When I was carrying my daughter, there was one constant question that I was asked from everyone around – “Why aren’t you gaining enough weight?” I was being told that I’ll deliver an underweight child. And when it’s your first pregnancy you tend to pay attention to all such silly things, but I was relaxed when my doctor assured me that the baby was growing absolutely normal. I gained about 8-9 kgs of weight throughout my pregnancy and delivered a baby with a very normal weight.
And then, the next story of Postpartum starts.
Women are judged/body shamed at every stage in life.
Fat? Who will marry you?
Too slim/too fat? How will you give birth?
Still haven’t lost your baby weight? Omg!!
And it’s not surprising to see all this coming from another woman.
Post giving birth, these days, we are more concerned about shedding our body fat faster than anything. While it’s absolutely necessary to be fit and healthy, this needs to come with time. It is important to wait until 6-10 weeks depending on the kind of delivery you’ve had to start any form of a serious workout. Of course, walking is advisable soon after in normal delivery and even C-section in some cases.
The societal pressure and the self-imposed pressure from Social Media are continuously demanding new mothers to look skinny even though they could be feeling stressed about the whole thing. There’s a constant competition with fellow mothers and influencers that are putting us in the wrong place.
Our body has given us a lot, supported us during our pregnancy and it is crucial to give it back to it. But it should not come at the cost of comparison with anyone else or under the pressure from society, family or even your partner. Yes, husbands tend to pressurize their wives to lose weight asap to look good out there in society!
I’ve heard people asking new mothers why they haven’t lost their baby weight yet as it’s been more than a year. This needs to stop! The mother could be struggling with less sleep (yes, even after a year of giving birth), breastfeeding, house chores, career, etc. and this would be the last thing on her mind.
Let’s normalize baby weight post-delivery.
Listen to your body. It will give you signs!
Avneet Gauba is a Communication Designer and Blogger and shares her experiences as a first-time mother on aurekchai.com. You can also find her at www.instagram.com/
Comments are closed.