Motherhood changes a person’s body. But how much damage does it do to one’s self-esteem? A first-time mum shares her story about weight gain after giving birth here.
In her story, you’ll read:
- Motherhood changed a mum’s body
- From wearing extra small clothes, mum wears extra large after giving birth
- How important is a partner’s support
“You gained weight.”
That’s the comment that women who just recently gave birth usually hear from others. Going back to the body size we used to have before getting pregnant is not easy.
Motherhood is something precious and beautiful. For me, becoming a mother is one of the perks of being a woman.
Once our baby comes out, our lives change forever. It changes our perspective and the way we see things. It teaches us to be more focused, loving, and patient.
Unfortunately, the good things I mentioned above were not just the changes that happened to me when I gave birth.
Motherhood changed my body
I usually weigh between 47 to 50 kilograms before getting pregnant. During the 3rd trimester of my pregnancy, my weight increased to 75 kilograms.
I was really worried that my weight gain would affect the baby’s health inside my tummy back then. Thank goodness, the baby and I were healthy and everything went well when I gave birth.
A total transformation happened in my overall physical appearance after getting pregnant. But people always reassured me that I could immediately return to my old body size once I gave birth.
Unfortunately, what happened was the complete opposite of what I expected. I gained a lot of weight after giving birth. In addition, I suffered from postpartum blues.
After giving birth, a woman’s estrogen and progesterone levels drop dramatically. It could be one of the factors contributing to having baby blues or postpartum blues. Women could experience mood swings, anxiety, sadness, or irritability.
“You gained weight” was the comment that women who just recently gave birth usually hear from others. Going back to the body size we used to have before getting pregnant is not easy.
Lack of sleep, fatigue, and changes that happened to my body affected my mental and emotional health. I would be so disappointed when I would compare my postpartum body to the one I had before.
Aside from the physical changes, I also had struggles with breastfeeding my baby and was in pain while I was recovering from a cesarean delivery.
Weight gain after giving birth: From wearing extra-small, I now wear extra-large clothes
A few weeks after I gave birth, I decided to buy myself new clothes. Unfortunately, clothes sizing extra-small no longer fit my body, and I got sizes extra-large instead. Because of my new body size, I can no longer wear my old clothes.
It was a very stressful experience for me. There were days when I thought and felt like I was starting to go back to my old body size. Then people would suddenly remind me about my weight.
Words like “you gained weight” would cause me to cry and break down. It may sound shallow to some, but I know that many first-time mums could relate to my situation.
Just a piece of advice for people who know someone who just gave birth: avoid confronting them about their weight gain. Instead, encourage them and be their support system since we do not know what that person is going through.
The support I needed
I am really grateful to God for giving me such a supportive husband. He would always comfort and reassure me that I was still beautiful and sexy.
I genuinely appreciate every gesture and the words of affirmation that my husband constantly gives me. However, I can never deny the battle I have been through on the inside.
Our mind is a battlefield, and we need to fight over it. Always remember that just like me, you are an overcomer!
Let us be reminded by what the Holy Bible tells us,
“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
Joyce Meyer once said,
“One of the greatest revelations of my life is: I can choose my thoughts and think things on purpose. In other words, I don’t have to just think about whatever falls into my mind.”
This helped me a lot, and I realized that I needed to shift my thoughts about the things in front of me. Instead of focusing on what makes me feel down, I focus on loving and embracing the new me.
I really praise God for His peace that surpasses all understanding. It guarded my heart and mind about the new season in my life, which is motherhood.
Do remember that whatever shape and size you have, you are loved. I know I can be fit again, but I need to accept that I will never have my pre-baby body back. One thing I realized is I would happily trade that body for this baby, over and over again.
I have a powerful and awesome body. It’s not perfect. Still, I grew as an amazing human inside my body. My body brought that little human into the world.
I am a completely different person now than before I had my first baby.
Translated with permission from theAsianparent Philippines.
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