Last week, Dancing with the Stars pro, Peta Murgatroyd, posted a photo of her post-baby stomach and admitted that she looked five months pregnant leaving the hospital. Peta welcomed son Shai Aleksander, with DWTS costar Maksim Chmerkovskiy, on January 4th. This was one of the first times (not THE first time, but one of the first times) that a celebrity had shared a raw, unfiltered photo of their post-pregnancy body and talked about the shock of seeing themselves that way. As I mentioned in that story, I remember this time after having a baby too well. I also remember how I was totally unprepared for it, because no one had told me that it would happen and I assumed my stomach would be much flatter (not entirely flat, but deflated at least) after having my baby.
Now Peta is sharing her progress and again she isn’t turning to the side in perfect lighting or wearing high-waisted flattering compression pants, she’s showing her stomach and how it pokes out. This is a woman who was in peak physical condition as a professional dancer when she gave birth and she’s not waiting to “snap back” before she posts some glamorous shots. Here’s what she posted:
This is how I expected to look immediately after having a baby, but obviously that was not reality for me, and I was in no way as fit as Peta was beforehand. I got up to nearly 200 pounds while pregnant too so it was an unrealistic expectation.
For all you can say about social media perpetuating narcissism, there are people (and celebrities) who are sharing less than perfect slices of their lives. On one hand there’s kind of vulnerability in that. Ultimately it’s strong to be so open and admit your flaws. Peta will be incredibly fit again, likely within about five months. In that time quite a few new moms will see her photos and realize that they don’t need to be so hard on themselves about their own bodies and levels of fitness. Personally I did not make exercise a priority when my child was two weeks old because I was just trying to get some sleep and adjust to having a newborn, but this is Peta’s job and she’s doing it without blowing smoke.
photos credit: FameFlynet and WENN
I find this refreshingly honest.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a celebrity show their port-partum bodies this way before, good on her for being so positive, realistic and willing to share.
You saw Duchess of Cambridge come outside the hospital after both her babies with full on belly and not trying to hide it. It was one of the few moments I have held her in respect.
She’s beautiful and positive and I love this message!
I had a csection, and two weeks after my body looked like a semi-deflated sack. I felt like crap. I couldn’t walk without pain for several weeks after that. I felt so defeated and bad about myself.
But gaining back my physical ability little by little was its own journey with its own rewards. The first time I went for a jog I felt like a complete rockstar!
If only she extended that to others. She has a history of fat shaming contestants on DWTS.
I think she looks great post baby, I can’t believe she is working out already, in china they advise you wait 100 days post childbirth before doing strenuous exercise, but I guess those are the cultural differences.
Also, I am not a six pack person, and I kind of think our society’s obsession with them as a marker of health is a bit much but to each their own.
Who has she shamed?
I’ve never heard that Peta fat-shamed. Tony and Maks, however . . .
@Snowflake
She fat shamed Kirstie Alley during the all-stars season of DWTS. There is paparazzi video of a big fight that involved Peta, Kirstie, and Maks. You can heat that Peta accused Kirstie of eating all the Halloween candy because she is fat.
I can’t stand Kirstie Alley. And she deserves criticism for many things. Going after her weight is a cheap shot given all the legitimate thing s person criticize her for . The entire “fam” of Maks, Tony, Val and Peta is pretty terrible.
Out of curiosity, did the skin eventually snap back? How long did it take? As someone expecting this is something I wonder about.
In my experience, I was all belly, it depends on many factors. Genetics, your skin type and your physical fitness prior to pregnancy. I only had one baby but my stomach skin came back mostly a couple months afterwards but it didn’t flatten out like before till I put in the work. Even now my stomach isn’t exactly like it was prior to having my son, but it’s close. Just try to be healthy and the body will follow.
As everyone has said, everyone comes out of pregnancy a little different. How fit you are before, genetics play a huge factor, some people said breastfeeding helps, diet etc.
I see a lot of “my body was never the same” stories here, so let me give you a little hope on the other side….
