Postnatal Body Image

Apr 11, 2010 Posted by Amanda in Pregnancy | 0 comments

Postnatal Body Image

bodyimage If you recently or not so recently had a baby chances are you’ve noticed some changes in your body. The way you feel about your body is important. It affects your attitude and lifestyle. You are also teaching your children very important lessons about body image and self esteem by the way you feel and talk about your self.

Let’s do a little mental exercise.

Step One:

Get naked and stand in front of your mirror. No, I am not being a pervert; there is a lesson to learn here. We are talking about body image. So to start off we need to accurately determine how you feel about your body right at this moment. As you stand there naked – probably slouching – check yourself out. How do you feel? What catches your eye? Now stand up straight, suck in and tighten that tummy, shoulders back, butt in, and hold your head high – amazing difference, right? Why don’t you stand this way all of the time? This is called good posture. Practice it. It is your best friend. Notice not only the difference in the way your body looks with good posture, but they way you feel – a little more confident, a little more sassy maybe. Work it.

Step Two:

During your child(rens) nap time today, go find a quite corner, a warm sofa, or a relaxing place. (Hopefully you did step one during nap time also so little Jimmy doesn’t think it is fun to stand in front of the mirror making weird faces while sticking his belly out.) In your safe spot, close your eyes. Think about that body you saw in the mirror. Take any bad thoughts that come into your head and push them out. Just look. Focus/zoom in a part of your body that you are not fond of. With your mind, make it blurry/fuzzy. Now zoom out. Check out your whole body now but soft and glowing. From this point forward, you now only see the beauty you have to offer and only positive thoughts are allowed.

Sure you might have some work to do but you love yourself as is! Love yourself the way your children love you – the type of love that sees straight to the heart.

bodyimage-moms Wear your stretch marks like a badge of honor. Your body is amazing, look at the beautiful things it can do and what it created – your children. When I see a lose belly decorated with stretch marks I see love. I see a miracle. And I see hard work and dedication.

The next time someone says to you, “You look great for having kids.” Say, “No, I look great because I had kids!!”

Body image has a lot to do with your thoughts. If every time you look in the mirror you think how much you hate your body, you will hate your body. If every time you look in the mirror you focus in on what you love, you will love your body! So next time you look at your belly, think about how glorious it is and smile. <3

And don’t forget to teach your children about positive body image and how to have high self esteem. Lead by example!