Dear New Mum,

First and foremost, congratulations on the new title! Being a mum is the most amazing gift you can ever receive. It's the kind of gift that keeps surprising you every step of the way and the kind you never want to return to the store.
You probably don't feel the joy of motherhood, yet, do you? While you may love the bundle of joy curling up his or her toes and fingers next to you, you're probably spending more time in the shower. You can't get over the fact that your waistline is gone, the skin around your stomach is wrinkled, and you still look 2 months pregnant.
Deep down you know you're supposed to love your body no matter what. But somehow, every time you look at yourself in the mirror, you can't seem to find a single bout of love. All you can do is obsess over what your body has become - a spectacle of what it used to be.
Some of the other new mums in your WhatsApp and Facebook support groups seem to have it all together and that makes you stress even more about it. They're rocking bandage dresses with no care in the world, and you're reduced to sweatpants and sweatshirts. Most of the clothes you used to wear no longer fit and the ones that do aren't breastfeeding-friendly.
The truth is, it's easy to fall apart when you're learning to love your body as a new mum. And it's even easier to slide into postpartum depression because of it. That's why I'm penning this open letter to you. I'm hoping it'll act as a reminder that you're not alone and become the resource you go to whenever you feel like you're losing the battle.
So, to the new mum learning to love her body, here's what I'd like you to know:

It's Totally Okay Not to Recognize Yourself

Your stomach isn't supposed to look like anything you remember. Unless you're a second-time mum, in which case, you've been here before. So start by accepting that this is totally normal.
The wrinkles, stretch marks, excess skin, and bigger boobs are all part of the journey, so is the weight you've added recently. It doesn't mean that you're not taking care of yourself, or that you're being lazy. On the contrary, it's called being a mum.

You Need to Give Yourself More Time

In case you've forgotten, you just had a baby. Walk towards your baby's crib and see the lovely being you brought into this world and then think hard about the short timelines you're giving yourself.
It's understandable that you want to get back into shape. Back into your pre-baby body. But that's not going to happen overnight. It'll take time. The time that you necessarily don't have because being a mum is a full-time job.
By the way, the waist trainers you've been looking at don't work the same way for all body types. Each person experiences different results. So don't compare yourself to the Instagram mums sharing positive progress and understand that your body, with time, will get to where you want it to be.
If that's hard to run with, always remember that you carried your baby for nine months. As the saying goes, it's only fair that you also give your body nine months to heal.
help child sleep better

You Need to Stop Counting the Inches

Admittedly, it's easy to get fixated on your waistline. Our society has conditioned us to believe that beauty has a specific shape. For African beauty, the standard has been the hourglass figure.
Then there are the person-specific standards. The kind that makes us go on a diet and spend time researching post-baby bodies, workouts, and celebrity comebacks. Whichever you're stuck on right now, I'd like you to remember this quote by Maya Angelou; "If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude."
Take a moment and look at what you don't like. Is it the extra skin? Most of this will fall off in due time. Is it the visible stretch marks? You can use products like Bio-Oil to lessen their appearance. Or is it the scar from your unexpected caesarean section? This will fade away in time, with the help of certain ointments.
Maybe it's the added kilos? These digestion tips for the zero carb diet can help you deal with that.
However, you don't need to do any of this. You can always choose to change your attitude. Instead of seeing your marks as something unwanted you can choose to see them as something beautiful and this brings me to my next point.
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About The Author

Author
Flora

Flora is our fashion aficionado always up to date with the latest trends. A sucker for dogs and their cute goofy ears. She is the events and newsletter editor.

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