Rupali Ganguly Took A Sabbatical From Work Because She Gained Weight After Giving Birth. Postpartum Bodies Need To Be Normalised

They say that a woman is reborn after she becomes a mother. That’s actually very true. Pregnancy tinkers with basically every little structure of the body and changes you mentally, emotionally and of course, physically.

I once asked my mom about her experience after having me, thinking she would say she was over the moon, but she innocently went on to tell me how she had dealt with anxiety, mood swings and was not okay with the weight she gained. I had nothing but respect for her.

Weight gain during pregnancy is extremely normal. But when you see celebrities getting back in shape two months after having a baby, the pressure it puts on you can be immense. It could be  one of the main reasons the new moms slide into postpartum depression, experience baby blues and self-doubt and what not. Every mom goes through it as did actor Rupali Ganguly who recently opened up about it. She played the role of Monisha in popular Indian sitcom Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai and left television once she had her baby boy.

She is coming back with a new series called Anupamaa and said in an interview that the reason she took a sabbatical from work was that she had gained weight and didn’t want to step out of the house. Yes, it is that hard for the new moms to make peace with the bodily changes post-delivery.

Also Read: Surveen Chawla Talks About How She Dealt With Post-Partum Depression. This Is The Kind Of Realness Moms Need To Hear About

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She said, “Seven years back after I gave birth, I gained weight. My body changed and I couldn’t look at myself. I would not step out of the house afraid of what people would say. If I couldn’t look at myself, why would people want to look at me? Self-doubt started seeping in. So, when Sarabhai 2.0 happened, I somehow managed to get out but then I realised I don’t want to leave my child alone. Hence, when an offer would come up, I would quote ridiculous figures.”

She also said that it was her husband who urged her to take up the role. “When I told my husband about it, he was the one who pushed me to take up the offer. He said, ‘Go, live your dream.’ Such roles come in a lifetime and you must definitely take it up.” Her new show is also about mothers and how they put their needs in the back seat and still don’t get the respect they deserve. It’s great her husband encouraged her to take up the role and she finally is back on screen.

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Also Read: Sameera Reddy’s #ImperfectlyPerfect Campaign Is Real About Everything Motherhood- From Weight To Breastfeeding

Losing the pregnancy weight is not a piece of cake. Plus, sleeplessness, maternal stress and hormonal changes just add to the weight fluctuation. It is anyway exhausting for moms to keep up. Don’t you think the postpartum body changes should be normalised? Instead of body shaming young mothers so much so that it forces them to not even think of stepping out, they should be made to feel totally normal so they can take their time to get back into shape, that is if they want to. Postpartum changes are real and natural and no one should be made to feel bad about it.