Contributed by : Andrea L . Smith Author | Book Editor
Getting my first , You need to stop eating so much ” was like a slap to my face .
Body After Baby
I had never been body-shamed before . Not until I gave birth to my son last year . Getting my first , “ You need to stop eating so much ” was like a slap to my face . I processed it , then let it go because I knew my weight had nothing to do with over-eating . I had just given birth two months ago , plus there were afterbirth complications that made it impossible to exercise . Also , keep in mind I was exclusively breastfeeding , and contrary to what people may think , breastfeeding does not automatically shed weight . In fact , there is evidence that prolactin , the hormone responsible to produce breastmilk , not only slows down the body ’ s metabolism of fat but may also increase your appetite . In a 2004 study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition , researchers found that lactating women retained more weight than non-lactating women , presumably due to the " influence of prolactin on appetite stimulation .” ( source : todaysparent . com ).
But let me digress no further . The body-shaming comments kept coming , and they began to take a toll on my mental health / self-confidence . What made it worse was that they were all coming from women and most of them are mothers . It took some next-level pep talk from my husband to make me realize that , while my size six body is no more , I can own my size twelve like the boss I am . I haven ’ t looked back since .
If you are like me , struggling to return to your pre-baby weight — first , let me tell you it ’ s okay . Let ’ s not normalize the ‘ snap-back and put added pressure on ourselves . Aren ’ t we already encumbered with raising our little ones ? Now , I ’ m not anti-exercise . In fact , I endorse it . But first , we must focus on loving our bodies as they are now , ignore the negative comments , then work on getting our desired figures back . Physically , I ’ m still a work in progress . But I have gotten a few tips to bring my pre-baby body back and I have been using them each day . Allow me to share with you .