A new mum is inspiring women to be proud of their post-baby bodies by proudly revealing her loose skin while competing in fitness competitions.
Shina Pierce from New Zealand began training up to five days a week in 2014, however she stopped working out in 2016 after experiencing bleeding while she was pregnant with twins.
The 29-year-old experienced a difficult labour in which she was induced over four days. Shina a lot of blood and suffered a second-degree tear during the natural birth.
Advert
But, all of it was worth it to welcome her two beautiful daughters, Harper and Nicole into the world.
Shina suffered from fatigue and post-natal depression which left her unable to leave the house for three months after birth.
"Straight after was a bit of a rough time, I did want to get back to my pre-baby body and it was definitely a hard adjustment. Although honestly, I was more concerned about how I was going to get through the sleep deprivation than my body," she said.
Advert
"I had no energy as I was getting up every hour for the first month or two as well as that I had a second-degree tear and I found it hard to just move around or sit down. I spent the first month recovering from the tear and surgery.
"For the first couple or few weeks I'd break down and cry to a point where it was almost every day for a while for a couple of hours. I was so tired, I felt like the worst person in the world because I couldn't deal with being a mother.
"I do remember saying that, 'I can't do this' not that I didn't love my babies but more than I was just done in terms of how I just couldn't handle the lack of sleep, I felt incompetent and that probably explains why I didn't really want to leave the house for the first three months but I managed in the end."
Advert
The mum-of-two gained nearly five stone during the pregnancy, but she gradually started to get back into fitness by going on walks with her girls in the pushchair and doing quick 15-minute home workouts before going back to the gym a year after giving birth.
Now back at her pre-pregnancy weight, Shina has been entering bikini fitness competitions and posting pictures of her post-pregnancy body embracing her loose skin and stretch marks in a bid to inspire other mums and show them that they are not alone and shouldn't feel pressured to snap back into shape.
Shina says she is proud of her post pregnancy body and although she would rather not have loose skin hopes to show other new mums change in the body following pregnancy is normal.
Advert
"I'm definitely proud of it [my body] but there are definitely times that I wish that the saggy skin would disappear, I actually don't care much about the stretch marks at all it's mostly the loose skin," she said.
"What I've learnt about my first year being a stay at home mum and postpartum, I learnt that the best thing you can try to do is stay positive as cliché as it sounds, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
"I just wanted to share that so if there were any mums out there or any women out there who were going through the same thing, that it is possible to get over hurdles and that the best thing you can do is to embrace it and be positive about it because if you continue to constantly be like I hate this, I hate that, how are you going to be motivated enough to get stronger or lose weight?
Advert
"When all the other mums and fit models were backstage, I was a little self-conscious because most of the girls and mums' tummies didn't really look like they had babies at all but I just had to remind myself that I did this for me, I had to remind myself the reason I wanted to go on stage was to prove to myself that I can get out of my comfort zone and that I can do anything I put my mind to.
"People are inspired which is really heart-warming.
"Start with looking at your diet that's where I started and make a maximum of three small adjustments and try it for a month and see how you feel, if you adjust with this new habit you can slowly add another adjustment.
"It's all about making small changes that end up going a long way. And if you don't know what to look for just check the national nutritional guideline or ask for help."
Featured Image Credit: MDWfeautresTopics: Life News, Real, Fitness