Page 26 - Healthy (March - April 2020)

BODY CONFIDENCE

the days when you feel conident to talk and 41 per cent of women feeling more negative about
answer questions, and practise answers you feel their body image after pregnancy than before.
comfortable with. Focus on the other aspects of ‘It’s an intensive process on the body, often
your life: your achievements, interests and the coupled with comparison around how much
people around you who build your conidence. weight you and your baby puts on so there’s a big
Research tells us that the people focus on the physical body.’
who cope best with changes or Some of the symptoms of poor
visible diferences in their On the days body image can present as bigger
appearance are those who have when you feel issues at this time, especially when
supportive social networks and it comes to bonding with the new
for whom appearance is not the unstoppable, baby. ‘If mum is focused on her
only thing they value about embrace physical self or emotional self only,
themselves. Recognising all the she’s not in the right presence of
other wonderful things about you your body mind for the baby, smiling, being
can protect you from the impact and its able to be present in a comfortable
of body image concerns.’ differences way. So, if the mother is not feeling
And on those days where you good about herself the baby does
feel unstoppable, embrace your pick that up, and it can have a real
body – its achievements and its diferences – and impact in those early days.’
get out there. ‘The more physical diferences are The key is to have support. ‘These are all
seen, the less curious people will be about them.’ natural, normal experiences but women
If you feel strong, it’s OK to be an ambassador for have not felt comfortable addressing them
visible diference and body changes, but it is also through fear of judgment. If things aren’t
OK to give yourself permission not to have to be working for the mother, they’re not
‘on duty’ all the time. going to be working well for the baby. It’s
healthy to say, “I’m not feeling so great.”
BECOMING BODY ‘Connect with people, have those
POSITIVE… WHEN YOU’RE conversations either through
PREGNANT OR A NEW MUM groups or through partners or
Pregnancy is a time when many women feel parents, then, if necessary,
liberated and comfortable in their physical selves. ind a supportive
‘People have talked about giving themselves therapist to guide
permission for the irst time to be free in their you through it.’
body,’ says Rubin. However, issues can arise
because the changes to a woman’s body coincide
with huge changes to her life. ‘There are all these
rules, these images to live up to of what the
perfect pregnancy or new motherhood looks like,
and other peoples’ expectations,’ says Rubin.
Women are particularly vulnerable if they
have had issues with self-esteem in the past or
feel at odds with how their body is changing.
‘People have talked about feeling fat as opposed
to feeling pregnant,’ says Rubin. It can leave them
uncomfortable because it’s not the body they’re
used to seeing themselves in, leading to around

26 healthy-magazine.co.uk