Seriously, when do I get my body back?

When you make the decision to try and get pregnant, all you can seem to think about is pulling out that little white stick and looking at the results. You finally get a positive and now you’re elated. You’re ready to see if it’s a boy or girl, maybe even twins. At your first doctor’s appointment they go over how much weight you should gain, morning sickness, eating healthy, taking vitamins and a laundry list of other things. Being a mother of 4 I just about have the routine memorized. You know that you’ll gain weight and your stomach will grow and for now that’s ok. You get shea butter, coco butter and any other type of oil that you feel will prevent the one thing you are a bit leery of…stretch marks. Yes, mama the majority of us moms do get them, even if it’s just one. It’s not that big of a deal when your baby is inside because you’re still in bliss. When you finally deliver some 8-9 months later and your stomach no longer looks like a basketball or watermelon, reality sets in. Your body is different. You’ve acquired some stretch marks and gained some weight, but that’s ok because you have a plan remember. You’re going to breast feed and walk around the block with your baby to shed those extra pounds you gained while eating for two. So you commit to walking, drinking water, eating better, doing your DVDs and maybe even going to the gym. Here you are and your baby is six months and you’ve lost a few pounds but not as nearly as much as you thought you would, now what? Let me just say this….I have no magic potion for you because if I did I would use it on myself. As mama’s it can be a long and hard road to getting back to a place where we feel comfortable and confident with our bodies after we have had children. Sometimes we see other moms and compare our bodies to theirs. When we go to the supermarket we see tons of magazines telling us how this celebrity bounced back six weeks post-partum and can now fit into their pre-pregnancy clothes. We are constantly being told and shown they it is seemingly easy to lose all of your pregnancy weight and if for some reason you don’t then you’re a failure. Let me just say this, Mama’s you have housed a life inside your body for 9 months. Your body may look like a battlefield because it was just in a battle. The battle of sustaining life inside you! This battle was fought for 9 months and it may take 9 months or longer for you to bounce back. Some Mama’s never bounce back to what their body looked like before ever being pregnant. I want to encourage you to enjoy being a Mama and not be so consumed with your body after pregnancy. Try to be healthy, adopt healthy habits and try to do things that help you to be a healthy mama overall. If you are frustrated with your body it’s ok, you are not alone, trust me. After 4 babies I have my moments when I just look in the mirror like WHOA, what happened here, but when I look at my kids I feel blessed beyond measure. My hubby is very supportive and he feels that if he likes my body then that’s all that matters. But as women we like to be a certain way, not just for our husbands but for ourselves. If you want to shed the pounds by all means set a goal for yourself and be realistic, take it slow and make sure you are cleared by your physician to do so. I am currently using Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred. I try to incorporate it in my schedule 3 days a week. I am not pushing this product, but it works for me because her work outs are modified (hard & easy), only 20 minutes and 3 work outs (levels 1, 2 & 3). I initially went to my local public library and checked it out for a month before I purchased it for around 8 bucks. Whatever your goals may be, just remember your body didn’t get here overnight and it won’t change overnight. Be happy with the skin you’re in, embrace your new body, enjoy the things in front of you and try not to miss out on the joys of life by obsessing over your body. You have been given the gift of being a mama; don’t miss out on the gift because you’re trying to have the perfect body. Have confidence, have fun and take it a day at a time!