In defence of our postpartum bodies

Is it just me or are there too many post-baby workouts out there? I mean, yes, my body could absolutely do with a bit of exercise, but do I really need to be doing lunge-squats while balancing a day-old baby on my head?

Let’s just stop and look at the bigger picture for a second. If you’re researching post-baby workouts you have recently birthed - or will soon birth - a baby. An actual human being has - or will soon - come out of your body - the same body that has been growing and housing said human being for the last nine months or so. That’s a feat that half of the human population is biologically unable to achieve. Just stop and let that soak in for a moment. 

I came out of the hospital after giving birth to my daughter physically larger than at any other point in my life (other than while still pregnant, of course). My body was soft, heavy, completely drained of colour, but I felt immensely proud of it for the first time ever. I felt strong. My body provided a safe home for my developing daughter. It was her passage into this world. My body.

I’m not going to pretend that that sense of pride hasn’t faded. My body has achieved incredible things, yes, but did they really have to come at the cost of stretch marks etched across my stomach and extra rolls on my sides? I mean, next to growing a human you would think that maintaining a svelte figure wouldn’t be too much to ask.

And so I’ve turned to Google, like many others, and found countless methods of returning my body to its pre-baby state. But while searching for the precise tricks and tips that would suit me I’ve realised something. It took me nine months to grow my daughter. Nine months of stretching skin and shifting organs led to the person I love most in this world. How can I expect my body to ‘go back to normal’ in four? Moreover, how can I possibly berate it for its appearance when what it has given me is worth so much more?

Those stretch marks across my stomach? They’ll probably be there forever. And while I hope those side-rolls will eventually even out, I know they’ll be with me for a little while longer. Sure, they don’t look so cute in a bikini but they were put there out of love, as yours were, too.

This is not to say that post-baby workouts are bad, or that we should all just give up on ourselves now we are mothers. Of course not. But cut yourself a little bit of slack. Recovering from birth should be a marathon, not a sprint, and it’s perfectly okay to love yourself at every stage along the way - stretch marks, wonky boobs, and all.

You’ve done an incredible thing, mama. You should be so, so proud.