New mothers in Bahrain feel powerless, discouraged due to post-partum body shaming | THE DAILY TRIBUNE …

New mothers in Bahrain feel powerless, discouraged due to post-partum body shaming | THE DAILY TRIBUNE …

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Reported by Julia Cassano

Accepting the new postpartum body can be a huge struggle for new mothers, especially amid the tantrums of fluctuations in hormones, sleep, energy, appetite and concerns over stretch marks. Add social media to that equation, and it is common to feel uncomfortable and awkward.

New mothers in Bahrain, as well as researchers, say the before and after social media images of mothers who have shed their baby weight soon after pregnancy, meant to inspire, are often doing the opposite.

Mothers here say that such posts, dubbed “fitspiration” by netizens, besides draining their confidence, had also smashed their self-esteem.

The worst is that these negative attitudes seldom die, with many developing poor attitudes about eating, while getting discouraged about their body.

Proper guidance is the key

Alaa Al Shaikh, a certified master trainer by the European Institute of Fitness, confirms this to The Daily Tribune and recommends new mothers proper and healthy guidance on using social media during prenatal and post-partum stages.

“Social media, most definitely, impacts pregnant women and new mums by forcing them to look a certain way. Also, it affects their physical and mental well-being, including body image dissatisfaction,” confirms Alaa Al Shaikh.

It is therefore