Barbara’s postpartum runway walk got me asking: Is 6 weeks really enough?

Last night, I was scrolling as usual when a reel made me pause. One of my favourite models was floating down the runway in a sheer pink slip and glittery wings. I was totally in awe. And then it hit me. Wait, didn’t she just have a baby?

Five minutes later, my feed had filled me in. Barbara Palvin was 6 weeks postpartum, walking in wings almost as tall as she was, looking like nothing had changed.

And the internet had a lot to say. Some called Barbara Palvin’s postpartum comeback a ‘postpartum goal’. Others said it puts unrealistic pressure on new mums. Me? I was stuck on a simpler question: Is 6 weeks really enough for postpartum recovery?

So I went digging. I read up, and I spoke to people who’d actually know: Dr Safala Shroff, a gynaecologist and obstetrician, and two colleagues who’ve recently become mums.

Six weeks in: What’s healed, what’s still healing

Turns out, six weeks isn’t a random number. These first weeks are often called the fourth trimester, and a lot happens during this period. By six weeks, the uterus has usually shrunk from about a kilo back to almost its original size.

Postpartum bleeding has often stopped or slowed down, and stitches have mostly healed. That’s why the six-week postpartum check-up became the classic ‘all clear’. “But much of postnatal recovery happens beneath the surface”, says Dr Safala.

Avanti, my colleague, learnt this through postpartum exercise.

The pelvic floor carried the weight of the pregnancy and stretched during birth, and it can take months to regain strength. Tummy muscles may still be lax.

Avanti, who is almost 16 weeks postpartum, knows this first-hand: “I had very little connection to my core, and my pelvic floor needed a lot of rehab. I’m still working on my core and pelvic floor, with some diastasis recti as well.”

For mothers who had a surgical birth, the deeper layers are still healing long after the skin has closed. And hormones? They can take months to settle, especially if you’re breastfeeding.

Your body, your timeline

There’s no single postpartum recovery timeline. Getting back on your feet and feeling like yourself don’t always happen at the same time. Dr Safala Shroff mentions, “At six weeks, many new mothers say low mood, anxiety, bone-deep tiredness, feeding struggles and a little strain at home weigh on them more than any ache.”

Another colleague, Anavi, put it as: “At six weeks, I was still physically healing from delivery, and emotionally I was all over the place.”

If low mood or anxiety lingers beyond the first couple of weeks, it’s worth talking to a doctor. It could be postpartum depression, which is more common than many realise, and support is available.

Some changes fade, some become part of the story

Behind every ‘postpartum goal’ post sits the same idea: that a new mother should ‘bounce back’. Dr Safala finds the phrase unfortunate: “It makes childbirth sound like a setback women must hurry past to look the way society expects. And that pressure can quietly shape postpartum body image.”

So, how long does postpartum recovery take? Dr Safala says, “Postpartum recovery time differs for every woman. Some regain their pre-pregnancy weight and muscle tone within months, others take a year or more, and some changes, like stretch marks or looser tummy skin, may stay. And that’s quite normal.”

So yes, applaud the model on the runway. Just remember she may also have trainers, nutritionists and childcare that many women don’t.

‘Breathe’ over ‘bounce back’

If you’re looking for postpartum recovery tips, Dr Safala suggests, “Think about recovery in terms of healing and rebuilding strength rather than losing weight. That can mean eating well, moving at a pace that feels right for your body, and paying attention to how you feel emotionally, not just physically.”

And if something doesn’t feel right, physically or emotionally, a doctor is always there to talk it through. Avanti put it this way: “It’s possible to miss your old body, feel frustrated by what you can’t do yet, and still feel grateful for your body, all at the same time.”

As Dr Safala says, “Motherhood isn’t a race, and postpartum recovery doesn’t have to be a competition. Whatever six weeks looks like for a new mother, she has just made a whole human.”