As new moms Kim Kardashian and Jessica Simpson can attest, perhaps the most humiliating aspect of a female celebrity’s life is the ghoulish commentary on the changes that pregnancy wrought on their bodies. Stung by the widespread schadenfreude-fueled derision at their weight gain, both were quoted repeatedly saying how anxious they were to get their pre-baby bodies back up and running. In the UK, the bombshell mom phenomenon is called the Yummie Mummy.
If anything, body scrutiny after birth is even more unforgiving. Not a month goes by without the press heralding a Victoria’s Secret model or celebrity hottie who has emerged bikini-ready just weeks after delivery, as if this were a race to win. No question, because celebrities’ faces and bodies are their livings, the pressure to be a babelicious Yummy Mummy is intense.
They’re not alone. Being pregnant is hard and being a sleep-deprived new mother aboard the hormone rollercoaster is even harder. Many of my female patients experience real terror that their bodies and looks are ruined forever. Some even sink into despair, feeling as if they are being punished for having done something wrong. Is this obsession with post-partum perfection really healthy, particularly since so much of this unhappiness is based on unrealistic expectations?
Last month, the press reported that new mother Jessica Alba wore a tight corset to help flatten the skin on her abdomen. If you have the discipline to do it, a post-partum corset or girdle worn day and night for months after delivery is a good idea (thanks Spanx!) because it helps the skin’s connective fibers re-adhere to the underlying tissues. It’s the same principle of wearing a restrictive garment several weeks after liposuction.
For the healthy human female, giving birth is the biggest physical upheaval she will ever experience in her life. Some of the changes– such as hair loss – and will resolve themselves on their own. Other changes – such as weight gain, muscle laxity and acne flare-ups – might demand adherence to strict remedial regimens and a fair amount of will power. When dealing with stubborn changes – such as chloasma (brown, patchy ‘mask of pregnancy’), be aware that it may require professional help to resolve. Lastly, the permanent things women are most concerned about – hello stretch marks, darker nipples, and once nursing stops, less perky breasts.
This is where I step in, as a mother of three who has been there and done that, to offer the most important advice I ever got: Give yourself and your body a break. Be proud, be in the moment and enjoy your baby’s infancy when you can. Don’t give into your postpartum beauty blues. This is not a race.
Once the baby gets on a predictable schedule, even before you hit the gym, run out for a Mommy Makeover or attend to skin issues, the most important thing you can do for your beauty (and your psyche) is to get as much sleep as possible. Easier said than done, I know, but nothing is going to make you feel better and heal quicker than that. Let every helpful friend and family member know the one thing they can do for you is to come over and look after the baby for a few hours so you can sleep. Schedule these saintly slumber-enablers on rotation if you can. Repeat after me: Baby first, sleep next.
Please take comfort in the fact that most of your post-pregnancy face and body issues will right themselves over time without having to rush them. And if you want more significant improvements, there’s a whole arsenal of highly effective dermatology and plastic surgery treatments available to you that can work wonders . . . if and when you’re ready.
Life happens, pregnancy may too, but it doesn’t have to show on your skin.
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