10 Ways To Build Body Confidence Postpartum

Inside: feeling unattractive after having a baby? You’re not alone! Many new moms have postpartum body image struggles. If you’re depressed about postpartum body read these tips to help you build body confidence postpartum.

Society has never been the friendliest towards postpartum moms. It’s brutal out here for mothers post-baby. The expectation to return as quickly as possible to your body before you formed and delivered a human being to life was always ridiculous. But in an era where a Kardashian can give birth to a baby and look like they were never pregnant mere weeks later, the pressure on postpartum moms to ‘bounce back’ is as toxic as ever.

Build Body Confidence Postpartum: 10 Ways To Embrace Your Post-Baby Body In All Its Glory 

Here are a few tips to help you confidently embrace your postpartum body in all of its beautiful glory.

 

Prioritize Your Self Care

Having a new baby is an extraordinarily magical yet exhausting experience. It can be challenging to find the time to take care of yourself on top of caring for a newborn, but for the sake of your health, it’s non-negotiable. If you have a partner, take turns taking care of the baby so you can both have time to care for yourselves. The more you practice your typical self-care routine, the more your confidence will return.

 

Practice Gratitude

Name all of the things you’re grateful to your body for. Thank your body for birthing a baby. Appreciate all the drastic changes your body has experienced lately and yet, it still functions as intended. Look in the mirror and name at least five things you love about yourself. It doesn’t have to be limited to your body either.

 

Start A Journal

Time moves in strange ways postpartum. Life is happening slowly and quickly at the same time. Starting a journal to document your experiences and feelings is a great way to make sense of the ups and the downs. It can also help you explore your relationship with your body, your self-image, and your self-worth.

 

 

Resist The Urge To Compare Yourself To Your Pre-Baby Body

Sounds impossible, right? With practice, it’ll get easier to stop longing for your pre-pregnancy body. That body may have been a few pounds lighter, but it didn’t literally create life. Your time will be better spent appreciating the body you have now.

 

Resist The Urge To Compare Yourself To Others

This is another challenging task especially if you’re active on any social media platform, but it is possible once you accept that nothing good comes out of comparing your body to other women. It’s perfectly fine to compliment other women as long as it’s not at the expense of your own body. There’s no need to put yourself down to appreciate others.

 

Replace Negative Self-Talk With Compliments

One of the kindest things you can do for yourself postpartum is to speak to yourself, in the same manner, you would speak to your best friend. If your thoughts about your body are so awful that you can’t imagine saying it to your best friend, you probably shouldn’t be saying it to yourself either.

 

Move Your Body

It may be tough to find the time to exercise with a newborn baby, but if you do, make sure you go slowly. Don’t push yourself too hard, too fast in an effort to lose the baby weight. The point of exercising is to release endorphins, not punish yourself.

You can also continue to exercise during pregnancy. 

 

Eat Nutritious Meals

It’s crucial to eat nutritious meals when your body is experiencing a tremendous amount of stress. Eating healthy is a great way to improve your mental health and feel better about your body.

 

Step Outside

Go for a walk or do yoga outdoors. Not only is this an amazing form of exercise postpartum, but it can clear your head enough for your confidence to return.

 

Go Shopping And Treat Yourself

Who says confidence can’t be bought? Treat yourself to a whole new wardrobe that hugs your postpartum body in all the right places. This is an amazing way to feel confident in your skin again.

 

 

Conclusion
If you’re struggling to accept your post-pregnancy body, it might bring you some comfort to know that you’re not alone. Study shows that dissatisfaction with their bodies is highly prevalent among postpartum mothers. What you’re feeling is extremely common, but it doesn’t mean you deserve to continue wallowing in your negative self-talk. Your body just birthed a whole person and somehow, you have the audacity to not be amazed at yourself? Come on, you deserve better.

 

 

Author Bio
Jenny Williams is a health and lifestyle content specialist  at Last Minute Writing and Research Papers UK. She also writes articles about parenthood and healthy living for Writinity service blog.