I gained 40+ pounds and was back in my regular clothes (skinny pants) three weeks later (didn’t dare try them sooner). I didn’t weigh myself until 3-4 months and I weighed less than before I got pregnant. My mom was the same way (genetics) and before my baby I played volleyball pretty competively for years and then put in work at the gym/hiking after I stopped playing. I also walked out of the birthing room and felt AMAZING and didn’t have any tearing. I was back walking a mile or so at a time within four days (I had to get out of the house after the hospital, I was going insane!) So there is the other side of things. I hated hearing the horror stories when I was pregnant and women are so eager to share them everywhere you go.
She and Maks are certainly milking this for all the publicity they can get. It is the only thing they have going for them right now.
I was 190, I put on 60 pounds. It’s been almost 8 weeks since I gave birth and I still look five months pregnant. It’s very hard, I don’t recognize myself in the mirror. I thought it would be easier once I stopped being pregnant, that the weight would just dissapear. Guess what? It didn’t. 🙁
I have heard from ob gyns to be kind and patient to yourself.
With the sleep deprivation and hormonal changes they told me that some moms take up to two years to get their body back, but that they would rather see people be patient and take care of themselves with enough sleep and food and than possibly mess with their mental health from undereating while so many things are in flux. Your body needs food to fuel mom and baby (whether you breast feed or not, post partum is stressful!)
Hugs though. I know it’s hard and I wish you had round the clock support physically and mentally and socially.
Don’t be discouraged, the weight will come off eventually, you may have to work harder than someone like Peta, but it will happen. You’re body preformed a miracle! You are a warrior!
Her body is her business basically. She needs to be in shape to make money. Plus she probably has help watching her baby and time to exercise
7 years since my last pregnancy and I’m still 10 kg more than before my first! I never understood the “breastfeeding helps you lose weight” thing because boy did I breast feed! Nor did I get the ” losing weight running after the kids” thing either! And I have three very active boys ! I hardly ever eat junk food and homecook all of our meals. Go figure.
My real, down to earth “celeb” is a mommy blogger named Constance Hall. This chick is amazingly funny and honest and tells it like it is 🙂 Check her out on facebook 😉
https://www.facebook.com/1019711431407015/photos/a.1028239657220859.1073741829.1019711431407015/1069319443112880/?type=3&theater
You made a person. Go easy on yourself. You’re now the most important person in the world to at least one little peanut. Be the most important person to yourself, too.
For losing weight one has to be in a caloric deficit. It’s been like this forever and it will not change in future. Consume less than you burn and you will lose weight. It’s not rocket science. (Unless one has some kind of disease, obviously, but this is rare.)
This being said, it also does not matter if one eats clean and cooks everything themselves or lives on candy and fast food: If you eat too much of anything you’ll gain weight or at least do not lose any. Track your intake (yes, weight your food because estimating does not work!) and track the calories you burn if you’re “unable to lose weight”. It can be really eye-opening.
I downloaded an app called lose it and i love it. I would always work out but the scale wasnt moving. Once i started tracking my food, i realized i was eating more calories than i realized. I also realized moderate exercise doesnt burn as many calories as i thought. So now I’m watching what i eat, and i am losing weight.
I stopped looking pregnant almost immediately, but all of the weight (I gained 40 pounds in the last three months and 20 after giving birth because I was so damn hungry ALL THE TIME) is still on me and my baby turns one next month. Did your abs separate? If so, it could be the reason why you still look like that. For some it never heals back all the way, but others it heals much quicker. Please be kind to yourself! You made a human. It took nine months of rapid growing to get to where you are, it’s not unreasonable for it to take twice as long to come off. Enjoy your baby snuggles and if you can, stop worrying too much about your body. No one else cares, I promise. They’re too wowed by your badass baby making skills.
