They gave birth a week ago. They're already back in the spotlight. - chof 360 news

Tennessee women’s basketball coach Kim Caldwell returned to the court just one week after giving birth (with the flu, no less) to her first child, son Conor, on Jan. 20. "I love this team," she told the Knoxville News Sentinel when asked why she went back to work so soon after having a baby. "I ask a lot from them, so I'm going to give them everything I have,” she added.

Caldwell said that she was relying on her staff to help her during that time. "I can move around OK, but it's hard for me to yell," she shared. "So just having the players repeat things, having my staff repeat things, having them be able to just go up and call some plays when I need to sit. It's big when you have people around you can trust."

South Carolina coach Dawn Staley, whose team played Caldwell’s Lady Vols at the game, praised the new mom after the game, saying that “women have the strength of 10 men.”

“Women have to make decisions like that, and when they do, I feel like other women should honor them," Staley said. "And let them know that we see you, we feel you, we hear you and I congratulated her."

Just a week earlier, Brittany Mahomes appeared on the sidelines of husband Patrick Mahomes’s Kansas City Chiefs playoff game six days after giving birth to the couple’s third child.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu also made headlines earlier this week after bringing her newborn daughter Mira to City Hall just days after giving birth. “It was great to be back in the swing of things,” Wu later told NPR. “I had been participating with my team mostly remotely up until that point, since we welcomed our lovely new bundle, and to just be back in person felt really good.”

What message does this send to other women?

Social media reactions to both Mahomes's postpartum appearance and Caldwell’s quick return to work were decidedly mixed. While many commenters cheered them on, others voiced concern — about each woman's health and about the pressure other new moms might feel to "bounce back" so soon after having a baby.

The message that this sends often depends on how people view it, Dr. Tamar Gur, a women's health researcher and reproductive psychiatrist at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, tells chof360 Life. “Comparison is the thief of joy, and nowhere is that more true than in the postpartum period,” she says. “Comparisons on how you look, how your house looks … it can steal what can be a precious moment.”

Some women may see themselves in these new moms getting back to their usual routines quickly, making them feel empowered, while others may find it’s the opposite of their own experience, Gur says. But this is fairly consistent with the postpartum period as a whole, Raena Boston, founder of the Working Momtras, a community to support working moms, tells chof360 Life.

“Postpartum is a time of mixed messaging,” she says. “On the one hand, there is messaging that your child will never be this small and to enjoy every minute, which can make moms feel shame. On the other hand, we're told not to lose ourselves in motherhood. There is a lot of push and pull.”

As for the outright anger some people express on social media about these quick returns to work and the spotlight, Gur says it says more about the people writing those comments than the moms themselves. “People can turn anger and frustration outward when they don’t feel well and supported,” she explains, citing the phrase “hurt people hurt people.”

“Seeing others handling this time period differently can be frustrating,” Gur adds.

What new moms can expect during the postpartum recovery period

Doctors stress that the postpartum experience is different for everyone. “Some moms are getting back out there quickly, but that’s not the case for many women,” Dr. Christine Greves, an ob-gyn at the Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies in Orlando, Fla., tells chof360 Life. “Everyone has their own journey.”

Women go through physical changes after giving birth, and even those vary depending on the person and what her delivery experience was like, Greves says. “Some people lose a lot of blood, tear or have surgery — that recovery can take more time than an uncomplicated vaginal delivery,” she says. “Not to mention the fact that you’re sleep-deprived and your hormones are changing rapidly.”

In general, a woman’s uterus shrinks back to its pre-birth size by six weeks, Greves says. During that time, women may feel intense cramps or nothing at all, she says. Women also tend to bleed for weeks after giving birth and retain extra fluid, Greves says. There are also mental health changes that can take place, including the risk of developing postpartum depression or anxiety, Gur says.

Give new moms some grace

Many women feel great soon after giving birth, while others take more time. Neither one is more “normal” or correct, Greves says.

Boston says it’s crucial for women to follow their own path during this time, and to do their best to resist comparison with other new moms. “It’s important that mothers ground themselves in their own personal values and also check in with themselves,” she says. “Is this something I want to do or do I feel expected to do this?”

Gur says that all new moms should get support, regardless of their postpartum journey. “The point is to empower women,” she says. “If you feel great, that’s wonderful. If you don’t, that’s OK too. I don’t want to discourage anyone.”

Gur reminds us that, no matter what your postpartum experience, everyone is different. “It can give you a setback if you start to feel badly about your pace,” she says. “Surround yourself with loving-kindness and grace. If you wouldn’t say something to your friend, don’t say it to yourself.”