I’ve written before about my formerly rocky relationship with my pre-baby body, and how it was the astonishing task of growing a human and then feeding him with my own body that finally allowed me to respect and appreciate my former enemy for everything it is. I learned to listen to my body and take care of myself in a way that never mattered to me before. And not only am I glad that I didn’t spend another 10 years clouding my brain with preoccupations that simply don’t matter, but I also credit my younger age for allowing my body to bounce back better than I had imagined. (But to be fair, I imagined the worst.)
Bouncing back from labor isn’t a reason to get pregnant earlier than you originally planned — not at all — but it could be a little notch in your favor. Even if you’re bummed that your body isn’t exactly as it was, imagine adding the natural aging process on top of it. And with more reproductive years ahead of us, we can give ourselves more time in between pregnancies to recover.
But more than vanity reasons, finally understanding our body’s purpose and appreciating its mind-blowing abilities isn’t a bad thing to learn sooner rather than later. And you can be sure that it’s something childless 25 year olds can’t grasp.
This is part of a weekly “Why I Love Being a Young Mom” series, meant to inspire and encourage women who are starting early. It’s no way meant to attack alternative choices, but merely to highlight often-ignored benefits to early motherhood. Email your favorite reason to michelle@earlymama.com.
your comment about having more time between babies reminds me of something i recently read that said its recommended to wait at least 18 months between pregnancies to let your body fully recover. i thought that was something good to know that many women may not have heard.
My midwives actually did tell me that and I remember being really surprised. But I think it takes even longer than 18 months just to build your abdominal strength again.
I am 28 and I had my first pregnancy at 25. I’ve had three pregnancies in three years (due again Sept 21) and I can’t imagine what it would be like to start having children after thirty.I’m just hoping my body is as resilient now as it was at 25.
Love this. I’ve made it through two pregnancies with next to no stretch marks, breasts that have bounced back to almost-normal post breastfeeding, and minimal weight gain. I attribute some of this to hard work on my part, and some of it to youth.
Loving this series, sometimes I look at my friends living their career, travel, excitement filled lives and get a little jealous- I appreciate coming here and finding positives, it makes me love my life and children even more. Thank you!
Oh man, I wish this was true for me. No matter what I do–the mommy pouch won’t part ways with my body. So sad.
YET imagine how much worse it would be if your skin was starting to sag from aging while you were pregnant. There’s always a positive!