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Christina Anstead Is Reminding Postpartum Moms To Take It Easy After Injuring Herself
After nine long months of being careful while cooking a baby, it can be tempting to jump right back into your old life head first. But it's important to remember that the body takes time to heal and it's OK to take it slow. And that's exactly what Christina Anstead is reminding postpartum moms to do. After injuring herself by going full speed a few weeks after delivery, she's urging fellow mamas to take it easy.
Anstead welcomed her beautiful baby boy on Sept. 6, as E! News reported. She and husband Ant Anstead shared a sweet message announcing the birth on Instagram, saying, "Ant and I are so excited to welcome Hudson London Anstead into the world. Our hearts are SO full of love and joy! Our healthy baby boy was born this morning - 9/6/19 - 7 lbs 7 oz 19.5 inches long."
Anstead previously shared with her followers that she was going to deliver the baby via scheduled C-section considering her birth experience with her last child, whom she shares with ex-husband Tarek El Moussa. "I chose to do this because I had an emergency c-section with Brayden [El Moussa] and the whole experience and recovery was really hard on me physically and emotionally. I really don't feel comfortable trying to go down that route again," she wrote, according to TODAY. "Based on ultrasound measurements, we think this is going to be another big boy so this is the direction we've decided to take." The announcement came a week before Hudson was born.
Less than a month later, the new mom announced on Instagram that she is back on bedrest following an injury.
In her post, Anstead explained that she felt "totally fine since one week postpartum — like zero pain," and decided get moving again. She then threw a party for her 9-year-old daughter Taylor — along with her ex, co-parenting for the win — and that's when she hurt herself. "[I] was lifting and running around all weekend," she wrote. "and yesterday I woke up like oh crap ... and today oh crap turned into oh sh** - I definitely hurt myself."
Fortunately, she didn't open her incision, but she did hurt her "left abdomen," according to her post. After the painful experience, Anstead is urging other new moms to take it slow. "So please anyone who just had a baby — don’t overdue it," she wrote. "I always want to be the people pleaser in the family and make sure everyone knows how much I care about them- but in doing so I wasn’t taking care of myself. Back to bed rest and baby cuddles."
It's important for new moms to keep in mind that a C-section is major surgery and it comes with a number of risks — including injuries like Anstead's. Parents recommends that moms give themselves at least 12 weeks of recovery time after delivering via C-section and at least six weeks after vaginal birth; that means taking it easy even when you feel fine. Coralie Macqueen, a certified nurse-midwife in private practice in New York City told the outlet, "You need sufficient rest for the muscles and ligaments that hold your uterus in place to regain their strength."
Healing after delivery is a process, as Christina Anstead unfortunately learned the hard way. There's no rush to get back on your feet. Soak up those baby cuddles in bed for as long as you can, because things are about to get hectic.