Be gentle. Back in old timey days, you were told to only gain 20 lbs and doctors fat shamed you if you gained more. I was a small woman, gained my 20, had a 9 pound baby, weight loss lasted for a few days after delivery then I immediately GAINED weight to exceed my peak preggo weight. It stayed that way for the six months I breast fed, then it all fell off. Makes me wonder if I starved my baby inutero by adhering to the medical wisdom of the day. The message is listen to you and your body and your baby. Enjoy this time, get some sleep, and when ready, your body will work with you.
Ok but why is she doing 70+ sit-ups two weeks post partum and telling us about it. What happened to 6 weeks? Granted I walked some before that, but I’d have bled so much if I’d have done that.
Yes that’s what I said above. I mean I understand that’s her job but a baby is still a major medical event that you need to recover and recuperate from right? Maybe some women recover faster than others thiugh.
While I want to say “good for her!” this is just the kind of humble braggy Insta-gym-mom crap that makes a lot of other moms feel bad because they aren’t at the gym two weeks out. This kind of “realism” would speak to a lot more moms if she posted a selfie of her stomach in front of her dirty bedroom mirror with an un-vacuumed carpet and three loads of unfolded laundry behind her. But yes I’m also speaking out of jealousy because I didn’t have that level of support and am still holding onto 10 (okay 15) pounds of un-shed pregnancy weight.
Because she’s a professional dancer. I can work fat or skinny. In that way, I’m quite lucky.
Yeah, that’s not good. 2 weeks is way too soon to be rigorously exercising – her body hasn’t sufficiently recovered from childbirth, nor has her bleeding likely even stopped.
Gentle walking (increasing with how you feel), rhythmic pelvic floor contractions, and rest are recommended at this time. This type of exercise may cause her harm in the long term. If any of you are postpartum, please seek out appropriate exercise programs post baby. See Jessie Mundell’s programs or the Mutu System for good examples of postpartum exercise programs that will support recovery and not increase your risk for pelvic floor dysfunction.
Everybody should go at their own pace. I was in my thirties when I had my babies, and I didn’t bounce back as fast as some of my mom friends did but they were in their early twenties. I also couldn’t lose the last ten pounds until I stopped breastfeeding, but a friend of mine stopped losing weight altogether when she switched to formula. So it’s different for everyone. Just do what you can, when you can, and be the best momma you can be. It is not a race or a competition, and your partner and child will not care either way. My eight year old daughter tells me that she loves hugging me because I’m squishier than some of her friend’s moms and that feels nicer – so while I’d love to be thinner, my daughter finds my extra bits comforting and that makes me happy to have them.
I don’t find this humble bragging. Peta is an athlete. Unlike your typical woman, she can tolerate aerobic activity full into her third trimester, and she can tolerate exercise earlier and at a greater level post partum. I’m sure she’s listening to her OB. It’s also possible that someone so highly active has to start exercising again for their own mental health.
Also, someone in her condition may have been doing up to 500 sit-ups pre-baby, so stating she’s up to 70 is by no means bragging. I like Peta, she’s naturally more quiet and sweet than Maks. She really connects to her partners and lets them shine – unlike Maks and Derek, who always make everything about themselves.
My partner and I are in the pre-baby planning stage, so pregnancy and baby stuff has more interest to me than in usually does.
Except it is scary and horrifying and how do you ever sign up for it once you know all the horrible things it does?
Having your body taken over by another person, all the physical side effects, pregnancy seems designed to destroy a woman’s vanity. Infants seem designed to destroy relationships and sanity.
Someone pat me on the head and tell me babies are good for stuff. The baby is it’s own reward isn’t gonna work when I hear about labor ptsd flashbacks and wandering uterii.
Okay-the majority of the time it is completely fine-there are not “horrible” things it does. Yes you are sleep deprived and your body is out of whack initially. I didn’t have my marriage destroyed or damaged. I always wanted kids and I knew all the yucky stuff would be outweighed by the wonderful parts. If you are seriously thinking it’s horrifying and horrible and your infant is going to ruin everything you might want to reconsider.
Having a kid is what I want, its the horrifying process to get one I do not.
