The Postpartum Panic

We hit that panic button as soon as that baby is out of our bodies. No, I don't know this, but from my experience and conversations with friends and clients, I know that this is one of the first items women think about postpartum. I want my “pre baby body back," they say. 

Reflections on the past can be great, they can hold warm, happy memories, but they can also be our worst enemy. Comparisons to that body from high school, college, pre baby, etc- we often forget we have hormone filled bodies that are constantly changing throughout our lifetime. 

Your goal shouldn't be to get that pre-baby body back, it really should be to get fit as a badass woman who just carried a human for 9 months that completely ravaged your body. 

Be easy on yourself. Let your organs descend back to where they should be so you can, well ya know, breathe. Sleep on your stomach for the first time in forever, enjoy the postpartum experience of healing, bonding, and excitement. I've worked with women who have diastasis recti, who have 30+ lbs. of extra weight than they did before, who have lower self confidence, or who have realized they are ready to be fit for their kids so they are around and active as long as possible. I've met some partners who want the same thing - there's no time like the present, as cliche as it sounds, and there is no need to panic. 

You should expect that you are going to be doing some exercises to strengthen your mid section and pelvic floor - which are not intense crazy movements, but they are effective, efficient ones. You won't be doing anything with that pass out on the floor sweat angel effect for at least a couple months - at least if you're being properly coached. Don't let someone push you beyond your comfort zone after your pregnancy - especially if the birthing process was traumatic in anyway to your body. 

Too often I see coaches wanting to “advertise” working with pregnant/postpartum women, but they are just in it for the photo op or that “after” effect. If you step foot into a place that claims to know how to train a postpartum body, but you are asked to do the regular class with very few modifications, I'd rethink joining that gym. You need some more individual attention, and shouldn't sacrifice yourself for the comfort of the coach/trainer. You pay for your membership and you should be able to have your voice heard. 

Settle in, and prepare to start slow and pick up the pace over time. Fitness is gradual, as is success, but every day you are getting stronger and more fit, then in a year we can look back and see the long term effects of getting that postpartum body that makes you feel comfortable in your own skin. I oftentimes hear women that are happier postpartum than they were pre-pregnancy! Enter into that zone of grit, determination, and strength and you'll come out always winning on the other end of it.