Postpartum Bodies

Oct 28th class discussion:

Postpartum Bodes

Breaking News! Amazing Feat: Model Heidi Klum has returned to her pre-baby weight and hits the catwalk just 7 weeks after giving birth!!!
Today's media over glorifies the ability of celebrity mothers to lose baby weight quickly after giving birth, often painting them in a heroic light for the ability to do so. Unfortunately, for regular mothers who do not have the same resources at their disposal such as dietitians, personal trainers, child care, money, and time, are holding themselves to this impossible standard. Furthermore, even after the miraculous weight loss, the media still airbrushes what they consider to be the most minuscule of flaws. This provides an EVEN MORE unrealistic standard on regular moms that celebrities with such ample resources cannot even achieve.
Prospective mothers, pregnant women, and moms everywhere are constantly flooded with this unrealistic pressure to be thin after child birth, through television, magazines, and even in the midst of friendly conversations by the water cooler. These women already have to worry about the pressures and responsibilities of new motherhood, which in itself would cause a great deal of stress.
In fact, this could possibly be a contributing factor to the number of mothers who develop postpartum depression after child birth. According to the National Institute of Health, in April 2005, 10-15% of mothers will develop postpartum depression one month to one year after giving birth. It is too much to ask a woman who has just put a tremendous pressure on her body by giving birth to worry about getting rid of stretch marks and baby weight when they are already constantly feeling the anxiety of raising a newborn as well as maintaining current occupational, social, and personal responsibilities.