I’m willing to deal with the cons of giving up time and freedom to have a kid, but being pregnant and going through labor seems like hell. And I don’t particularly like infants when they are all delicate and fragile and breakable.
@detritus-I say this as someone who has 4 kids-I don’t particularly like children. I LOVE my own kids beyond what I can express. You would feel the same way-you would adore your own baby (and they really aren’t as fragile as you would imagine.) And honestly, once you have them-the pain of childbirth (although I didn’t think it was that bad-I hated breast feeding) and annoyance of being pregnant fade away. In the overall picture those are such small parts of having kids.
I’ve lurked and seen you around here over the past few years, so here’s what ive got:
*I had great pregnancies, second one was riddled with UTIs, but no problems other than that
*Awesome deliveries-had epidurals for both, and kiddos came out in minutes. Had stitches but you’ll survive…didn’t notice or remember them
*You and your partner will fight, but if it’s not about a baby, it’ll be about something else.
*When you get your first smile, your first cuddle and your first, “I love you!” It’ll be worth it.
Stitches, sleepless nights, saggy skin…totally, unconditionally worth it to me. I even did it twice I enjoyed it so much!
In minutes!
Lets go back to that, how did you manage that? If I could guarantee a Monty Python Miracle of Life style labor this would not freak me out nearly so mucj.
My current frame of reference is from 3 friends around my age, 48 hours including pre-labor, 28 hours and 54 stitches, no epidural because the nurse ‘forgot’ to check on dilation, and one where the baby came out super fast and easy but they released her before checking for lip and tongue ties causing difficult and painful breast feeding for weeks.
So this is somewhat reassuring. I am older than is optimal as well =/ (yes, shocking considering general maturity)
Unless I have an abyss for a vadge (I don’t think I do?!) I have no idea either!!! First kid: water broke at 1130pm, had an epidural at 3am, slept for a few hours then at 6:20am
I started to push…kiddo came out at 652am….6 pushes in total, no sounds emanating from me-it was weird! I like to think I have great body and abdominal control…I think that’s all it was. Oh, and I had an epidural, which helps with the pain. Second delivery was the same. I was 34 and in okayish shape at that time too.
Honestly, everyone is different…but I’m super-chill about it all and that helped. Women give birth without help, meds or even a doctor present, so it’ll be fine! That’s what I told myself throughout. Attitude of gratitude for living where we live with access to what we have.
Trust yourself and your body! And TMI, but I have way better sex now…I don’t know how or what happened, but sex is a million times better after I had them. So there’s that too! Lol
@Detritus, some women (definitely not all) like to out do each other with horror stories regarding giving birth. Labor that lasts for days – always back labor, incompetent doctors and nurses, etc. There’s also the warriors who prefer to do everything naturally, and shame those who choose epidurals.
It’s kind of like old timers discussing how hard they had it: I walked to school ten miles uphill … both ways! I tend to do it with people who’ve had kidney stones, like I did. But I feel like some mothers tell these stories to first timers to scare them a little, which I don’t understand.
There are definitely real horror stories involving giving birth, but they are a very small minority. I think one of the hardest parts is the loss of control and the knowledge that there’s no going back now. Kind of like the sensation when the roller coaster reaches the top of the gigantic hill.
ha! You should not read (too much of) what to expect when you’re expecting beforehand because it mentions almost every possible thing that can go wrong — most of which doesn’t. And babies are like puppies–peeing and pooping and needing attention all the time, but sooooo cute.
This is honestly probably the best advice.
Ignorance can be a bit of bliss. I know I was significantly less worried before I started asking my friends questions.
Pregnancy just seems so hard =( wah wah, I know
(sorry to complain if there’s any ladies out there who are hurting about pragnancies/babies and find this flippant)
Awww Detrius! Babies ARE lovely and you will enjoy yours very much! Pregnancy is not a walk in the park (at least most of times) and people tend to focus on the bad memories rather than good ones. I have been pregnant twice and have two wonderful little girls who are so loved and adored. I did not love being pregnant, despite the fact that both pregnancies were relatively easy, despite some puking and being tired a lot. I much preferred the having the actual babies to hold, feed, nap and snuggle with. And your body will come back, sooner or later.
