What To Expect After You're Done Expecting ebook Review.
This is a sponsored post, but like always all thoughts and opinions are my own.
My husband and I lovingly joke that having a child is like being in the Vietnam war. You may have heard stories about the war but don't know the horrors of it until you've lived through it.
I've always been around children and had plenty of friends with kids and thought I had a true sense of what having a baby would be like. Sure I would get a few stretch marks, but that's about it. I had no real idea of what was about to happen to me after having our son. The day came when I would deliver our baby. I'd opt out for an epidural, thinking I would take the pain free way out. Delivered a large, healthy baby boy and then the reality of postpartum hit me.
No one ever told me what to expect AFTER I had the baby. The physical and mental changes happening to my body without any warning left me in an anxious state. And honestly stole the joy of having a newborn from me. I didn't recognize myself in the mirror and I definitely did not feel like myself. I honestly wish I had thrown out the books that prepared me for delivery and got ones for postpartum because that was the biggest pain.
I rarely do reviews on books, but I had to share an ebook that every new mom-to-be should read and one I wish I had found before the birth of my first son. I honestly believe if I would have understood that postpartum was going to be a jerk sooner then I probably wouldn't have been so anxious.
The ebook is called What To Expect After You're Done Expecting: Your Guide To All The Weird Things Having a Baby Does to Your Body. It is broken down into three parts. The first part gives an overview of all the lovely and weird stuff that happens to the body during pregnancy such as abdominal separation and the wonderful blotchy skin. Yes, expect to get weird brown spots all over your beautiful face!
The second portion of the ebook is about the crazy transformation (usually unrecognizable one) that your body goes through after the baby. Everything from diastase recti to the reasons we still have a mom pudge will not only inform you why your body looks different but help you to appreciate what it has done.
The third part of the ebook is the best and what I like to refer to as the "How Stella Got Her Groove Back" portion. This part of the book discusses the options for getting your body back. Everything from exercises to plastic surgery are discussed in these pages. The best part is the discussion of body positivity and body neutrality, those that love all the changes of their new body and those of us who love and respect our body but wouldn't be upset if we woke up without a mom pooch. Yep, file me under that category.
The book is great and makes you feel like you are talking about a sensitive topic with a trusted girlfriend that is not only preparing you, but laying out all the options (without judgment) to help you get back to you. The best part of the book is the encouraging undertone from reminding you that it is okay and normal to feel the baby blues and that most of us do not bounce back.
I highly recommend reading this before the delivery of your baby. You can find yours HERE and make sure to share this with other new moms also!