Among the most upsetting phrases to hear duringpregnancy, Just wait reigned supreme as my least favorite.
You think youre tired now?
Just wait, they said.
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You dont have time to tackle your to-do list?
And I wasnt sure that I even did until I met my husband.
After onefailed round of IVF, pregnancy seemed even less probable.
And as the just wait people had warned me, things have only become more uncomfortable postpartum.
In fact, Dr. Baker points out thatstudiesshow that one third of pregnant women are unhappy with their bodies.
On top of that, body dissatisfaction is one of themost robust risk factorsfor an eating disorder.
For those who have a history of an ED, pregnancy can be a triggering event.
Both mental and physical factors can undermine your self-confidence and body image during and after pregnancy.
In the week following delivery, estrogen and progesterone both drop off precipitously, Dr. Pisetsky says.
This is around the same time that many women experience the baby blues.
That hasnt exactly helped alleviate any of my postpartum body dissatisfaction.
Then, of course, we have perhaps the ultimate environmental mindfuck of all: social media.
The internet knows pretty quickly when youre pregnant and starts serving you targeted ads, Dr. Pisetsky says.
There can be a lot of loneliness in pregnancy and in motherhoodparticularly new motherhood, she says.
Actual therapy, which I have continued to commit to, weekly, throughout and beyond pregnancy.
Content creator Sarah Nicole Landry (a.k.a.
theBirds Papaya) regularly posts photos of her stretch marks and unfiltered, un-Photoshopped postpartum body.
The text onone such photoreads, Its ok if you look like you gave birth.
Its such a simple sentiment, yet I cant stop thinking about it.
Were taught that You dont look like you just had a baby!
Its absurd when you think about it.
Im not sure if I can shed the shame completely, but Im ready to shift my focus.
If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder, help is available.
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