Beyond ‘bouncing back’: Bodily change and postpartum embodiment

Abstract

This article examines findings from a longitudinal qualitative study seeking to examine the lived experience of postpartum embodiment, specifically focusing on bodily changes following pregnancy. Through 163 in depth, semi-structured interviews with 48 postpartum women, we explore the mediatized phrase of ‘bouncing back’ as a popular understanding of the postpartum period, and how this conceptualization of the body effectively diminishes the complexity of changes related to body image and bodily capacities. Instead, drawing on Braun and Clark’s thematic analysis method, our data demonstrates that participants experience the postpartum period as a dynamic process through issues and concerns related to body shape, size, form, and function, often understood simultaneously and subjectively. These findings emphasize that postpartum experiences of corporeal change also reflect aspects of embodied agency, in which individuals work to reclaim their bodies in myriad ways. Finally, we argue that this re-interpretation of the postpartum body has important implications for maternal health and health care.