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By Daniella Gray
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The pressure to "bounce back" after pregnancy is alive and kicking, but Bree Lenehan is on a mission to stop it dead in its tracks.
Lenehan, from Gold Coast, Australia, went viral after posting an Instagram reel with all the things she's not expecting her body to do postpartum.
The 28-year-old, known for sharing a "healthy dose of reality" online, told Newsweek the reel served as a reminder that moms should allow themselves to heal during the postpartum period.
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"You often see a lot of bounce back culture, and I wanted to be a little reminder that it doesn't have to be about bouncing back to your pre-baby body. It's also a little bit of a reminder to be kind to myself and encourage others to do the same because your body will change and that's very normal," she said.
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In the reel, which has amassed 1 million views, Lenehan lists the things she's not expecting from her post-baby body, including looking the way it did pre-baby; having no loose skin, cellulite or stretch marks; feeling as fit as she once did; maintaining the same time to work out; keeping her breasts full and "perky"; and feeling like her body is her own for a long time.
Lenehan's reel confronts the societal pressure for new mothers to return to their prepregnancy bodies—a trend she said is often fueled by diet culture and long-held beauty standards.
"That's just outdated now. The truth is that your body is going to change inevitably. Even outside of pregnancy, you're going to age if you're lucky enough to, and that's a beautiful part of life," Lenehan said.
Lenehan's reel has garnered thousands of comments from other social media users who praised the mom-to-be for the empowering message.
"Pregnancy was so hard for me and changed me so much, thank you for being real about the changes it has you going through, this means the world to me," one user wrote, while another user called Lenehan a "breath of fresh air."
Lenehan said the reaction on social media had been mostly positive but acknowledged a small group of users who thought she was saying "it's OK to be lazy."
She said: "Bounce back culture is trying to fight the inevitable when, really, it's OK and normal for your body to change. I feel like I don't see a lot of people embracing the change when we should."
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