A baby is or was growing inside of you.
What happened to my body? Why has it changed?
You're belly starts to grow but you don't look pregnant. Yet you are so sick or tired. You don't feel like yourself. Perhaps your body is swelling. Your breasts are sore. There are any number of things you'll experience during the first trimester of your pregnancy.
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Second trimester, you finally start to feel better and look pregnant. You start to gain weight. You worry that your baby is okay. Cravings start to kick in and you crave things you wouldn't normally eat, like pickles and ice cream.
Third trimester, you feel like you are about to pop. You can't understand how you can get any bigger or sleep through the night again because you have to pee every two hours. You start to anticipate delivery and what is going to be like.
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Your wonderful bundle of joy has arrived and you couldn't be any happier. Your baby is as beautiful as you imagined. You couldn't imagine loving anything more than you love your baby.
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And now you are left with a body you don't recognize. Why am I not the size I was when I started this journey? Why can't I drop the baby weight? Why do I still not feel like myself?
What you see in the media is not reality. Rarely do women drop all their weight within six weeks. Many times it should take about a year or as long as you are pregnant, nine months and sometimes you won't lose all the baby weight. Even if you lose all your pregnancy weight, you still may look different. That's okay. You've delivered a child, and you aren't the same either.
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How do I handle the body changes? Take one day at a time. Realize some days will be easier than others. Dress in a way that makes you feel good. Don't worry about the size. Dress the size you are now. You'll feel better.
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Do exercise to feel good, not to lose weight. This is you time. If all you can do is walk around the block, do that. If you want to do more, do it, but do it because you want to feel good.
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Speak and think positively about your body, after all, you did just grow a child and that is amazing! Your breast can provide nourishment for your child(ren). Your body rearranged itself to carry your child. Celebrate yourself. You did beautifully.
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Be patient. I know this one is the absolute hardest. The media isn't reality. Remember that. It's a snapshot of their world. Your life is just as wonderful and beautiful.
Here are a few sites that can help you understand what's going on