Baby Body Bounce Back
About six weeks into maternity leave, and I officially felt like a deflated cow on a couch. My C-section incision was well-healed and my doc had cleared me for exercise. I took a look at myself in the mirror: hair was a rat’s nest, my Red Sox t-shirt had stains of milk, baby vomit and some other mysterious substance, and I had been wearing the same baggy sweatpants for five days straight. Damnnnn I was looking rough. I decided to get off the couch, and get moving.
Another mommy-friend, who I met at prenatal yoga a few months prior, had mentioned this Mommy/baby boot camp in the area hosted by Fit4Mom. They offer a variety of different classes including Stroller Strides and Stroller Barre. We committed to attending at least two classes per week tighter, so that we would hold each other accountable. Some mornings I would wake up craving that couch time, but forced myself out the door…I couldn’t let my fitness buddy sweat alone. And plus, her daughter was only a week older than Chase, so it was a playdate for them as well. The instructors were great as well. We’d round up all the strollers of babies and tots into a circle, and as they sang ABC’s or ItsyBitsy Spider, we were doing wall squats, burpies and running stairs. This was no gentle aerobics crap, they were pushing us hard… and I loved it.
A few weeks into it, and I felt the difference….not so much in the weight-loss department, but psychologically and emotionally. I wasgetting out of the house, breathing fresh air, talking to humans my age, and feeling more like myself. Every time we went to class I felt like I was doing something for the BOTH of us, and not just taking care of Chase.
Even though society pushes new moms to bounce back to pre-preggo bodies ASAP, I let the extra curves linger. After carrying for 9 months, and then expelling a new human into the world, women should feel proud of what their bodies just went through. Like a badge of honor. Moms need to stop looking at the scale to define fitness…this was my new healthy. Besides, without hips, where is baby supposed to sit? I’m all about that bass.
