I remember when I had Eeshan, my firstborn I was so well prepared, or so I thought. I had been to lamaze classes, read all the books on pregnancy and also listened to all the advise my doctor or my elders gave to me. But the life that came to me once the baby was born was ‘out of my box’ ! Till then I had always been an organised person, who liked to keep her house set in a particular way, my hair was always neat and I was always groomed well.
The first shocker came, when I realised that even though I had delivered a good 3.85 kgs baby and my placenta had been removed, I still looked five months pregnant. I somehow believed that once I deliver the baby I will magically lose all my tummy. I did lose 10 kilos in the first month, but the tummy and the stretch marks never went.
I remember struggling trying the baby to latch on to me for feeding. All books, videos, tutorials, made it look so natural. Not only was it tough, initially it could be painful.
While I was so prepared for my pregnancy, no one had told me that life after a baby, or at least initial few years can be so tough. I realised I could not go out for movies( nobody likes wailing kids and they can wail at any time without notice ) or go for shopping or dinner with friends even if you carry your baby along( the baby can be hungry at anytime and I have had to run and feed him in toilet in malls). Luckily, nowadays we have creches or baby feeding areas in malls. And let’s not even forget losing countless hours of sleep trying to clean, feed or just cajole the baby. Basically from being a casual girl I had soon transformed into a hypochondriac mom !!
With age and experience now I have calmed down. For those who may not know, now I have two boys aged 9 and 4. I have learned and unlearned and I believe am still on that journey, but for new moms all this can be very overwhelming and what I have seen not too many understand the pain of a new mom, not even other women who have gone through childbirth. But sometimes, it can become too much for a new mom to handle and we should always be there to listen to her, help her or make it easy for her.
Yummy Mummy Survey is a survey commissioned by AC Nielson on How husbands feel about pregnancy and their pregnant wivesand body issues faced by women, covering major Indian cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Pune, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Jaipur and Chandigarh. The data has been compiled after speaking to 1100 people, 100 from each city.
72% new and expecting mothers/fathers mentioned Aishwarya Rai as the Yummiest Mummy in Bollywood now.
In its second year, the Yummy Mummy survey also reveals that 77% new and expecting mothers/fathers mentioned Abhishek Bachchan & Aishwarya Rai as the ‘Yummy Parents’ of Bollywood; only goes to say that Abhishek Bachchan is standing out as a role model for young fathers and fathers-to-be.
The survey has thrown up interesting insights like:
- 92 % of new and expecting fathers agree that they want their wives to look the way she used to look before the pregnancy
- 89 % new dads and dads-to-be agree that they actively take steps to make their wives a Yummy Mummy
- 67% new and expecting mothers/fathers associate beautiful skin with Yummy Mummy
- 75 % new and expecting mothers in India agree that they are afraid of scars and post-delivery recovery in the aftermath of a C-section surgery
- 82% of new and expecting fathers agree that they will buy beauty products for their wives to reduce pregnancy stretch marks and lines
- 91% of those surveyed agreed that they want their wife to be a Yummy Mummy
Today we are in a conversation with Dr. Kiran Coehlo, a leading gynaecologist of our country sharing her insights on pregnant women and their issues of body consciousness.
A lot of new moms go through post- partum depression. Sometimes even they don’t know they are suffering from depression. How to identify and handle such situations?
70 % of women experience mild baby blues for about 1-2 weeks due to placental hormones leaving the body. The post- partum depression is a bit rarer. The signs and symptoms are more severe and last longer. The symptoms may include
- Depressed mood/ severe mood swings
- Difficulty in bonding with the baby
- Excessive crying
- Withdrawing from family and friends
- Loss of appetite or eating too much
- Inability to sleep/ insomnia
- Fatigue and loss of energy
- Intense irritability and anger
- Feelings of worthlessness and inadequacy
- Severe anxiety and panic attacks
- Thoughts of suicide ad harming the baby
Very severe post -partum depression may lead to psychosis. These patients do require help in the form of counselling and medication.
Women should attend pre-natal classes which prepare them for labor delivery and breast feeding during pregnancy. After birth, the mother should
- Rest adequately
- Accept help from family and friends
- Connect with new mothers
- Always take time to take care of themselves
- Avoid alcohol and medicines that cause depression
How can the family be more supportive for women going through post-partum?
