Let's state the obvious, here: All bodies are different. In the same way that some people are more sensitive to pain than others, some people take more time to lose weight than others. And when we bring celebrity bodies into that conversation, it's important to remember that they have more resources than the rest of us, including nannies who can watch their bundles of joy while they're working out, doctors and nutritionists who arrange custom dieting plans, and personal trainers who make house calls. The fact is, A-listers are capable of making losing weight look easy — especially postpartum weight.
But with the recent cultural shift toward celebrating natural bodies, some celebrities have been getting more candid about their postpartum experiences and revealing just how difficult it is to "bounce back" to one's pre-baby figure. One such celebrity is former Sister, Sister star Tia Mowry, who recently gave birth to her second child.
Tia is one busy mama!
On top of her various acting projects, the 39-year-old is also an author and a podcaster.
She announced her second pregnancy this past November.
Tia also has a 7-year-old son named Cree with her husband, Cory Hardrict.
In the months that followed her announcement, Tia shared shots of her growing bump and pictures of her favorite pregnancy looks on Instagram.
Tia always made it a point to celebrate her pregnant body, whether it was dressed up or dressed down. She captioned this shot, "Embracing these curves and loving every bit of it!"
As her due date grew closer, she became more and more excited to meet the bun in her oven.
"I’m sooooooooooo reaaaaddddddy!!!" she captioned this selfie. "This is the hard part! Patience! The anxiety build up is so intense. It’s all about the waiting game."
Tia's baby girl (finally) arrived in early May.
Tia shared this sweet shot to announce the arrival of her little one, whose name has yet to be revealed.
"Feeling grateful and blessed as we welcome our little baby girl into the world!" she captioned the picture. "Born May 5th at 10:29 am at 6 pounds and 4 Oz 19.8 inches We are in heaven "
Tia has been refreshingly candid about her postpartum journey in the wake of her baby girl's arrival.
"This is MY #postpartum. Two weeks in," she captioned the above post. "Do I still have a belly yes. I actually look like I’m 4 months pregnant and that is OKAY."
"I wanted to shine a light on how our society creates false expectations after a woman gives birth," she continued. "Ladies, it’s okay that our bodies are not PERFECT after our babies are born. Give your self time. Go at your own pace. Don’t allow people to put a time limit on YOUR body. You’ve just accomplished a miracle! #Love yourself, love your new body, embrace it. It you want to make changes than that’s your desire and no one else’s. Ps, #moms freaking rock!"
Her followers have really appreciated her honesty.
Tia's refreshing take on postpartum life has resonated with so many moms who've felt pressured to get to work on their bodies just after giving birth.
Tia's latest update about her postpartum journey arrived this past Sunday, when she took to Instagram to detail the pressure she's felt to "snapback."
"7 weeks #postpartum."
"Some #pregnant women after giving birth no longer have a belly after 7 weeks," Tia wrote, "While others it may take a little longer. Me, I’m the latter. I remember after giving birth to Cree, my belly didn’t all of a sudden go flat. I did have a C-Section, (as well as with my second pregnancy) and I thought something was wrong with me. I had seen in magazines the many women on the beach a few weeks #postpartum in a two piece. To be honest, it had to take time for me to embrace my new body."
"With this second pregnancy, I now have embraced that fact that I’ve housed a human being. A miracle. A life," she added. "If it takes a while for me to get back to my normal self, than so be it. This.Is.Me. And I love me. ❤️ #momlife#motherhood #7weeks"
Tia's positivity left her followers in awe.
Fans were amazed at her positive attitude and praised her for not giving in to the pressure to stress about dropping her baby weight.
Tia's post has set her apart from a lot of other celebrity moms, who seem more eager to share their progress photos rather than cherish their bodies' accomplishments.
Moms who were never part of this "bounce back" culture applauded Tia for doing what's right for her body and spirit rather than what will garner her the most likes.
Props to Tia for taking the time to look after her body. Neither pregnancy nor motherhood is a walk in the park, whether you're on your first child or your fifth. Let's celebrate the miracle of life properly instead of rushing to the gym to work it off, shall we?
