Mother of Two Speaks Out on Weight

Dawn Hunt wrote in about her experience with weight after having two children. She has a 16-year-old son and a 4-year-old daughter.

Did you ever deal with a weight issue after having your child?
I had no problem after my son, but with my daughter – yikes!  I gained about 35 pounds with her, but only her 8 lbs came off after her birth.  Plus I was about 20 pounds heavier when I got pregnant with her than I was for my first pregnancy.

Why? Was there an instance or did it just happen?
I had become very innactive, partly because I’d pulled a ligament in my belly at five months pregnant.  After she was born, that inactivity had become a habit.  I gained more weight – but didn’t realize it until I attempted to put on my jeans.  I couldn’t get them up over my hips.  I tried pair after pair, each one stopping at my expanded thighs.  The one or two that made it over my hips were inches away from zipping and buttoning.  Even my stretchy pants made me feel like a sausage, tight everywhere with my belly flab hanging over the waist band.

Did you dip into depression because of the issue?
Yes.  I’d already suffered boughts of depression in the past.  This pushed me lower.  I had nothing to wear that made me feel good.  I didn’t look good in anything.  I didn’t want to get dressed, but I did.  I didn’t want to leave the house, but did when I had to.

If yes, how long did it last?
I’m still dealing with it four years later!

If you got over the weight issue, how did you do it? Did you just say, who cares? Excerise? Got professional help? It just went away?
One big thing that helped was buying some clothes that fit me at my current size.  I picked clothes that made me feel good and look good, even if they weren’t the coveted size 7.  I learned to realize that my weight was just my weight, it didn’t define me.  And, I started exercising
- slowly.  Walking almost daily and doing weights 2-3 times a week. Those are pretty recent changes, and I’m still awaiting results.

What would you tell moms that are dealing with this issue?
Realize that your body is an amazing work of art – it brought life into the world!!  Your weight is not who you are as a person.  And get active anyway you can.  Find something fun – a hobby, interest, goup – that gets you out of the house and focused on other things.

What would you like to say on the subject of mommyhood?
Being a mom is an enriching experience full of the toughest challenges and proudest moments.  Until you are a mother, you cannot begin to imagine the extents to which you’ll be stretched: fear, selflessness, uncoditional love, fierceness in protecting, assertiveness, and so much more.  To consider all we do and are capable of as nurturing protective mothers truly puts the size of our clothes into proper perspective.  It should be the least of our worries.