When you become a mother, certain priorities naturally take precedence. Health, first and foremost; your baby’s and your own, of course. Anything that helps your body cope as well as possible with the intense physical challenges of pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period.

During pregnancy, your body is closely monitored. Medical appointments punctuate the months. The focus is on ensuring it functions properly, on what it needs to do to ensure everything goes as smoothly as possible.

Then, after the birth, another shift takes place. Your body becomes functional, putting itself at the service of your baby: it carries, feeds, cradles and reassures. It is constantly in demand.

At the heart of all these concerns lies your body, which shelters life and then gives it. Your body, which is yours alone, the one you live in, which you see every day in the mirror, tends to be pushed aside.

Feeling good about your body can quickly take a back seat. As if it weren’t that important. As if it could wait.

But what does it actually mean, in practical terms, to inhabit and care for one’s body?

Returning to one’s body does not mean trying to transform it or accepting it at any cost. It means, first and foremost, learning to look at it anew:

• Looking at yourself a little longer in the mirror, without immediately looking away
• Placing your hands on your body, on the belly that carries or has carried life, on those areas we sometimes avoid.
• Asking yourself what you feel, whilst trying not to judge your thoughts.

Reconnecting with your body can involve simple yet meaningful actions:

• Wearing lingerie that makes you feel good, even if no one else sees it.
• Choosing clothes that flatter your body as it is today, rather than waiting for it to change. So buy clothes in your current size, without waiting to “get back to your old size”.
• Take care of your skin; try out a new skincare routine with a new cream or treatment.
• Treat yourself to a massage in the coming weeks, or a rebozo treatment (some treatments can be done at home – do consider it!).

• Treat yourself to a “Queen Shower”, an idea from sexologist Camille Bataillon: spend about fifteen minutes in the shower, undisturbed, to feel your body, apply your products, massage your skin, savour the textures and scents, and turn this everyday moment into a real moment for yourself.
• Take the time to style your hair and get ready, just for yourself; find your new look, dare to try a new haircut. We often crave visible change, as if to tell the world: look, I’ve changed.
• See an acupuncturist or an osteopath to reconnect with your body’s sensations.
• Nourish your body with a product you love, apply a face mask, and look at your body with a gentler eye.
• Put on some soft music and treat yourself to a foot bath, with nail polish on your toenails if you fancy it.
• Gently reintroduce movement into your daily routine: walk, stretch, take up a sport again if you feel like it – not to “get your old body back”, but to feel it again.

There’s no magic advice or one-size-fits-all solution: if there were, everyone would know about it. It’s up to you to pick and choose what speaks to you! You’re a mother, you’re a woman.