Post-Preggo Body

About three weeks postpartum.

The day after giving birth to our son, Matt and I went to the pediatrician then for a walk around Target. Our tiny bundle of joy was in our Moby carrier, and many people (mostly women) ooh'ed and aah'ed at the sight of a little baby already taken outside the comforts of home. And without missing a beat, many of them said, to some effect, "Wow... you look great for just having had a baby! You don't even look like you were pregnant!"

Some of the other comments were a bit more rude than that ("I kind of hate you for bouncing back so fast!"), but for the most part, they were pretty benign. While the comments themselves only bothered me a little -- stop staring at my post-preggo belly! -- the fact that it's one of the first things after my adorable baby that they noticed really started to get annoying.

I can only image that, as annoyed as I've been with those types of comments, Kate Middleton has got to be feeling it even more. I honestly forgot that she was even pregnant. ;) I only remembered when I came across stories that announced to the world about the birth of their son, George Alexander Louis, and my first thought was, "Well, not what I'd name my kid, but cool!"

(But we named our son Tycho, sooooo...)

Anyway, many of the stories I read had some amazing pictures of the new eventual King, as well as some of the beaming, brand new parents. I noted that Kate was especially beautiful, her hair all done up, and I wished I looked nearly as presentable as I hobbled out of the birth center, haha.

Smitten. :)

And I found myself, like everyone else who doesn't live under a rock, doing the one thing that I hate: Eyeing her post-preggo belly. The press was all over it, too, saying that her "mummy tummy" was the delight of mothers all over the world, that "That neat bump was the only thing which gave away the fact Kate had given birth to an 8lb 6oz boy just a day earlier. And the glowing duchess clearly felt no need to hide it, a decision praised immediately by mothers’ groups."

It made me realize that, no matter how much I want to deny it, I've been trained incredibly well by the media. While not the first to notice, I certainly wasn't exempt from taking a quick peek, even if it's something I despise when others do it. She did look amazing, and she was honest and real and wasn't afraid to hide it, but at the same time... why did I care what she looked like after childbirth?

Why does anyone care what any woman looks like after childbirth?!

And why do we pass judgment or otherwise comment on a woman's body, anyway, whether that woman does or doesn't have "post-baby weight"?

Oh-em-gee, did you see that mom still wearing maternity jeans? Isn't her baby, like, a month old?!

(Shut up, Tycho. I'm still wearing mine and have no intention of letting them go anytime soon. :P)

Pregnancy is an absolutely ridiculous and miraculous process that happens to a woman, both inside and out. Body parts expand, scales climb in number, food sometimes projectiles, happiness (typically) grows, a welcoming space is created, and anticipation builds. The incredible changes are ones that last a lifetime, including but certainly not limited to the physical ones.

Rather than being scrutinized, a woman should instead be celebrated for what she ultimately did: She created new life! And that body should be celebrated just as earnestly, should be allowed to look however it looks for however long it looks that way. Our bodies are beautiful and can accomplish amazing things, including but certainly not limited to making babies.

It kind of disgusts me, honestly, that we're more concerned about a pregnant or postpartum mother's outsides than her insides. Why don't we instead worry about whether her diet is abundant and nutritious? If she's getting adequate water intake? If she's sleeping enough, if her healthcare is adequate, if she's healing both physically and mentally?

Because nothing is more important than making sure that both mom and baby are healthy and happy. Not if her belly has shrunk to an acceptable level, but if she had a healthy delivery without complication; not if she looks haggard and unkempt, but if she is getting the sleep she needs to care for her baby; not if her feet have expanded or her nose has broadened, but if her heart has expanded with love and her sense of personal accomplishment has broadened.