Bouncing back after baby: Embrace healing, forget unrealistic pressure

Bouncing back after baby: Embrace healing, forget unrealistic pressure (Photo: iStock)

Pregnancy and childbirth are great moments for the majority of women. Inevitably, weight gain and loss of muscular tone are effects of pregnancy. Soon after delivery, new pressures start to pile up almost immediately, mostly related to adjustments required to care for a newborn. For some, there's added pressure to return to the body shape that predated the pregnancy.

Regaining the desired body shape after pregnancy has had its celebrity status. Those in the limelight appear to revert to their pre-pregnancy shapes in a matter of weeks. Such an expectation is hardly the norm and is an unrealistic goal for the majority of women. Celebrities may have resources that include personal trainers, chefs and nannies, all of whom allow them to devote serious time to getting back in shape. If you are an ordinary mortal, spare yourself from unrealistic deadlines.