Yes, you will be sleep deprived, but that will pass as well. As far as relationship and sanity goes, it will be ok. Yes, sometimes you will want to scratch your partner’s eyes out for no good reason, but then you will make up. You will have to make an effort to ensure that you get some private and intimate moments together, but even those times on the couch with the Netflix on will feel extra special when the kids are asleep (which DOES happen). Also, when feel like cr@p, I read stuff on http://www.scarymommy.com and it makes me feel better, as I get reminded that we are all in the same boat.
Oh, and I know that not everyone is the same and every labour and delivery is different, but I have zero labour PTSD. Yes, I had the epidural both times and a vaginal delivery and in no way did it traumatize me. Honestly, you will not even remember the details several months later.
Our society is tremendously hard on women and all the unrealistic standards imposed on us. We should be able to just enjoy having babies without constantly being reminded of our weight, ‘bouncing back’ and ‘boob is best’.
Good luck on your baby journey :o)
Thank you for the sweet words and link, I will take any and all support I can get lol.
Its nice to hear its worth it, even if you don’t like actually being pregnant and that parts bring you closer together. I know my honey is very concerned about the lack of private time and I’ve read a lot of studies that say the first year post baby is the least satisfying for most parents.
I’ve heard some mommy group horror stories, but most of the ladies I have talked to have been very supportive, all the cbers included, so that is very reassuring.
You really don’t know what you’re going to get with pregnancy – some women love it, some hate it (I hated it, but was pretty depressed through both of mine and felt rotten). Childbirth is the same way; I actually think it was the coolest process ever. Yeah, it hurt, but it was really amazing.
Parenthood is highs and lows, and while it’s easy to get stuck on the hard parts, I treasure the time I spent with my children when they were babies, even when I didn’t sleep or shower.
Ok, so take lots of photos at the cute stage so we remember and don’t want to throttle them;) gotcha
I was 28 when I was pregnant. I had painless contractions..in that I did not know I was in labour until I told my sil who is a nurse that I felt like I had to pee all night.. she told me to rush to the hospital, I did, I was dilated to 6, they induced me so that I would not have a dry birth(the pee was amniotic fluid). About 15mins late the epidural dude peeks in and says I am leaving for the night do you want me to hook you up. Being a person who had never been through this before, I said yep. i fell asleep for 4 hrs and would have slept more if it weren’t for the nurse saying” hello, Mrs. B.. you are dilated at 10 do you want to have your baby now?” hahah I tried pushing but the kid was huge so I had a c-section. He came out I still felt no pain and I recovered really well from the c-section. I had no problem nursing and he slept through the night at two months. He was a chill kid who breezed through toddlerhood and at 14 is still a great kid. Now that everyone here hates me and thinks I am talking outta my butt.. YOU’RE WELCOME. btw did you notice I said child.. I did not want to mess this freak of nature great from birth child by adding another one LOL.. only serious.. now should I tell you I had chicken pox at 28 weeks pregnant, ended up in the hospital for ten days and almost died because all my organs swelled and started to shut dow..nah.. leave that for another day :/
Lol I was feeling very relieved until the chicken pox. But I’ve had that before s still relieved. Thank you lovely for the kid words
I don’t have any kids, but some positive things I’ve heard about pregnancy:
– the hormones can lead to great sex
– the sex is also completely stress free – all other times you’ve had sex you’re either trying to fall pregnant or trying NOT to fall pregnant
– you get to choose the baby’s name
– you get extra attention and VIP treatment
– you get to re-learn lullabies and children’s stories that you’ve forgotten but will bring a wave of nostalgia when you re-encounter them
– shopping for stuff (tiny adorable shoes!)
– no PMS, cramps, etc
This made my day. Thank you!