The family plays a key role during this time:
- They should be supportive of the mother
- Have a lot of positivity around and encourage the mothers to breast feed and not pass negative comments like the milk is not enough
- The mother should rest adequately and so the family should help her out in taking care of the baby
- The family should not force the mother to do household chores, instead encourage her to take more rest
How important is body image for women?
Body image is not only restricted to one’s weight but is also about being confident. A yummy mummy is someone who is comfortable with her body and her personality. A yummy mummy is a mother who takes care of her body and her mind. She exercises regularly, is particular about her fitness level and exudes confidence.
Having a baby is certainly one of the most special and life changing things a woman can ever do, but such a feat is not without consequences due to the huge strain that is put upon the body during pregnancy and childbirth. Clearly many women who’ve given birth want to look better and want to look more like they did pre-baby but I’m skeptical that’s got much to do with fitness. Modern day pressures mean that women are often made to feel insecure if they don’t have the “Yummy Mummy” body to go with all their other baby accessories. We can’t all afford personal trainers, nannies and dieticians, and let’s face it, often no amount of dieting and sit-ups is going to give us the washboard stomach and pert breasts back, or remove the telltale signs of stretch marks that make you a member of the ‘mummy club’.
This change is due to:
- Celebrity culture: From baby bump to the first torso pics after birth, we follow the lives of celebrity mothers. Some of us watch in awe at the transformations they undergo. They hire chefs, nannies and personal trainers and we want the same effect for ourselves.
- Cosmetic surgery packages post baby: Tummy tucks, Breast augmentation, Liposuction are some of the procedures being rampantly advertised for to new mothers.
Please share some tips on how to get back to shape quickly after pregnancy.
A major worry that every pregnant woman has is if the stretch marks ever going to go for which the answer is try to minimize stretch marks during pregnancy by regularly applying moisturizers and oils which contain Vitamin E, Lavender, Calendula and Rosemary. The same can be used after pregnancy also on the abdomen breast to reduce stretch marks.
Let’s face it, dieting is no fun – and definitely not a good idea if you’re breastfeeding. Exercise is your best bet, combined with sensible, healthy eating. Apart from helping you shift some unwanted pounds, which will boost your confidence and self-esteem, regular activity improves your general health and fitness and is good for the mind, too, since exercise releases endorphins, the ‘feel-good’ hormones.
Its takes approximately 6 weeks for all the body functions and systems to return to a pre-pregnancy state. But it takes anywhere between 3 months to a year to get back to looking like your pre-pregnancy self.
All that said, exercise is not something to be rushed into after birth. Getting back into shape is something to start when you feel ready – be it six weeks or six months down the line. And even then it should be a slow, gradual process, not the unhealthy race run by all those celebrity ‘yummy mummies’. It’s really important to give yourself a break and not put too much pressure on yourself. It took nine months to make your baby, so give yourself at least that long to get back in
In fact, there’s one bit of the body that all new mums should be exercising regularly. Exercising is important to get back to shape but what is more, is doing the right kind of exercise.
- The pelvic floor (the hammock-like layer of muscles that support the bladder, uterus, and bowel). If you were good, you’ll have done your pelvic floor exercises during pregnancy. If not, don’t let that stop you from starting now – they’re all-important in the battle to keep leaky bladders at bay and, as an added bonus, can help to improve satisfaction during sex!
- You can also make a start on the long, slow process of getting your tummy muscles back in shape by softly pulling them in whenever you get the chance. (If you’re not sure how, imagine drawing your tummy in towards your spine.) Hold for a few seconds, breathing all the while, and then release. Do this as many times a day as you can fit in. (It’s also a good idea to hold in your tummy in this way when you bend over or lift anything: it will help to support your back and so help to ease or prevent back pain, a common problem after birth.) You could also squeeze in a few pelvic tilts when you find yourself with a free moment: stand with your back to a wall, slide a hand into the gap between your lower back and the wall and use your tummy muscles to tilt your pelvis backwards. Hold for a little while before releasing. You’ll know you’re doing it right if you can feel your lower back pushing against your hand.
- Gentle walking is also okay in the early weeks
- Power walking: An ideal way for new mums to exercise as it can be fitted it into a normal day.
- Pilates or yoga: These are great for improving strength and flexibility, but you’ll still need to raise your heartbeat with some sort of aerobic exercise a couple of times a week if you want to burn off that belly. Swimming, or aquarobics: A perfect all-round exercise – it will increase your heart rate but as the water offers you support, has minimal risk of injury. It’s also good for firming up post-baby breasts
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