OBGYN demonstrates why a body can't 'bounce back' to its pre-pregnancy state right after childbirth

Social media is responsible for promoting a bunch of toxic trends and the whole "bouncing back into shape" right after giving birth is undoubtedly one of them. It expects new mothers to lose their pregnancy belly and hit the gym or diet to tone their bodies to resemble their pre-pregnancy build within weeks—if not days—of giving birth to an actual human child. It not only puts unnecessary pressure on women going through postpartum but also throws them into a pool of insecurity. Dr. Jennifer Lincoln, a Portland-based obstetrics and gynecology specialist who goes by @drjenniferlincoln on TikTok, explained how this is simply not practical in a new viral video.

In the video, Dr. Lincoln presents some compelling visuals to demonstrate how a woman's body can't go back to its pre-pregnancy state within a short time after giving birth and how people promoting the "bounce-back culture" is absurd. Dr. Lincoln first shows a training model of what a uterus looks like before pregnancy and it's a tad bit larger than her fist, which she holds up against the uterus model for comparison. But then she brings out a rather large tube-like model for demonstration and informs the audience that it represents how the uterus expands and inflates after the delivery of a baby.

Since it held a baby inside it, which took 10 months to grow full-term, it's simply impossible for the uterus to shrink to its previous state in a matter of days or weeks. Dr. Lincoln hilariously plays the famous Harry Styles' number "As It Was" to address how the uterus and a woman's body can't "bounce back" to what it was and it takes an uncertain amount of time. "You aren't supposed to fit back into your pre-pregnancy jeans in a few weeks," the overlay text on Dr. Lincoln's video reads and fellow netizens mostly agree with her.

@lordpurple10 questioned, "Thank you! However, what's the explanation for moms who do leave the hospital wearing their pre-pregnancy pants? How is that possible? I have a friend whose body magically did this. It was shocking and I felt bad for her for the attention she was getting (she hated it so much). I wasn't comparing, I'm happy with my body. It's genuine curiosity." Dr. Lincoln answered this comment and wrote, "Some people do - your uterus starts shrinking down as soon as that placenta is out. If it's retroverted or not, abdominal fat can happen."

@lloveem quipped, "THANK YOU. I keep seeing videos go around saying, let's normalize bouncing back and I am like- Let's not." @hooligasqueen13 commented, "Excuse me, I've had three kids and you're telling me that's what happened inside my body." @anxiousmagpiee added, "I was surrounded by toxic bounce-back discussions after my son was born. I'm nearly as thin as I was pre-pregnancy, but that's due to how sick I was after giving birth and was unable to eat or have an appetite while taking care of my newborn. I get 'you look great for someone who just had a baby!' but my pregnancy weight loss was not healthy at all."

In another story, one single mom decided to hit back at haters in the best way possible after a man canceled his date with her after noticing her postpartum belly. The mom, Sarah Jo, posted a TikTok video on her page @charliesmom_gotitgoingon to redefine body positivity and celebrate womanhood. When a man she was supposed to go on a date with made a rude remark and extended his misogynistic opinions about her loose belly skin in beachwear, Jo decided to clap back by sharing the screenshots of their chat while munching on a chocolate cupcake with a smile on her face. The caption aptly reads: "Where do men find the audacity."