Postpartum Body Positivity: Embracing the New You
By Amelia Roessler
B ecoming a parent doesn’t just change your daily life—it reshapes how you see yourself. Even in the glow of a wanted, healthy pregnancy, many new mothers find themselves quietly grieving—missing the body they knew, the independence they once had, and the version of themselves that felt familiar. In a culture that celebrates “bounce back” transformations, that grief can feel confusing or even shameful. But it’s also deeply human—and worth talking about.
or suppressed grief about the major changes that have just occurred. Along with postpartum depression, there is also the clinging to the “me I was before.” Lowe points out that she sees suffering from women who cling to that old version of self and want to get back to who they were before the life-changing moments. “What are the aspects of your old self that you love that you’re bringing forward? How are you going to evolve now that
Amy Lowe, a therapist and director at a Colorado Women’s Center, says they serve women with postpartum depression quite a bit. They also serve women with feelings of being overwhelmed, a sense of pressure around how to do it all, and a struggle to abandon self care in order to keep up. Postpartum depression can come from a variety of reasons, including the neuro- chemical or hormonal impact or imbalances of pregnancy, the loss of the experience of the child in the womb, and/or undischarged
12
EVERYTHING BABY | SPRING 2026
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker