Post pregnancy - Snapping Back...or Not!
(I can't use pregnancy as an excuse anymore!)
I Still Look Pregnant
I've never been one to "SnapBack" after childbirth. Nine months after having my two elder children I was back in shape. But there was no "snapping" involved. There was a lot of blood, sweat and tears.
Five weeks after giving birth to my third child I still look pregnant. I was prepared for this because it was the same with my first two children. In fact I probably look slighter better this time around! I think is due to the fact that I was more active during this pregnancy so put slightly less weight on overall. When my first two kids were still newborns, family members (and even one of the midwives!) jokingly asked me "are you having another one already?!". They found this hilarious. I didn't. In fact it made me feel like crap. Especially when I compared myself to friends who had given birth around the same time and were already back in their size 10 jeans.
Blood, Sweat and Tears
Now I'm slightly older and wiser and don't compare myself to anybody. Plus I known I'll get back to normal when I'm ready to break out in blood, sweat and tears. Still it annoyed me when the other day a cashier in Asda asked me how old my baby was and when i replied "5 weeks", she exclaimed "really? Because your stomach is still quite big. You should do exercises because you still want to have a nice figure don't you?"
The only reason I didn't go cray cray on her was because the way she said it was like a concerned African auntie giving me advice. Plus my baby started crying hysterically so I had to make a swift exit.
A Little Sensitivity
Of course I want to have a "nice figure" but I just gave birth 5 weeks ago! I know some women naturally snap back into shape and some say that breastfeeding literally "sucks the fat" right out of them. Neither was true for me. So I'd appreciate a little sensitivity. Like many new mums I hate looking down and seeing a tummy that looks a cross between a zebra crossings and a deflated balloon. I'd love it if everyone could do me the decency of not drawing attention to it. Right now I can't even think about dieting or working out. Life is a hectic sleepless daze right now. Im pretty low on energy and do what I can to get through the days (if that's eating biscuits at 7am/10pm/2am then so be it!)
With my two eldest children I gave myself three months to eat whatever I wanted to survive and didn't even think about working out. By the time both children were around three months they had settled into a routine and slept more at night. So I was able to start working out and eating healthy. Of course by that point I was completely addicted to sugar so it was harder than ever to get back on the wagon.
I Have To Get Back Into Shape at Some Point
This time I'm thinking I'll be ready by the time the little one is two months. I'm up and about a lot more with this baby because of the school run, and I eat dinner with my kids every day so can't serve up a plate of total junk, even though deep fried carbs would be my meal of choice right now.
I know I have to get back into shape at some point, but unlike most celebrities I don't have a team of nannies on hand while I dedicate time to starving myself and hitting the gym/plastic surgery clinic. One celeb who did take her time getting back into shape was Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. Of course she was criticised for this by the press but I, and hundreds of other women, saluted her. So I'm taking a leaf out of her book and concentrating on raising my kids, surviving the sleepless nights and taking my time before I snap(drag myself!) back.