Keke Palmer has encouraged new mothers to “go at their own pace” and not feel pressured to bounce back to their pre-baby weight.
The Nope actress welcomed her first child, a son named Leodis, with her boyfriend Darius Jackson in February, and she insisted in an interview with People that new mums shouldn’t get “caught up in the hype” of bouncing back and simply do what feels good for them.
“The main thing I would say to any new mom is do what you can when you can, whatever it is that makes you feel good,” the 29-year-old advised. “If it’s important to you, then hell yeah put in the work miss girl. Get you whatever diet you want to do or whatever workout regimen that works for you. And if that’s not what you’re worried about, then don’t worry about it… go at your own pace.”
Keke explained that she didn’t want to do anything in the first couple of weeks but eventually felt the need to exercise. When it comes to her physical appearance, she found it’s best to do “what makes (her) feel happy” – whether that’s exercise or rest.
The star suggested that new mothers shouldn’t pay attention to celebrities snapping back after having a baby and explained that they have to do so because their careers depend on it.
“Anytime you see a celebrity doing a snap back or whatever like that, it’s part of the damn gig,” she shared. “A part of our jobs is to look good and to look the part. So don’t think it’s this thing where it’s like, ‘We doing it because we got it like that.’ No, the job is on the line. If we want the checks to get signed, we got to be what we got to be.”