Postpartum Compassion with Food and Body Image During the Holidays with Emilee Young, R.D.
Originally published November 2025 | Written by Guest Blogger Emilee Young, R.D.
Emilee Young, R.D. is a Virginia-based dietitian and founder of Embrace Nutrition. She helps people heal their relationship with food and body, free from diet culture and shame. As a proud NICU mom, she’s passionate about supporting new parents through the ups and downs of postpartum life, always with compassion, humor, and a reminder that food is meant to be flexible.
We’re grateful for her guest blogpost below! ↓↓↓
The holidays have a way of making everything feel… bigger.
The pressure, the plans, the piles of laundry... and a lot of it tends to fall on moms. You’re probably managing gift lists, keeping track of nap schedules, remembering who likes what side dish, AND trying to look like you’ve got it all together when you’re exhausted.
If you’re in the postpartum season, this can feel heavy. Your body’s different, your energy’s different, and you might still be figuring out who you are in this new chapter. Then the holidays come around, and suddenly there’s diet talk at the dinner table, “bounce-back” comments, and this pressure to make everything feel magical. It’s too much.
So let’s just pause for a second…
You don’t have to be everything for everyone.
You don’t have to “get your body back.”
You don’t have to earn your rest, your joy, or your mashed potatoes.
Your body is allowed to look and feel different.
It’s okay if you don’t love how your clothes fit right now. It’s okay if you feel out of place in your body. You are not broken. You’re just in a season of becoming.
Try to remember that your worth has nothing to do with your size, your jeans, or whether you can squeeze into your pre-baby dress.
You deserve to eat.
With the holiday chaos, it’s so easy to forget about feeding yourself. Maybe you grab bites here and there, or you feel guilty for wanting the holiday foods you love.
But here’s the thing: you deserve to eat. Full stop.
You deserve to feel satisfied and to have meals that make you feel good physically and emotionally.
Food isn’t just fuel. It’s connection, comfort, and sometimes the one thing that makes you feel a little bit like yourself again.
If you’re tired of diet talk or people commenting on your body, you’re not alone. You’re allowed to tune that out and take care of yourself in the way that actually feels supportive.
Lowering the bar is okay (and needed!)
Girl, know it’s hard... but lowering the bar during the holidays might actually be one of the kindest things you can do for yourself. You don’t need to hand-make every treat or have the perfect family photo. Sometimes showing up “good enough” is more than enough.
It’s okay if things look different this year. None of this defines your motherhood. It means you’re giving yourself a little bit of grace along the way.
A few gentle reminders:
You don’t owe anyone an explanation for your body or your food choices.
Nourishing yourself matters. You can’t pour from an empty cup (or a hungry body).
Compassion can start small. Like taking a quiet minute, grabbing a snack, or asking for help.
This holiday season, give yourself permission to be real. Not Pinterest-perfect, not “bounced back,” just human.
You deserve care, rest, and kindness. Especially from yourself.
If this resonates, I’d love to invite you to my Postpartum Nutrition Support Group. A space for moms who are ready to find some peace around food and their bodies in the early months of motherhood.
We talk about all the real stuff: eating when life feels chaotic, body image after baby, shifting hormones, and how to nourish yourself in a way that actually feels doable. It’s gentle, supportive, and totally free of diet culture.
If you’ve been craving some community and less pressure, you’re so welcome to join us. Starting January 10th, 2026.
— Written by Guest Blogger
Emilee Young R.D. from Embrace Nutrition
New around here? Hi. I’m Maddie, licensed therapist and fellow human.
Through Individual Therapy and my signature Body Image course The Essere Method I help people (like you) release unhelpful narratives from your past, rewire your mindset with self-compassion, acceptance, and understanding, and step into your most authentic self. I’d love to connect more with you. Ready?
