Getting Past Post-Partum Depression & Negative Body Image

The most amazing thing happens to a woman’s body when she’s pregnant – the miracle of carrying a baby and having it feed from you in utero is just unfathomable. The body goes though so many changes during this period, it’s no wonder, women don’t really tend to feel like themselves.

The joy comes when you get to see the tiny human you have been carrying in person. Nothing compares to the warmth you feel when you see their eyes open for the first time, when you see them smile for the first time, when they say their first words, or take their first walk. It’s a lot of FIRSTS that will get you excited every single time.

Unfortunately for a lot of women, this new chapter brings on post-partum depression due to hormonal in-balance. The anxiety and fear of having a new-born baby, breastfeeding, house chores, sleepless nights, can all take a toll on a new mom who is battling post-partum depression. Medical News Today recommends a few thigs that you can do to help with depression:

· Bond with your baby

· Take care of yourself (sleep when the baby is sleeping),

· Create a support system (ask friends and family to watch the baby so you can rest), s

· Re-introduce your body to exercising (take a walk with the baby if you need to).

· If you are still feeling depressed after trying these methods, seek professional help.

Besides depression, a lot of women do not feel like themselves long after giving birth. Celebrities have created an unrealistic expectation of many new mothers that has left them thinking that they can get back to their pre-pregnancy weight in a short amount of time after giving birth. Well, yes you can if you have a nutritionist to plan out all your meals, a chef to make those meals, a nanny to take care of your baby, and time to work out twice a day, every day.

Unfortunately, most of us do not have that luxury. If you had a c-section, your recovery time will be even longer as that is major surgery. It’s recommended that you don’t do a lot of walking right after a c-section. For me, my recovery time was much longer. Having my babies in the NICU meant that I was always walking around to go see them. I didn’t start going back to the gym until 7 months after giving birth. Being on bedrest for such a long time also meant that I lost a lot of my strength and muscle, so I had to re-train my body and work on getting back my strength. Patience, discipline and eating right are all keys in helping you get back to a healthy weight.

There were a lot of things that my body couldn’t do during my favorite kickboxing class and that was very frustrating, but I had to be patient with myself and not push my body too hard. I can honestly say that I’m now at a point where I feel 99% myself. I’m excited to not fit into some of my old clothes because it means I got some bigger hips LOL.

Outfit Deets:

As most of you already know, I thrive on bright colors. There’s just something about vibrant colors that energizes me and gives me life, that’s why I rarely have dull colors in my closet. I love this ensemble where I’m experimenting with shades of pink by incorporating hot pink dress pants with a berry blazer and blush pink heels.

Quick story about these shoes – Zara has a version of these shoes that come out every year in just ONE color (like why???). I love them so much that I bought two pairs just in case I mess up one of them (don’t judge me). I can’t wait to see what color they will come up with this yea. I can’t promise that I will not be getting two pairs, one for future use :-).