Image: mira.kapoor/Instagram
Pregnancy can take a lot out of a woman. Be it physical, mental, or hormonal changes, a pregnant woman needs to tackle all of them to reach her eventual goal – childbirth. Of course, the feeling of giving birth to a new life is unparalleled. But try as much as she may, it becomes hard for a postpartum woman to ignore the very obvious shape changes in her body. These inevitable changes to her body might even affect her self-confidence and self-esteem. And, in their quest to regain their confidence, most postpartum women make huge mistakes by trying to lose weight usually at the cost of their health. After all that a new mom goes through, body negativity should be the last thing to kill her spirits. What pregnant women and new moms need these days is body positivity – the ability to accept your body the way it is and love it the same way.
Image: mira.kapoor/Instagram
A similar thought was highlighted by Mira Rajput recently. Actor Shahid Kapoor’s wife was speaking at the launch of an initiative to encourage physical activity among pregnant women. A leading brand of anti-stretch marks oil had launched a walkathon to kick-start their campaign toward a healthy pregnancy. It encouraged pregnant women to take little steps toward a healthy pregnancy by keeping themselves active through various activities like yoga, light exercises or at least walking. The brand’s ambassadors, Mira Rajput and Bollywood actress Neha Dhupia were both present to promote the event. They walked for a kilometer in Mumbai’s Bandra area before taking to the stage. Here, Mira spoke about the challenges that most pregnant women often face. From the moment they become mothers, they start focusing so much on the baby that mommies completely ignore themselves. She spoke about the importance of taking care of oneself and loving oneself while also caring for the baby.
Image: mira.kapoor/Instagram
Later, in a Question & Answer session with the media, Mira was asked what message she’d like to give to pregnant women being a celebrity mother herself. She responded by saying that since it takes 9 months for a woman to have a baby, she should start practicing self-love even after delivering the child. She said that all the mothers, their families, and the entire parent community should embrace the fact that a woman’s body is bound to change during pregnancy. Since women are bringing a new life into this world, this humongous achievement is bound to come at the cost of some physical changes at least.
Image: mira.kapoor/Instagram
She went on to add that whether a woman was in shape or not, she thought each woman was beautiful. So, if a woman takes two months, six months, or even a year to get back in shape, it is not the end result that should matter. What’s important is the effort that a woman puts in to get to that level. She said mothers demonstrate a lot of grit and determination to deliver their babies. Similarly, they can show the same grit and determination to get themselves back in shape or on focusing on their happiness. So, if someone is doing yoga or going to the gym, they should feel happy about it and that’s what should matter the most. We sure do agree with Mira on this. Being a mother of two – daughter Misha and son Zain – she has definitely set a good example herself by staying fit and looking fabulous.
Image: mira.kapoor/Instagram
Pregnant women, especially in India, are often told to take it easy and relax a bit during their pregnancy. Sometimes this misconception leads to various other issues like unhealthy increase of pregnancy weight, swollen feet, or even lethargy. It is often this unhealthy approach to pregnancy that hurts a new mom’s confidence more than the actual pregnancy-related changes, including weight gain. Thus, it is high-time we got rid of such misconceptions and take a fresh approach to pregnancy through initiatives such as those promoted by Mira and Neha.
