Carrie Underwood Just Slammed the Idea of 'Bouncing Back' After Having a Baby
Even in 2019, women—especially women in the public eye—face pressure to “bounce back” after giving birth. But Carrie Underwood is rebuking this idea entirely. In a new Instagram message posted on Tuesday, March 19, the country singer (who welcomed her second child, Jacob, this past January) shared her newfound perspective on what it means to have a “post-baby body.”
“I’m going to be honest, ‘bouncing back’ after having Jacob has been much more difficult than after I had Isaiah and I’ve been pretty hard on myself lately,” Underwood wrote. “I go into the gym and I can’t run as fast or as far. I can’t lift as much weight or do as many reps as I could a year ago. I just want to feel like myself again… for my body to feel the way that I know it can.”
The Grammy winner then turned the idea of “bouncing back” on its head. Rather than dwelling on her frustration, Underwood is making a vow to embrace her body in all its iterations. “As I was working out today, I realized that for the past 11(ish) months, my body has not belonged to me,” she continued. “It was a perfect home for Jacob. And even now it belongs to him every time he drinks his milk. As I prepare for red carpets and for life on tour, right now I make a promise to myself to start appreciating what my body CAN do and stop focusing on what it can’t.”
Moms, naturally, are living for Underwood’s message. “More people should post about the reality of bouncing back. It isn’t talked about enough,” one woman commented. “All us mamas need to give ourselves some grace,” replied another.
“I had a baby boy 10 months ago & it’s a struggle every day,” a third mom wrote in the Instagram comments section. “Our bodies are amazing. I do not regret how I look now knowing I have carried a beautiful life inside me.”
Check out some more responses to Underwood’s post, below:
This isn’t the first time Carrie Underwood has opened up about motherhood and pregnancy. She tweeted about how annoying pregnancy insomnia is back in December, hilariously commenting, “Go bother dads.” She also tearfully shared how she and her husband, hockey player Mike Fisher, experienced three miscarriages back-to-back.