Get up close and personal with exclusive, inspiring interviews and taste profiles delivered with a cheeky twist to your inbox daily.

Success! You’re all signed up. 🎉
Please enter a valid email address.

By subscribing to our email newsletter, you agree to and acknowledge that you have read our Privacy Policy and Terms.

Tika Sumpter’s Message to New Moms About “Snapping Back” Deserves a Round of Applause

Yes to all of this.

Celebrity
Tika Sumpter’s Message to New Moms About “Snapping Back” Deserves a Round of Applause
Tristan Kallas

Imagine having your hands full with a brand-new baby, attempting to get accustomed to this *major* life change, when all of a sudden, you feel it: the pressure to “snap back”—to get yourself in shape and quickly lose that baby weight, despite having just pushed a multiple-pound human out of your body. Sounds ridiculous, right? But sadly, it’s a feeling experienced by many new moms, including actress Tika Sumpter.

The Southside With You star—and mom to 4-month-old Ella—has been speaking out about this unrealistic expectation, telling women not to worry and reminding them they’re still (hello!) healing. See what Tika told COVETEUR regarding the topic (thanks to a connection from our friend Ali at TBOYaficionado) and be sure to read her heartfelt Instagram post, too.

 


On the post-baby “snap back”:

“There’s a lot of pressure to do that, but I think, one, it’s unrealistic. Two, it takes almost a year for your body to heal. Everyday people who have jobs and more than one kid, they’re looking to us to inspire. I think sometimes we push false claims about snapping back, when really, we have people helping us, whether it’s trainers or people come to our houses. So I try to tell women, don’t feel the pressure of feeling that way. The pounds will come off, it just takes time, and you do what you can. You walk around your neighborhood, you try to eat better and make better choices, but it’s not realistic to ‘snap back’ a month later. You just pushed a whole human being out of your body, and had one sitting in there for almost nine months.”

On new moms taking time for themselves:

“I think it’s important, in general, to take time for yourself and take care of yourself, especially having a child. You pour everything into the child, and I think it’s important to remember, if you’re in a relationship, to continue to build that and have a night out with your significant other, and also you and your friends. Even though you’re not the person you were, being around your friends, they remind you, ‘Oh, this is why I’m great, I’m still me, I’m not just a cow for my child,’ [laughs]. Or a milk factory. It’s good to be reminded you’re still cool.”

 

More From the series Celebrity
You May Also Like