It’s impossible not to notice, how our modern pop culture’s stereotypes influence how women supposedly should look after giving birth. It all comes down to a not-so-realistic picture, an expectation that many believe are unattainable and simply impossible to achieve with anything conventional… Indeed, many medical experts say, that burning calories with a breastfeeding will not burn all the calories you consume, just as well as too much fitness and other physical activities immediately after giving the birth will not give you a picture perfect either. With the daily (even hourly) ravage of Instagram photos by the likes of Kim Kardashian and Gisele Bündchen of our pop-culture, it’s hard to avoid that kind of pressure. Eventually, women feel the need to lose weight and tighten up just weeks after welcoming their baby. Dr. Diana Zuckerberg, president of the National Research Center for Women & Families, describes this as “the social pressure effect”: “It forces even the most beautiful women to get a surgery in order to look “more attractive”.
Dr. Zuckerberg explains it in more detail:
“Yes, we’re all aware that a pregnancy does change our bodies, but let’s not see this as a total disaster that needs to be fixed for every single woman.” This provokes a reasonable question, such as: Did the rise of the mommy makeover craze come about because of media and resulting societal pressures? Or maybe it’s just that some women simply want their pre-baby bodies and self-confidence back?
To get the facts straight about the reasoning among women who undergo a cosmetic surgery after having a baby, we polled mothers of all age ranges. The results are interesting: 99.5% of them had work done after they had a child (or children) and 85% of them have had more than two kids.
Though, talking about pros to undergo a surgery, medics warn that when we’re discussing the subject of getting that post-pregnancy body back in shape, neither crash dieting nor a strict and exhausting exercise programs are the way to go. This is especially true in case you’ve gone through a difficult pregnancy or a C-section delivery or are breastfeeding at the moment….
“The worst thing a woman can do is try too hard to do too much too soon. In other words, if you do, you’re likely to get yourself exhausted and discouraged. All of it will make it less likely for you to continue either a diet or exercises, and you’ll end up carrying that baby weight a lot longer, “ says fitness trainer Sue Fleming, creator of the Buff line of workout DVDs including Buff New Moms.
A Final Word of Caution
No matter how eager you are to lose a post-pregnancy fat, experts caution against any activities that put major stress on your joints. The list includes jogging, jumping, or running for at least six to eight weeks.
