Let's Ditch Bounce Back Culture
Redefining Postpartum Recovery…
… and Busting Unrealistic Expectations!
Have you ever found yourself worried about how quickly your body will ‘bounce back’ after having a baby? Or maybe you’re frustrated with how you feel? Let’s start by ditching the term ‘bouncing back’. We want you to focus on not only feeling healthy and strong, but also work towards finding yourself again, however that may look.
We don’t want to add to your stress (or society’s pressures) to make you feel like you are anything but amazing after you’ve given birth. We also recognize that you may have complicated feelings about your body after giving birth. This was a major life and physical transition that shouldn’t be dismissed. Now is the time to embrace your new journey.
To help you sort all of these feelings and thoughts out, we’ve put together some of the reasons why you may not feel your best self or your healthiest during the postpartum period, along with some tips to help get you through this time in your life.
(Please note: If you feel you need to seek help, we encourage you to talk to your doctor. You can also find parenting drop-ins and wellness groups at the Ottawa Birth and Wellness Centre or get in touch with us and ask us for a recommendation - we have tons!)
1. SLEeP is hard to come by
Maybe that’s too obvious as a new mom, but we understand how hard it is to feel well rested when you’re up at night feeding, changing or soothing your baby. Help from your partner, a family member or a postpartum Doula, can make a difference. Also, if you have to be up at night, try to rest - dare we say it - when the baby sleeps. Lack of sleep impacts our overall health, including our mental health, so if you’re struggling, our friends at The Happy Sleep Company have a plethora of blog posts that might give you some inspiration (Bonus: if you send us a message, we have a discount code that you can use on some of their Sleep Guides).
2. exercise is even harder to get to
For most healthy postpartum individuals, the Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines for Postpartum Adults recommends following a gradual, individualized progression towards 120 minutes per week of moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity, including both aerobic movement and resistance (strength) training, in addition to daily pelvic floor exercises.
Don’t feel like you have the time? This is one reason why we’ve created our Online Programs to enjoy from the comfort of your own home. Choose from Live, Online classes, where we lead you through 30 minute Express Classes each week or from our On-Demand workouts in our content library where you can complete a pre-recorded workout at a time that’s convenient for you.
3. We forget to feed ourselves
Before your newborn, you may have had a more consistent food schedule. You possibly had a better sense of portions that worked for you (if you’re breastfeeding, you know how famished you are, at all hours of the day and night!). In the first few months, especially, you’re spending so much time feeding your little one, that you may not be spending enough time nourishing yourself in the best possible way. So it makes a little sense if you skip breakfast, forget to eat lunch until it’s way too late or choose less healthy, but faster options.
Nourishing your body is crucial in your postpartum recovery but making the time while adjusting to your new life (whether this is your first baby, or your third and you’re managing toddlers and older children too) can be a challenge.
Prioritize nourishment, and the habits that you want to have. You might find a meal service like Good Food, Chef’s Plate or Hello Fresh takes some of the guess work out of food prep. If someone asks how they can help, ask them to bring you a meal (either fresh or for your freezer) so that your family can focus on things other than cooking. Or ask them to bring some cut up fruit, veggies and other healthy, easy to grab snacks that you don’t have to spend time preparing yourself.
4. expectations about exercise don’t match reality
Moving your body gently in the early weeks, and gradually increasing your time and intensity as time goes on, will help you build strength, help with your sleep, and benefit your mental health.
Remember, the Guidelines for Physical Activity (see above) recommend a progression towards 120 minutes per week. This level of intensity feels like about a 6 to 8 out of 10 in terms of effort. But don’t get stuck in the comparison game. An effort of 8 out of 10 for a fit person (ie: before pregnancy) might be very different for an 8 out 10 for someone who is 2 months postpartum.
For instance, an 8 out of 10 for a fit, non-pregnant person, might be 3 sets of 15 squats while holding a set of 8 lb dumbbells, while an 8 out of 10 for a person who is starting back to fitness at 8 weeks postpartum might be more like 2 sets of 15 squats using only body weight.
The big take away would be that people need to keep challenging themselves as they improve in order to see gains.
Not sure where to begin? Start with our Free Guide to Moving your Body in the Fourth Trimester, where we share our 6 favourite movements you can begin doing during those first weeks of your postpartum journey, so that your body can begin to recover and repair from pregnancy, labour and delivery.
These gentle movements are designed to help you begin moving your body as it recovers from the past 10 months of growing another human!
Interested in joining us? Our classes are a great way to meet other new parents. Fitmama Strong Online has been operating classes online from our virtual studio since 2020. Our community is a thriving and welcoming space for you and your littles.
Our New On-Demand Prenatal Fitness and Yoga Series of classes is a great ways to stay active during your pregnancy. Each week has tons of information about prenatal fitness, labour, delivery and the postpartum period, curated especially for our prenatal population.
If you’re new to Fitmama Strong Online, try our 7-Day Free Trial Membership! You can use it at any of our Live, Online Express Strong, Express Elevate and Express Flow classes or you can try some workouts from our On-Demand Library. It doesn’t matter if your baby was born 6 weeks ago or 6 years ago, we have something for all postnatal members! Already been to Fitmama Strong classes? Grab a monthly membership and keep moving along with us:)
Finally, we offer in-person Stroller Fitness and Babywearing Fitness through our Durham Region and Ottawa locations. We can’t wait to have you join us!
We can’t wait for you to #startwithus and #growwithus. Find your Fitmama Strong Location!