'I assumed I'd never be "well" again after my babies were born. One sentence changed my mind.'

Society once told women that we should bounce back from giving birth immediately, like a rubber band snapping back into place.

In the past, there was little to no recognition of the very obvious fact that pregnancy and birth changes our bodies permanently.

Princess Diana's photo shoot on the steps of the hospital only hours after giving birth wasn't the norm, but it set up an expectation for a generation of women: that they could go straight back to business as usual following the births of their babies. 

In recent years, that narrative has shifted in a powerful way.

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"Bounce-back" birth narratives haven't entirely disappeared, but the media I consume is more concerned with emphasising what postpartum bodies have done over what they look like. You'll never hear me criticising that shift — it's one of the most important reframings of my lifetime. 

When I was pregnant with my first baby, I was not well.

I was diagnosed with preeclampsia at 29 weeks gestation, and gave birth via C-section at 32 weeks, when it became clear that I simply would not survive being pregnant any longer. Those first few days after my son's birth are almost entirely foggy, but I recall being wheeled out of the NICU, weeping in pain. 

As my son grew, and I recovered, I was so thankful for what my body had done.

Sure, it had put me through the wringer, but it gave me my beautiful boy.

I was hyper-conscious not to put pressure on myself to return to "normal" too soon. After all, I reasoned, there was no "normal" anymore. I changed irrevocably when I became a mum, and so did my body. 

I carried that attitude through my pregnancy with my second baby.

"My body had done its very best for me." Image: Supplied.

Thankfully, I didn't develop preeclampsia, and carried him to full term, which came with its own complications: I'd never carried a baby that heavy, or for that long, before.

Although it was my second pregnancy, I experienced a lot of pregnancy symptoms for the first time — stretch marks, a weakening pelvic floor, aches and pains where I had never had them before. 

My recovery from my second birth was better than my second, but it certainly wasn't fast. Through my "fourth trimester" and beyond, I counselled myself that there was no hurry. No pressure.

Through two pregnancies in less than two years, one of them highly complicated, my body had hung on. It had done its very best for me. In return, the least I could do was let it be. 

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I told myself that the fittest, healthiest days of my life were behind me. That it was just par for the course of being a mother. Wasn't it? For each baby you traded something — the ability to sneeze without urinating, for instance — and you were happy to give it.

It was entirely worth it. Nobody could complain about a deal like that. I certainly wouldn't. 

But when my younger son was about 10 months old, I stumbled upon a video online that made me entirely rethink this approach.

"If you had your babies by 30," she said, "you might have only lived a third of your life."

She went on to question how and why we just accept that our bodies may be less effective than they were pre-children for the remaining two-thirds.

And the truth was, I really had been happy with that proposition.

I had heard so many wonderful, smart women talk about their bodies 'pre-baby', that they had taken on an almost mythological quality.

I had so strongly internalised the message that I didn't need to 'bounce back' after having my kids that I almost forgot that I could still do things to heal and embrace wellness.

"I have so many more reasons to be well." Image: Supplied.

And when I stopped to consider whether I wanted to, I realised that I don't have fewer reasons to pursue wellness now that I've had my babies: if anything, I have so many more reasons to be well.

I started small. A gym session. A short jog. Soon, I remembered what it felt like to push myself; to exceed my own expectations.

I got stronger. I got faster. I felt better. 

With two kids under four (and despite the lack of sleep), I am, to my genuine surprise, feeling the best I have ever been. 

But why should I be surprised?

The clock on wellness didn't stop just because I had kids. I'm hoping I have many good years left in this body.

I need them, because I have two incredible little boys to live for.

I want to run in races with them, and hoist them into the air. I want to throw myself onto the floor with them, teach them how to cartwheel, sprint after a soccer ball, let them fling themselves into my waiting arms.

I want to be fast enough to keep up with them. I want to be strong enough to catch them. And why shouldn't I be? 

After all, mothers are the most powerful people on the planet. 

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Featured image: Supplied/Zoe McGrath.

Well by Mamamia. Australian women, welcome to your full-body health check. At Well, our goal is to improve the health of one million Aussie women by delivering the game-changing health info they actually need. This initiative is made possible through the support of our presenting partner, Chemist Warehouse, and our fertility health topic sponsor, Clearblue.