Bouncing back after pregnancy isn't about the way you look

Getting back into the swing of things after having a baby can be extremely difficult – both physically and mentally. But the important thing to realise is that despite what you might see online, ‘bouncing back’ isn’t about the way you look.

International fitness star and mum Kelsey Wells isn’t a big believer in the term ‘bouncing back’ at all and has been a huge supporter of highlighting that every woman’s body is different.

As such, everyone’s post-pregnancy journey is different as well.

For Kelsey, focusing on her fitness and living a healthy life is what helped her overcome her own struggle with post-part anxiety and depression, but she stresses that it’s not a one-size-fits all scenario.

“It’s very important to remember that everybody is different and every pregnancy is different and your journey is your own,” Kelsey tells Be.

“Never give in to the poison of comparison and be patient with yourself – your body just went through something miraculous.”

Kelsey, who gave birth to her son when she was 24, gained over 20kg during her pregnancy and says getting back to a healthy self was very much a mental journey.

“It was hard,” Kelsey admits. “In the beginning I never had the energy or the motivation to workout but I chose to do it anyway because I knew it was good for me.

“After giving birth I struggled greatly with postnatal anxiety, and regular exercise allowed me to cope and deal with that holistically.”

While many take to social media to talk about how they ‘bounced back’ after pregnancy in a physical sense, Kelsey says she doesn’t believe in the term.

“It’s not about that,” the 27-year-old says. “You always hear ‘your body will never be the same’ after having a baby and that’s true, it won’t.

“But that doesn’t mean it can’t be every bit as strong, sexy, and capable as it was before, if not more.

“It was very much a mental journey for me – even more so than a physical one – and the benefits I’ve seen from healthy living are also just as rewarding mentally as they are physically.”

Kelsey has shared her honest post-partem journey with her 1.2 million Instagram followers online.

Posting ‘before’ and ‘after’ photos of herself Kelsey spoke out about how she broke into tears at a post-partum check-up.

She also stresses that pregnancy does not ‘ruin’ your body, instead it ‘changes’ your body. And most importantly she says women need to stop comparing themselves to everyone else.

“Because the fastest way to keep yourself from gaining confidence and self-love is comparing yourself to others,” she says.

In a ‘letter’ to her pre-pregnancy self she wrote: “First of all, you’re doing great. I know you want to be healthy, but you don’t really know yet what that means. Let me help you. First, stop comparing yourself.”

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While her Instagram feed may be filled with photos showing her fit and healthy lifestyle, Kelsey says her message is about self-love.

“Those photos are simply a physical representation of all the ways that adapting an active and healthy lifestyle has changed my life, more than just the physical changes you see,” Kelsey, who has developed her own post-pregnancy work out, tells Be.

“I empower myself through fitness and my goal is to help other women on their journeys to do the same.

“We are all different. What is right for some may be wrong for you. When you truly understand that your journey is your own, you allow yourself to blossom.”

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