America Ferrera is choosing to do motherhood her way. The Superstore star opened up about being a new mom and revealed all that she has learned about caring for a baby and how it changes you as a person. The actress is featured on the cover of Health magazine's December issue, and in the interview published on Tuesday, November 6, she also opened up about breastfeeding, working out while pregnant how she is adapting to how her body has changed.
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America revealed in May that she had welcomed son Sebastian with her husband, Ryan Piers Williams. The pair have been sharing the most adorable family pics–without showing the baby's face–on social media since then and it looks like she's absolutely loving her new role. One thing she is set on when it comes to being a mother, though, is that people's advice to expecting moms or moms with newborns is not necessary. Every mamá has her own style of doing things and that's nobody else's business.
The 'Ugly Betty' alum revealed how her experience with pregnancy was like.
"Every step of the way, everybody tells you what it’s going to be like and how you’re going to feel. I really think that is so harmful to so many of us," she told the publication. "I decided early on that I wasn’t going to expect my experience to be what other people told me it would be like–good or bad. Every woman I know has a different experience of pregnancy and motherhood." She's right about that! We're all built differently and our bodies all react in various ways.
She revealed she had to put working out on hold when she got pregnant.
Although she gave birth in May, her body is still undergoing changes to accomodate and feed her growing baby. "Being pregnant, I felt really powerful and healthy. You create life. I found so much power in that. In terms of my relationship to my body, I’m still breastfeeding, so it’s still very much in service of my son," America shared. "There are parts of it that I love and also parts of it that are super challenging. I’m just now starting to feel like I want to feel strong in my body again. I didn’t work out as much as I imagined I would during my pregnancy. I was in triathlon shape when I got pregnant. I had so much on my plate and something had to give."
America revealed that her relationship with her husband has changed since they became parents this year, but in the best ways.
"It’s absolutely changed us as individuals," she said of parenting with Ryan, whom she married in 2011. "It changes what we talk about and what we focus on. For so long, it’s been just the two of us, and we’ve had an amazing life together. I don’t know that either one of us could anticipate how much we love him and how it makes everything new again. We’ve traveled to many wonderful places, and we’ve seen many things–and just getting to imagine that somewhere down the line everything that we’ve already done and seen, Baz will be seeing for the first time … it’s amazing."
Motherhood has taught her to be kinder to herself and her body.
"I have changed my relationship to food. I swore off scales a long time ago. More than anything, I just try to be aware of how does what I eat make me feel. Do I feel better? Do I feel energized? Does this make me tired and not feel great? I try to go easy on myself. I think that’s been one of the mantras for me in all of motherhood–to try and not be so hard on myself. Which is a challenge because, like so many women, I demand so much more of myself than I would ever demand of someone else," she revealed. The way we treat ourselves is so important and it sets the tone for how we allow others to treat us. So making yourself a priority, even when we're responsible for little ones, is key.
The actress was afraid she would stop fighting for the things that mattered after becoming a mom.
"I took time off at the end of my pregnancy and shut out social media and kind of went off the grid. I needed that for myself. There was a part of me that was terrified that I might never care about anything else ever again. I got scared. I was like, 'What if I’m not as driven?'" the The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants star revealed. "But as I gave birth…it was the beginning of the family separation coming to public attention. When Baz was 2 or 3 weeks old, my friend started organizing. I spent the whole day topless in my apartment feeding my newborn, but had to be on the phone and help in whatever way I could. It was a relief to know that who I am at my core was not altered. Actually, that’s not true. It’s not accurate that I wasn’t altered. In a way, having him made everything more important."
America and Ryan announced the arrival of their son in May with the cutest post.
The pair shared an adorable Instagram pic of the baby's feet and they were over the moon because of his arrival. "When 2 become 3…Welcome Sebastian Piers Williams – aka Baz! Mom, Dad, and Baby are happy, healthy and totally in love! ," she captioned the cute pic. We love this little family and wish them all the best!
