I’ve been in a bit of a hole recently. Etta is only a week old and Hank has been home so we’ve been hiding out a bit, getting used to our new normal and soaking in all of the new emotions.
I haven’t read any of the articles, mostly because I knew that I would just get mad, but I couldn’t help but hear murmurings of people giving Princess Kate a hard time for her post-birth bump. And this idea hits close to home considering I am currently rocking my own post-baby belly.
one-week post-baby belly
You. Guys. The ignorance and ridiculousness of our society in this area is embarrassing. I even heard a comment by a man that she had “ruined her hot body with a baby”. Don’t worry dude, she will get it back. Not that it should matter to you, that’s somebody else’s wife.
But even if you personally haven’t had a baby, the idea that a woman would automatically have a flat stomach 24 hours after giving birth just doesn’t make practical sense.
My first thought was actually “if someone doesn’t realize that a belly is normal right after birth, they obviously haven’t been over to visit, bring a meal, change a diaper, vacuum, fold a load of laundry, etc. for any of their friends or family members who have just had a baby…”
Anyhow, I did read an article in the NY Post this morning about her labor. I had thought that she might go natural, considering all that her father in law does for natural living and organic gardening. However, many speculated that, like so many celebrities, she would be “too posh to push.”
I was so encouraged when she was allowed to go past her suspected “due date” and even more interested to hear that she had a drug-free birth attended by midwives!
She is setting an example of what normal can be, even for royalty. She is also setting an example of real motherhood. I mean, it did seem a bit superhuman to me that she left the hospital in heels, but I thought she looked amazing. She didn’t hide out until she was back to her “old” self.
And that’s tempting.
I feel that pressure and the general public neither knows nor cares who I am!
But it’s hard when you are used to looking and feeling a certain way. I mean, before I got pregnant I had abs, you guys. Real abs. So yeah, when you look down and find a giggly belly it’s a bit of an adjustment. Wearing toddler-inspired stretchy pants for a few weeks after isn’t ideal either. Even though I only gained 35 lbs with Etta, and lost 15 the day she was born, my body will naturally hold onto about 10 of it for months in order to supply enough nutrients and fats for my breastmilk.
And of course, our bodies store it in the least attractive of ways: love handles & back-arm fat!
I can just imagine William saying things to Kate like my husband says to me “Babe, you look amazing! You JUST had a baby! Give yourself a break!”
So anyhow, kudos to Kate for giving the world a lesson on what a real mother looks like.
Kudos to her for allowing her baby the time he needed to fully develop in the womb.
Kudos to her for allowing her body to birth the way it was designed to.
I’ve never before been a big “royal” watcher, but I love the message that she is sending.
Go, Kate, Go.
live well. be well.
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