constantly struggle with. and we are relentlessly questioning each other with ‘how much weight did you gain during pregnancy?’ or ‘are you back in your pre-pregnancy clothes yet?’. or how about the line we hear during pregnancy ‘you don’t look like you’ve gained anywhere but your belly!’ – all the while you feel like a beached whale. i know. i’ve been there.

stop.

it’s okay.

it’s okay to have a new self-image. you are a new mother. your body has gone through something amazing. a miracle. it’s okay if you look different now. i have to remind myself of this. would i like to lose some extra pounds? of course. but, instead of focusing on the weight loss, how about we focus on just being healthy and having a positive self-image. i know it’s tough. trust me. but we owe it to those sweet angel faces staring up at us. we owe it to them to have a positive view of our self-worth. teach them to love their inner-selves.

slow down and stop stressing about dieting. those babies are only small once. soak every minute in. you can’t get it back.

xx