I’ve always been the type who was physically active but my diet could be much better. I had baby #1 at 28 and #2 at 32. I’m struggling with the last 10 and my baby is at 17 months.
While I am active for physical and mental health, it’s hard making time for my children, husband, work and the gym. Honestly, getting a FitBit has been wonderful because even days I don’t get to go for a formal run,
I pace around the house more getting my steps up. I have a body that I have to fight for every pound I lose and I also try and be forgiving that my current size might be the best I can do.
Hugs to my ladies out there who are Moms or thinking of becoming them. All bodies are different and while it’s okay it can still be tough on your self esteem to look at your body and wonder what happened. Setting small goals like steps or trading in one meal for a protein shake and veggies have helped me achieve those small wins that helped me feel better that I was doing something healthy for myself.
Well said Brickyardute! I feel rather lucky that I had my children 29 and 31 years ago, way before instagram, twitter and the like. While I think that some social media has a positive influence, it’s kind of sad to me that some women look at these models, professional athletes, dancers, etc and compare themselves unfavorably. I really like you idea of taking small steps, not beating yourself up and doing what makes “You” feel good. At the end of the day your baby doesn’t give a hoot if your stomach is flat or a bit flabby, they just love being next to your skin, wobbly or not 🙂
Thanks Harla! I always appreciate the kind and supportive people who post. Thanks for sharing more about your experience. I love
Listening to ladies about their experiences in motherhood!
Having given birth three times- all pre-social media Thank God- getting your body “back” is a moving target. To expect a 30 some odd year body to bounce back after the first pregnancy will be different than the second, etc. And agreed, a professional athlete has a much different start point than a basic person. One thing that threw me the most was trying to jog while nursing, and then start leaking. Now that was a sight! Always tried to pass it off as sweat-LOL.
Here’s my story. I was always a dancer and very fit. Had my first at 30. Gained 37 lbs. even though I did yoga and ballet up until 9 months. Had an emergency cs. Started exercising around 4 weeks. Took 3 months to lose. Just had another baby 6 weeks ago. This time I was really careful with my diet. Did ballet and exercised daily for the whole 9 months. Gained about 27 lbs. started exercising (very slow just stretching and walking at first) the day after I came home from my planned cs. I’ve already lost all but a pound or 2. I just fit workouts in between feedings. Other stuff like laundry and even playing with my older child have admittedly gone by the wayside. But I’m obsessed about my weight so for me it’s crucial to my mental health. Still working on strengthening my core. But I’m making progress for sure. You gotta pick what’s important to yourself as a woman to be a good mom.
Yeah, you shouldn’t really be exercising at all until at least 6 weeks after a C section. I’m glad to hear that you’re okay and feeling really good, but you’re also really lucky.
Ladies. OMG. 17 days postpartum and she’s doing 70+ situps. Please don’t do this. Abdominal curl exercises, particularly this early postpartum, can greatly increase your chance of pelvic organ prolapse. 2 weeks postpartum recommendations include slow and gentle walking, rhythmic pelvic floor contractions, and REST. That’s it. Pelvic floor tissues can take months to regain basic foundational support. Please seek out appropriate postpartum exercise programs by reputable people. Anyone who suggest ANY impact activity, any variation on sit ups, crunches, pilates 100, bicycles etc will hurt you more than help you. Love your pelvic floor. You don’t know how important it is until it’s failing you. Source: I’m a postpartum exercise specialist.
Thanks, i was quite surprised that nobody told that before. Here in France , you are told at the hospital that physical exercices are forbidden until you’ve done your pelvic floor reeducation with a midwife or a specialist. It’s wildly known that its really bad to exercice ( particularly to do abdominal exercices) so soon after birth, and nobody does it.
