Sometimes a little perspective is a good thing. I get all sorts of emails from all sorts of baby geared websites. I LOVE getting info on Jack’s age group. Learning what he should and shouldn’t be doing, games to play, tips to help his development. As someone who was originally going to be a teacher, I am very obsessed with focusing on helping him with his development. And who knows, I may end up teaching just yet. Just not high school. ha!

Anyway, I get emails from Baby Center. Yesterday this was included

Post Baby Bellies

You will have to click the link to check it out. I cannot copy and paste these images like the ab workout for runners.  But I was actually kind of surprised. I want to clarify that I do not think my belly is perfect yet. I never really thought it was, it is my obsession. Looking back, I realize how nice it was. In the moment I never do. I did not realize how different a lot of people’s bellies look from mine post baby. Like I said, I have a lot of work to do still, but it kind of opened my eyes. I could be starting from a much more difficult point. I don’t have stretch marks, it is starting to tighten up. The “pooch” is not that bad (compared). I know in a few weeks when I forget about this article I will be incredibly hard on myself. So this is my belly, nearly 19 weeks after having him. 19 weeks is on Friday. I am 129.8 lbs.

19 weeks after baby...

I still do not think this looks amazing. Please believe me when I say that. I just think that it looks different that what these articles all say it should be looking like.   Ha, I feel like going back into my editor and circling the problem areas. That bottom pooch area really gets me. I will just continue to remind myself, it could be much worse. I do not look 5 or 6 months pregnant still, like some of the articles I have read state is normal and can happen.

I also wonder…am I too hard on myself? These women are proud of their new figures. I am aghast at mine. I refuse to get into a bikini and I only have about 5lbs to lose! My mom and Jason tell me I am too hard on myself. I just cannot buy into that old adage, “you just had a baby” I don’t know why I can’t. When I hear it my brain screams, “THAT IS JUST A LAZY EXCUSE” I am probably insane. But that is what I hear. And I feel I absolutely cannot give in to that excuse. I really feel the moment I sit back and think, “yup, I just had a baby 4 months ago. No big deal about any extra poundage I am carrying. No big deal about not being toned” that all this hard work will go out the window. I feel it is lazy to think that way. I manage to squeeze in a workout daily (sometimes two!), and my son is 4 months 11 days old! I have been doing this since week 3! He still doesn’t sleep through the night on a regular basis. So I am still sleep deprived, yet I run, do pilates, etc. It can be done. I cook dinner nearly nightly, I clean, I do the laundry, I take care of my son, I read a book every night (not an entire book lol but I read a few pages at least), I run the errands, I take Jackson to Gymboree, swim, and playgroup, I shower once if not twice a day, I eat all my meals I am supposed to, I even find time to blog and post on facebook! I manage to squeeze it all in. It can be done. 

So for me there is no “I just had a baby excuse.”  I don’t know if I am explaining my feelings properly. I just get ill and frustrated when I think that I should be accepting that fact. It won’t happen. I WANT to be back to what I was sooner rather than later. There is no need to carry around the extra pounds for the rest of my life. The longer it stays on the harder it may be to lose. The easier it will become to accept this new body, instead of being happy with meeting my ultimate goal.

I cannot say that I wish I could feel proud of this current body after baby, at least not at this point. I will feel proud in about 5 pounds and much more toning. It is what it is for me. I am not criticizing these other women in the least bit. Good for them for having that confidence. Jason has said to me that he wishes he could make fitness a part of his life like I have in mine. I am guessing that is where my personal body image feelings come from. It is such a part of my life, that to feel the slightest bit unfit irritates me beyond belief.

I read through some of the comments to the article. It was interesting how people see this article. Women who seem to have bellies that look worse than any of the images shown complain that too many tiny bellies are shown. I saw it differently…Not that too many large bellies were shown, but that a lot of them looked worse than I realized post baby bellies look. So I am sure I would fall into their category of women they are complaining about and being nasty about. Oh well. Doesn’t change the fact that it is not what it was before Jackson and I am determined to get back there. Making snotty comments about the women who have made some progress is just as awful if I made some rude jokes or comments about the women who are nowhere near close to what they were. It is just rude to do either. Everyone is different and some perspective is good for us all. We can all take something from another person’s journey. I have learned that I could be in a much different position that I am right now. It is not luck that has gotten me where I am, it has been hard work and discipline, but regardless, I could be elsewhere in this long journey.

I don’t know exactly where I was going with this post. Like I said, I am not saying anything negative about these posters of those photos. I was just shocked at what I saw for the time frames. I was surprised at all of the stretch marks. I seriously have one on my right side, that is it. One thing it has done is prove to me I don’t want a second baby. It seems after baby number 2 it is very hard to bounce back. I am so hard on myself now, I cannot imagine if this were any more difficult, how hard I would be on myself!

So, as I began this post, perspective can be a good thing. I honestly did not realize that bellies look that way for some people after a baby. I mean, I guess I assumed that some women get stretch marks…but I thought things looked different.

I will keep up my hard work and continue down my path to the old me. I will get there….It seems to be that I am on the right path.