Afro-Latina fitness juggernaut Massy Arias gave birth to her first child, a gorgeous daughter named Indira, in February. Nine days after having a natural water birth, Arias shared what her body looked like post-baby. Just a few weeks later, she showed off her changed but still fit form in a photo shoot for Target, as she was recently made an ambassador for the retail chain’s C9 Champion line, which is celebrating “a new kind of strong.”
But despite the amount of confidence she seemed to have in all of those photos, in a new interview with People, Arias admitted that she struggled to feel like herself again after giving birth. Despite having a relatively smooth and less painful delivery than many (“no complications or major tearing”), she still found herself feeling out of wack. The new mom had worked for years to train her body, and the results helped her reach a wider audience. So seeing the changes to it after giving birth was initially tough for the 28-year-old.
“It took me a while to get comfortable looking at the different changes happening in my body,” she said. “Just like any woman would tell you, changes can be emotional as much as they are physical, and I had a hard time in the beginning.”
Arias said that after being given the green light to get back to working out four weeks after giving birth, she just didn’t feel connected to certain parts of her body in the way that she was used to. It was such a challenge to the point where trying to get back to being active was “painful” for Arias, but not in the way you would think.
“Even though my body healed, my mind took a while longer,” she said. “That first workout was mentally painful for me. I didn’t feel as in tune with my body as I did before,” she said. “I wasn’t feeling any connection with my pelvic floor, my core, and most parts of my body. Everything felt out of place and that was hard to cope with.”
It took for the fitness enthusiast to put things into perspective and remember the important reason her body changed for her to get a grip on things and start embracing where she physically is now.
“After giving birth and seeing how all the changes I was experiencing were for a great reason, I started becoming more loving of my new body and what it was doing — feeding and protecting my baby girl,” she said. “I knew I had the tools to get my mind and body right later on, but my focus needed to be enjoying this new person.”
“My body just went through a marathon and I needed to appreciate the miracle of life,” Arias added. “The stretch marks, the cellulite, the discoloration of the skin, and even the hair loss were all worth it once I had her in my arms.”
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