Unfortunately, in our society we are bombarded by celebrities who remain gorgeous throughout their pregnancy, and then within seconds of having their baby seem to be back to their tiny pre-pregnancy weight. LIES.
I felt pretty lucky that I didn't swell too much and that I generally enjoyed being pregnant and how I looked. My mother always told me that whenever I had a baby she was going to do what her mother did for her, which was come stay with my husband and me for a minimum of 10 days so that I could literally do nothing but feed my baby and heal. All too often women are not in a position to allow their bodies to properly heal and put itself back together. It's easy to take for granted what our bodies just went through both during pregnancy and birth.
The two must haves for optimum post-partum healing:
1) REST
2) Post-partum belly wrap. I tried a couple of different ones but felt this one really kept everything in and tight but I was still able to breathe comfortably.
I firmly believe that exercise during pregnancy also helped me be able to put on my pre-pregnancy jeans within a few weeks. Now, that said, my core felt like mush and I knew I had a long road ahead. After not seeing my abs for so long I actually forgot what I really even looked like before. I'm currently a little over a year post-partum and back at my pre-pregnancy weight. I still have more toning to do and still working on creating a consistent routine for myself to get exercise. But that is all part of motherhood, finding the balance to do it all!
