One Portland-based OB/GYN just dropped the mic on bounce-back culture, and it’s something that everyone—not only celebrities—needs to see. In a now-viral TikTok, Dr. Jennifer Lincoln shows visual proof of why it’s impossible to look like you did pre-pregnancy immediately post-pregnancy. “You, like, just grew a human,” she says, and the crowd goes wild.
@drjenniferlincoln Not the same as it was. And that’s ok! #asitwas #postpartum #obgyn #newbaby #bodypositivity
♬ As It Was – Harry Styles
Holding a rubber replica of a uterus in one hand, she explains, “This is the size of what an average uterus is when you’re not pregnant.” It looks a lot like a miniature elephant, and it’s about the size of the good doctor’s fist.
“This is the average size of a uterus after giving birth,” she continues, holding up a rubber replica of what appears to be a foot-and-a-half long, hot dog-shaped uterus. It’s big, y’all. Like, basically as long as from the doctor’s head to beneath her shoulders. “Not so small, right?” she says. “So let’s get rid of toxic bounce-back culture which thinks we’re supposed to get back to this (shaking the cute elephant-shaped, fist-sized uterus), to this (wobbling the big hot-dog shaped uterus) in just a few weeks, mkay?”
What Lincoln shows in no uncertain terms is that, despite how much weight you did (or didn’t) gain during your pregnancy or how fit you were before you became pregnant or how active you were throughout your pregnancy—a part of your body that you have absolutely zero power to impact changes in a massive way. Just as it ballooned to the size of a watermelon (or bigger) without you consciously doing anything to make it happen (after the sex, that is), it also has to get back to its pre-pregnancy size on its own.
Celebrities like Kylie Jenner and Ashley Graham have recently spoken out about the pressures of “bouncing back” from their pregnancies. Magazines greedily gobble up pictures of women at their first hair-and-makeup event after having a child because it is so easy to comment on how they have (or haven’t) transformed quickly enough to their pre-pregnancy form.
But what about regular people? Moms everywhere, despite their influencer/ celebrity/ anyone other than their families and friends giving a damn status, feel the pressure to get their act—which always includes points for their shape and size—back together. And Dr. Lincoln is not. having. it. In one final gesture of kindness, she even captioned her video with, “You aren’t supposed to fit back in your pre-pregnancy jeans in just a few weeks.” Dr. Lincoln for Prez.
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