Should we be praising the baby body 'snapback'?

Just a few weeks after giving birth, Eniko Hart slipped into a gown and walked the red carpet with her husband for the Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle premiere.

The baby body “snapback” phenomenon is controversial. (Photo: Getty Images)
The baby body “snapback” phenomenon is controversial. (Photo: Getty Images)

Hart shared a photo of her glam look on Instagram and, as many commenters pointed out, she looks stunning. Fans are congratulating her on the “snapback” — the phenomenon of a new mother’s body “snapping back” to how it looked before pregnancy. Sarah Stage, aka the “6-pack mom,” even gave her a compliment: “Sooo beautiful !!! that SnapBack.” Others chimed in with the phrase: “Snapped ALL THE WAY BACK,” and “You don’t even look like you had a baby. Snap back is real.”

jumanji premiere ✨ @lora_arellano @jasonbolden @hair4kicks ‍♀️ xo.

A post shared by eníĸo • нarт (@enikonhart) on Dec 11, 2017 at 8:33pm PST

Judging by her Instagram, Hart seems to have kept fitness a priority throughout and after her pregnancy. She recently shared a mesmerizing time-lapse video that shows her doing squats, with her bump growing and then receding.

While Hart (and baby Zo) look happy and healthy, should the snapback really be drawing praise? Sherry Ross, MD, ob-gyn, and women’s health expert at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, Calif., is worried that the phrase puts undue pressure on pregnant women.

“I cannot support ‘the snapback’ approach during the postpartum period for the majority of women. The snapback philosophy can cause an overwhelming amount of unnecessary pressure and stress during an already hormonal and emotional time,” Ross tells Yahoo Lifestyle.

Photos like Hart’s should be inspirational, not aspirational, she says. If you feel like working out post-baby, go for it. If not, Ross tells her patients, the year after giving birth is “a pass.” She explains, “Realistically, it takes least nine months to feel and look like you did before you embarked on the pregnancy journey. So many major physical and emotional changes are happening in a relatively short period of time, and it definitely counts as a major life milestone.”

“Don’t pressure yourself to get your pre-pregnancy body back and create other expectations that you may not achieve. Life usually gets back to normal as everyone adjusts with an open mind, patience, and understanding,” she says. Remember: What’s normal for Hart and baby Zo may not be normal for you.

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