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A few months after giving birth to her baby boy in 2018, Sharon Oakley, who lives in Yorkshire, UK, was praised by everyone around her for her weight loss.
But the problems she faced to lose the weight gained during pregnancy were different. Sharon, who is fond of running, lost weight by jogging while keeping her son in a baby stroller for six months after giving birth.
But due to this, he has developed the problem of spontaneous urination. He has faced this problem even while working in the office.
Medical tests revealed that she had rectal and uterine weakness (pelvic organ prolapse).
After four years of treatment, his condition has improved. However, there is occasional uncontrollable leakage of urine. Thus he always keeps another underwear with him. He is anxious while running. He even thought that he would have to quit his job due to this.
Physical problems
Sharon’s problem is a problem that most women face. A weakening and misalignment of the pelvic organs alone affects 90 percent of postpartum women.
Diastasis recti occurs when the rectus abdominis muscles are separated during pregnancy and affects 60% of women. Due to this, problems such as frequent urination, constipation and pain occur.
Increasing stress
But many people advise not to relax after the birth of the baby without considering such problems and to get back to the pre-pregnancy body shape immediately.
The pressure of being told to lose weight immediately without adequate medical and follow-up care can be distressing for many mothers. Due to this, problems arise in their physical and mental health.
This adds to the pressure on women from countries where maternity leave and child welfare policies are not in place, and women who depend on their partners for economic needs. Women returning to the office are also struggling to prove that motherhood hasn’t changed them in any way, and their work suffers.
As a result, most women suffer from postpartum depression.
A lot of pressure is placed on women to quickly return to their pre-pregnancy body shape.
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Women who reduce the amount of food
“In order to lose weight quickly, I have seen mothers who breastfeed their babies drastically reduce the amount of food they eat, so that the baby does not get enough breast milk,” says Jennifer Lincoln, an obstetrician from the United States.
Most women suffer from various injuries during pregnancy and childbirth. This includes injuries caused by caesarean section. These wounds take some time to heal.
For such reasons it is impossible and dangerous for women to achieve their old appearance within a few weeks after childbirth.
Shelby Alley, from Indiana, USA, faced pressure to lose weight before giving birth. Due to this, she has reduced the amount of food she eats after the birth of the child. Due to this, the secretion of breast milk has decreased significantly.
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‘Western culture is also to blame’
Various celebrities have also shared publicly about their weight loss after childbirth. Thus, the postpartum weight loss culture receives media attention. Conversations about it are going on. Because of this, non-celebrity women are under pressure to lose weight.
Surabi Veitch, a Canadian physiotherapist and postpartum weight loss coach, says it’s rapidly spreading to other countries because of Western culture. “As India assimilates Western culture, the pressure to be seen with a lean, toned stomach has increased there as well,” he says. He says that this culture is also seen spreading in Korean, Chinese and Japanese culture.
Market culture
A market culture towards mothers has also contributed to this pressure. Advertisements for exercise classes and meal plans are aimed at mothers.
“Those belts aren’t going to make your waist smaller,” says orthopedic physiotherapist Marko Kwatkowski, who talks about the belts most women wear around their waists after childbirth to reduce their waistline. He says it will only bring problems.
“One cannot protect oneself from such market cultural influence,” he says. Pressure to lose weight after childbirth is often created by the women’s family members.
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Is it possible to achieve the old look?
It is also a reality that most women cannot achieve their pre-pregnancy look no matter how much exercise and diet they do.
“I liken the post-pregnancy body to blooming. A mature woman’s body may not look like it did when she was 9 or 10 years old. We know that our body has completely changed,” says Veitch. “Our body does not completely change during pregnancy or post-birth. Instead, it changes more and more. Therefore, most women will not achieve the same look as before,” she says.
But in a culture where achieving a pre-pregnancy look and being healthy is for all women, not looking slim is considered a failure.
British TV host and social media celebrity Ashley James has been sharing posts on social media against such culture. She shares the changes her body goes through after childbirth.
“Others will talk about how we glow and look beautiful all 9 months pregnant. But, after the birth of the child, they will speak against it,’ he says. “It doesn’t matter what we look like on the outside. Instead, they should say, ‘Thank you for bringing a life into this world,’” he says.
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