Emily Skye 'Barely Recognizes' Her Body After Giving Birth
Australian fitness influencer, Emily Skye took to Instagram last week to announce the birth of her daughter, Mia Elise Redmond. Over the past nine months, the first-time-mom has been candid about how she fell short of her fitness goals during pregnancy-but also refused to worry about gaining weight and embraced her stretch marks and cellulite. (She also had a message for anyone who thought they knew what was best for *her* pregnancy.)
Skye continues to embody that body-positive mindset after pregnancy and took to Instagram to share how she barely recognizes herself in the mirror, and why that's totally okay.
"My pregnancy was not how I thought it would be. I thought I'd be exercising regularly the whole way through but that did not happen as I was sick a lot of the time and had back pain that made it hard to just walk around the house," she wrote alongside a photo of her and her baby. "I ended up gaining over 21kg during my pregnancy in fat, fluid, baby, placenta etc."
Given her fitness level before pregnancy, Skye thought that her body would "bounce right back," but she's realizing that's not going to be the case. "It's only 5 days after I gave birth to Mia and I look about 6 or so months pregnant," she said. "I can tell I'm going to have a LOT of hard work ahead of me to get fit and strong again which I KNOW I can do but it's not my priority right now-spending this time with my daughter is. Getting my "body back" can take a back seat for the time being. I'll get there in a realistic time frame & I refuse to put pressure on myself to get there."
What matters most: "I feel completely content," she said. "I look at her and start crying because of the overwhelming love I have for her and I love my body SO much for growing this precious little person."
The post has garnered thousands of heartfelt comments of appreciation and encouragement. "Spot on! Don't rush your body back quicker than is safe, focus on the more important things in life," one user wrote. "You are such a beautiful inspiration. Thanks for being real and honest with your lifestyle," said another.