France is fantastic at postpartum health initiatives and care. The US in general is incredibly far behind. Lots of completely dangerous and inappropriate messaging (like this woman’s instagram), and a real lack of pelvic floor or women’s health physiotherapists. My specialty is exercise programs of postpartum women and women with pelvic floor dysfunction like pelvic organ prolapse and incontinence. It’s common- SO COMMON, but not normal. It’s our habits and lack of proper information that’s creating injury in women. This woman is going to encourage others to try the same and normalize it. This horrifies me as someone who works in women’s health.
I should consider moving to France. 😉
Germany has pre- and post- pregnancy gymnastics, too. but it isn’t that strict and you have to organise and inform yourself to get them (= only middle class women can afford them and the paupers lose out.)
In France it doesn’t cost you anything .It’s covered at 100 % by the Health Insurance, you’re informed about it during your pregnancy, and when you leave the hospital they give you the prescription to do it.
Lol, yeah, you’ll really notice the lack of pelvic floor control as you age! Just ask yourself do you really want to dribble whenever you sneeze or laugh when you hit 50? Or can you take a few weeks off from the exercise and just enjoy your baby?
Can we not pretend that working out like that 2 weeks postpartum is at all good?
Oh for gods sake, women need to just rest in those early weeks and enjoy their babies. There is plenty of time to get in shape. I just remember 1) sleeping, and 2) sitting and staring at the baby in my arms. Those early weeks are so precious and go by so fast.
It’s not just about enjoying your baby. It’s about not harming yourself. She’s increasing her risk of core and pelvic floor dysfunction by doing this. It is NOT recommended.
I was so exhausted that working out or exercising was the last thing I wanted to do. I was happy just to be sleeping without a huge pregnant stomach. I know she has to be fit, but this just seems so extreme.
She is probably lying about the actual birth date. That is my guess.
And it is really not nice to advertise that a woman should go back to the gym 2 weeks after giving birth, is it? Raising expectations to unhealthy levels, I would say.
Just to clarify about my post cs exercising. In doing this program called MuTu. It’s supposed to be safe post cs and post vaginal delivery. It emphasizes transverse abs and pelvic floor. It’s all heel drops and squats. No crunches ever. It says this makes your tummy look and function worse.ibwas very happy with my results after baby 1. So far so good this time too.
Isn’t this still all about women’s obsession with our bodies? I just wish we could get over it. I am glad she feels strong and doing 70+ situps two weeks after having a baby. But I just feel like…. golf clap. Maybe I am jealous. But I just think – perhaps snapping back into shape and doing 100 situps wasn’t that important when my baby was 2 weeks old.
2 weeks? That’s hardly healthy. No woman’s body is ready for physical challenges so early post-partum – after such a tremendous job, the traditional 6 weeks of rest is actually necessary. Pregnancy makes your joints and ligaments loose, the body is totally spent and pelvic floor needs just REST. Technically, you shouldn’t even carry things heavier than 2 kgs to let everything heal properly. The ancient Chinese knew this and invented the famed one month of absolute bed-rest for new mothers – which is something modern-day new moms really need with rates of urinary incontinence reaching 50% in the first year post-baby. Then again, those celeb mothers probably can afford reconstructive surgeries… But why risk your future health in the first place if you have other options?
I very much agree with you. Peta seems to be advertising herself and her fitness much rather than inspiring a healthy body image with healthy expectations.
I think that many celebrities do lie about the actual birth date. They claim that they regained their body just 6 or 8 weeks after giving birth when in reality they took the full 3 or 4 monthes to recover (which is sensible). but they simply lie by fiddling with the dates. It is possible as it is difficult to tell exactly when a celebrity got pregnant and it is difficult to tell when exactly they gave birth if they put in a little bit of effort to hide the exact birth date (private hospital, perhaps not in a big town but somewhere in the countryside, then entry into hospital and excit from hospital through a discreet side entrance / garage parking or similar.)
Let them fiddle with the dates. Just don’t believe it. A baby takes 9 monthes to grow. And if you get close to normal 9 monthes after the birth then that is just fine. Most women simply don’t have nannies and private fitness coaches and such but most women have more than 1 child and a household to (partly) take care of and taking care of organising day care and perhaps even a job. And most women aren’t professional athletes.
