Shaping up for motherhood

Being a mother is no child’s play, and this is the day of the year marked out to celebrate and toast the endless sacrifices and unconditional love of mothers across the globe. For most mothers, their pregnancy and the days that follow, are the most blessed moments of their life, but as TV actress Avantika Mohan notes, “I got to know how much more difficult being a mother is compared to any other job in this world.Mother’s Day is just a day when you look at the things that a mother does for the rest of the year. It is a small reminder of the umpteen struggles that my mother has gone through.”
Pregnancy brings about one of the biggest changes in a woman’s body; a change that is rightly being appreciated these days. On Mother’s Day, we talk to a few celeb mothers who talk about how their bodies grew and how they are gradually trying to get back to their pre-pregnancy shape to feel healthy and fit again, and regain their confidence.
The confidence that fitness gave me was immense: Monica Lal, actor Lal’s daughter

Though I have always been on the heavier side, right from the time I was in Class 6, it never affected my confidence. When I went to the UK to pursue studies, I put on a lot more weight and then started feeling insecure. I never liked working out at the gym and would just end up wasting money after I enrolled. Then, I started going for long walks and joined kickboxing classes. The transformation was drastic. I lost around 25 kg in seven months. That triggered an interest in me to start a fitness centre, and now I have one in Kakkanad.
During pregnancy, I regained the 20 kg I lost. Three months after my pregnancy, I started working out, and managed to bring my weight down from 90 kg to 81 kg. Fitness had changed my life, even before my pregnancy and the confidence that it gives me is immense. The fact that it has helped me achieve something I had earlier thought was impossible made all the difference. It taught me that if you have the willpower, you could cross any milestone. It was the same motivation and willpower that kept me going, even when I regained those extra pounds during pregnancy.
I felt I have to take charge of my life and health again: Malavika Anilkumar, singer

I faced a lot of complications from the time I found out I was pregnant. I had gone on an Australian tour and I had exerted myself in a water theme park, completely unaware about my pregnancy. It caused me to be bedridden for around three months. My delivery was also not a cakewalk, and I have since experienced a lot of health issues. While earlier I could sit for more than three hours for a kacheri, making it to even two hours became difficult. It caused my weight to increase. I have not really gone to a gym or on a diet, but opted for high intensity interval training, where I used to train for two hours each in the morning and in the evening through videos I found online.
My family and friends were sceptical about it, but I felt that my condition couldn’t get worse than it now was. As I have quite a few stage shows, being fit is always important. But I couldn’t even feed my baby. That’s when I realised I need to come back to who I was. I built my willpower slowly, and the more weight I lost, the more confident I became. The mental pain that I had gone through kindled the fire in me to work harder and lose weight. Gradually, I could witness a lot of change in the way my body reacted to the workout. That said, despite all the complications I had, pregnancy and motherhood are still blissful for me. I enjoyed every bit of it. Parenting is the most beautiful time of one’s life.
Taking care of what you eat is important: Shilpa Bala, TV anchor

I started gaining weight during the fifth month of my pregnancy, and by the ninth month, I had gained around 10 kg. I had to keep eating a lot, during the time, so that my baby gained sufficient weight. I did not hit the gym straight away following my delivery. Instead, people start pressuring you about naadan ways of healing and you unknowingly give in. That is the most crucial part. I realised I have to be careful about what I eat and ensured I had nutritious meals. I ate eggs, good food and juice, and ate leafy vegetables for lunch. I also avoided milk tea in the evening and opted for green tea. I ate dinner before 8 pm, and if it got later than that, I skipped a meal. By following this routine, I returned to my pre-pregnancy weight. I love dancing, and for around 45 minutes, I make sure to dance or try workout routines like zumba or Bollywood dance. That has helped a lot. Also, drinking a lot of water also helped me to a great extent.
Though everyone glorifies pregnancy, the moment you see the two markings in your pregnancy kit confirming the news, your mind goes blank, as you do not really know how things will pan out. It is like life has come to a stop and you start afresh. Despite whatever difficulties you go through, nothing matters once you experience it. I see myself in my daughter Yamika. I aim to nourish her so that she can spread her wings.
It is more important to be healthy: Avantika Mohan, TV actress

Losing weight was not such a priority for me, as being healthy and fit was, and I wanted to take my own time doing this. It’s not that easy being a mother, as you have to juggle a lot of things. But still, I have managed to get my weight down from 88 to 70 kg. One thing I have been consistent about is taking long walks. At the end of the day, you will be tired from looking after the baby, but you have to push yourself to at least walk on a regular basis. That said, being heavy has never affected my confidence, and I feel more beautiful after delivery. I know I do not look like before, and that is fine and natural. If you look at Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, she took almost a year to lose weight. I am very inspired by how she took her own time to come back to shape. Feeling healthy is of utmost importance. If you are not healthy, you cannot take care of your baby.