MY POSTPARTUM DREAM BODY JOURNEY

First of all, let me preface this by saying that YOU ARE PERFECT RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW as you are. Wherever you are in your dream body journey- the first step is total acceptance and self love to start you off on the right foot!

In no way do I promote "trying" to lose weight postpartum - but I do want to show another side of postpartum that is being in a body you feel really really great in, without ANY form of dieting/restriction. 

I was nervous for my postpartum journey. Everyone warned me that my stomach would look like a deflated balloon, it would take a long time to feel up to working out again, I would never feel the same.. etc. I was mentally prepared for the worst! 

Luckily, a friend on IG reached out to me after she had her baby and said she felt great postpartum, and that was a reality that I wanted to adopt! I decided right then and there, it would be the same for me.

We talk a lot about the horrors of pregnancy, labour, postpartum. I really shielded myself from any form of negative birth stories and only consumed positive content in terms of birth, pregnancy and labour. I believe this heavily influenced how well my pregnancy and labour went. This post is my effort at showing you a positive postpartum experience too! 

My goal with this post, is to simply show another side of postpartum. I want to share my own personal experience so instead of automatically thinking it's going to be terrible and you'll never feel the same again - you can see another side that is rarely talked about. 

Feeling really great, able to move and workout, and coming back to feeling like the most bad ass version of you EVER because you just birthed this tiny little amazing human! It can actually be freaking amazing!

So, this post is about how postpartum can feel really GOOD and how I used my own manifestation and mindset work to set myself up for the greatest possible chance of that occurring to me. (Of course, there are always going to be things we cannot control, but I believe we have a MASSIVE influence over our bodies through our minds that we don't utilize enough!)

If you are pregnant + want to start with my positive birth story- listen to this podcast episode! My home water birth went exactly as I visualized and dreamed of, right down to my 6 hour labour... on 02/22/2022 no less!

If you are interested in learning more about what I teach around intuitive eating and mindset + manifestation, check out my free Manifesting Dream Body Masterclass here!

Here are my top tips for embracing the postpartum journey and setting yourself up for success!

1.) First, I opened myself up to the idea of a really positive reality. I looked for evidence of that happening to other women. I sought out people online who said they really loved the postpartum journey and were able to resume normal activities quite quickly. Even recalling someone I found on instagram who is a "streak runner" and ran every single day for the last 20 + years.. including the day she went into labour and the day she gave birth! Now, that is definitely not something I would ever aspire to do or want to do- but the whole idea is realizing that there are SO MANY realities available to us in this journey, and they all look different! Instead of judging these women and writing them off as crazy anomalies- what if we used them as evidence of alternate experiences when it comes to postpartum? That's what I desire to do for you in this post. 

2.) Once I really felt good about the possibility around having a wonderful PP experience- I created some affirmations around what I desired to be true for me. Feeling energized, working out, back into pre-pregnancy shape, loving motherhood, having a great sleeper. 

I started listening to these every night as I fell asleep, alternating with my labour hypnosis! 

Some of mantra's were:
-I was made to be a mother
-I love being a mom
-Jayden is an angel sleeper (can confirm this has worked so far! Sleeping 7-8 hours a night at 8 weeks old)
-Running feels so good and effortless
-I love my daily workouts and feeling so energized (haven't been working out much haha, but definitely feeling energized for the most part!)
-I am lean toned and tiny
-I am feeling like a MILF! (haha)
-Weight falls off me effortlessly

I programmed those into my subconscious as much as I could prior to giving birth!

3.) After birth, I focussed on LOVING MYSELF HARD. Constantly admiring and loving on my body, being in absolute awe of what I had just done. I spent about 5-6 days in bed, but I did things that made me feel great like putting my make up on while J slept - just for the sake of feeling like me. I wore clothes that felt great and celebrated just simply how amazing I felt without my bump anymore! I truly just loved the shit out of myself. Got a hair cut, did all the things that made me feel GOOD.  (It's truly all about feeling good in your body, the rest unfolds naturally). I repeated affirmations like "I am perfectly imperfect" and "I love myself" over and over and over again!

4.) I got into my dream body 'vibes' as I teach inside my 10 Week Course Manifesting Dream Body- and did the things each day that made me feel like I was in my dream body already. This included at least 3 nourishing meals a day (vs. snacking all day and not really feeling satisfied) drinking lots of water, getting out for walks/getting dressed- and making time for self care everyday. This could be make up, shower, journaling, meditating, anything! (I realize this may not be a luxury that everyone can experience as my husband works from home and we make our own schedules!)

I want to reiterate that eating 3 nourishing meals a day wasn't coming from a restriction place - it was trying to ADD. Eating at least 3 nourishing meals along with snacks, wine, chocolate whatever the heck else I wanted to eat. There has definitely been wine and/or chocolate consumed pretty much everyday since J was born haha. 

From there, it was a natural that I truly did morph back into a body I felt amazing in quite quickly after birth (2 weeks in this photo). 

I can say without a doubt that the postpartum experience has been truly amazing for me. Of course I've had days that were really hard, and I have a lot of help with my hubby and I sharing the bulk of the responsibility- but I believe no matter what your circumstances- you can feel better than you may think! 

You can feel good, enjoy motherhood, have a sleeping baby, and love the newborn phase!

Enjoy motherhood mama! 

Love, T