So ladies, take it easy on yourself and your bodies and other ladies’ bodies. 😉
I agree with you, but babies take 40 weeks to grow – if full term.
Peta’s less than perfect slices of her life are still better than most people’s perfect slices aka best pics of their bodies. So I wouldn’t give her too much credit for her “honesty”. Even with her post-pregnancy body she still looks better than a lot of women her age who never went through a pregnancy.
The day a woman like Peta does defend a mother who didn’t manage to get rid of the baby weight that is the day I will praise her.
It is the usual campaign: “I am a supermodel but I am so normal” . Nope, not buying it.
I think the whole focus on body is just dumb and involves so much internalized sexism, really. My stomach was completely flat 10 days PP. I remember because I was blown away at what my body could do. I have a long torso.
But so what? I had so much damage from childbirth, I couldn’t even stand for longer than 30 seconds at a time. I couldn’t walk properly for six weeks. I couldn’t exercise until four months PP, and I couldn’t exercise without peeing myself for 3 years. I’m not able to have more children (or rather, the risks of doing so are more than I want to assume). A flat stomach? BFD. I would’ve taken stomach flab any day over what I had to deal with, which resulted from a resident in way over her head and a hospital staff too lazy to call in an OBGYN. WHO CARES about baby weight.
I am so sorry to hear about the tramatic birth of your child. It’s just wrong that childbirth is still killing thousands of women a year. Worrying about how quickly one can fit back into their skinny jeans is really First World problem, most women would be happy to survive the event.
Thank you. I get so tired of seeing celebrities consumed with baby weight in any context because it SO misrepresents the impact of childbirth on a woman. Like that is not the struggle. It isn’t. Let’s move the conversation forward.
Peta’s goal is to be on the coming season of DWTS ( she said that in interviews when the pregnancy was confirmed) which will start in Mid-late March. So she has a lot of motivation to get back into shape. I really hope she is putting her long-term health first though.
I think the issue I have with her and other celebrities taking to IG right after having a baby is the clear preoccupation with how they look. After I had my baby girl the last thing I cared about was how I looked. Let alone sharing that with the world. Frankly, I was afraid to look at my vagina for a while. LOL! But my point is I was completely consumed with caring for my baby. I never wanted to even put her down. I showered and ate, that was it. She was my sole focus for the first 5 months for sure. I couldn’t have cared less about how I looked, or when I would be back in a bikini or my favorite jeans. These people are narcissistic…look at the makeup, hair, lingerie (I’m looking at you Hilaria). No real mom has time for all that when they have a newborn, unless that newborn isn’t their priority. They aren’t offering a public service, they have just found a new way for them to stay relevant.
A *real* acceptance of a pregnancy body and post-pregnancy body is just acceptance – not a series of IG’s obsessing over it. She was so obsessed with her butt not being to her liking during pregnancy that she wore long coats and bathrobes all the way through her pregnancy (and posted on IG about it of course). I guess some people find insecure body obsessions “relatable”.
Healthy is realizing that a temporary belly after pregnancy is not important and will go away in due time.
Seemed a little humble-braggy to me, but props to her for the pic. My tummy never went back to being as tight as it was before (not that I ever had a six pack LOL), but I’m not an athlete and nobody pays me to keep a six-pack, so I really didn’t worry about it much. Once I stopped looking like I was still pregnant, that was enough for me 🙂
The thing that concerns me about this is that doctors recommend not going back to exercise until you hit 6 weeks postpartum. I’m worried that people are going to look at her and think they need to be hitting the gym after two weeks when their bodies are still recovering and they are still bleeding.
It’s great that she is being honest. But she is making an enormous irreversible mistake doing 70+ sit-ups 17 days postpartum. This is the problem, celebrities being role models, but being completely uneducated. No strenuous exercise for 6 weeks after giving birth is EXTREMELY important! Enjoy your abdominal separation, lower back pain and weak pelvic floor!