The actress — who welcomed her daughter, Rhiannon, in June — shared how her third pregnancy and post-pregnancy experience has differed from her first two, and praised her “awesome” community on social media for being there to “support” her throughout her journey.
Jenna Dewan is opening up about her pregnancy and postpartum journey with her third child.
While promoting her partnership with Neostrata in an interview with TooFab, the actress — who welcomed her daughter, Rhiannon, in June — got candid about how her third pregnancy and post-pregnancy experience differed from her first two, and shed light on the pressure put on women to “snap back” after giving birth.
In addition to Rhiannon, Dewan, 43, also shares son Callum, 4, with fiancé Steve Kazee, and is also mom to daughter Everly, 11, from her previous marriage to Channing Tatum.
“I mean, pregnant with Rhiannon, it felt similar, as far as physically, symptoms wise. It just was so busy because I had two others to chase and spend time with and give attention to,” she told TooFab. “So there weren’t as many wonderful naps that maybe I would’ve failed to get or some, you know, things that I would’ve done while pregnant before I was really, really busy.”
“I would say post third baby … I’ve had three C-sections and the third C-section with Rhiannon, I was down and out for a little bit longer than I was the other two, mostly because it was a third and, you know, there [are] two the kids and my body needed a little bit more time to heal,” she continued.
The Rookie actress said she noticed some big changes in her skin.
“I had a bit of drier skin. I was noticing fine lines,” she said. “I was seeing these things happen, and that’s why I’m obsessed with Neostrata because I’ve used their products for years, but I found myself needing some great products that were also multitasking and ability to work with my busy lifestyle and just help fight the signs of aging.”
One of the major differences Dewan said she noticed after giving birth to baby Rhiannon was how it affected her melasma, a skin condition that causes brown patches on the face. In women, it can often be caused by hormonal changes, including from pregnancy or oral contraceptives.
Dewan said Neostrata was “such a game changer” for treating her melasma, particularly the brand’s Foaming Glycolic Wash ($40), 15% Vitamin C + PHA Serum ($55), and PHA Renewal Pads ($45). She also loves the Triple Firming Neck Cream ($98), which is her favorite Neostrata product.
Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.
“They work so well. It’s a daily routine, and I’ll watch my melasma go down and also stay, stay down, which is part of the thing with melasma,” she told TooFab. “And then I started realizing, with the fine lines, my mom always told me as kid, women will focus on their face, but they forget their necks and their chest. She just like, ‘Whatever you can do in your face, bring it down.'”
Meanwhile, the professional dancer also shared her thoughts on how moms today are often expected to get back into their pre-baby body not long after giving birth, with TooFab noting how Cardi B spoke out about how celebrity mothers face this pressure.
“I do think it’s prevalent for all women,” Dewan said. “You don’t even realize it, but it’s a subconscious thing that happens when people go, ‘Oh, you look amazing. I can’t believe you just had a baby. You had a baby three months ago? That’s crazy!’ And it turns into this subconscious of like, ‘Oh, that is a good thing that I’ve looked back to what I was, you know, that people are commenting in that way.’ Rather than saying, ‘Wow, your body really went through something amazing. You gave life, you gave birth. You should really take it easy and rest and rejuvenate. That’s incredible.'”
“It’s this interesting thing I have noticed, and I don’t love it because I don’t want that to be the focus ever,” she continued. “In particular with me, I had a massive surgery. I had a C-section. So you do need to recuperate and rest and allow yourself time. And I think the quicker you can sort of block out and tune out those comments and just know, you know, you’re on your own schedule.”
Cardi B Explains Why She’s Working Out 1 Week After Giving Birth, Calls Out ‘Fake Concern’
View Story
“At a certain point, I do find myself getting excited to move again and feel stronger in my body and all those things, which kind of helps,” she added, before noting that it’s “not even near” the “top 10 things” she’s currently focusing on. “It’s not a priority.”
“However, I trust that I’m doing things that are helping my body to feel good and feel nurtured. And that when I’m ready to kind of get back in the gym and doing my weight lifting and getting myself feeling strong again, I will.”
The Step Up star stressed that we need to give mothers “time to recuperate.”
“It’s unheard of that people are like, ‘Oh, you’ve passed your four-week appointment at the doctor. You’re ready to go into the gym.’ It’s like, ‘Only if that feels good for you. If that feels good for you, great. Go for it,'” she said.
Dewan admitted that it’s been challenging to get herself to “rest and recuperate,’ particularly because of her dancing background.
“As a dancer, I’m so used to being in my body and using my body. I’ve had to learn how to rest and recuperate. It’s almost like a skill,” she told TooFab. “I had to learn how to rest and recuperate. So I had, you know, six weeks where I couldn’t pick up Callum, and he got really used to it because he’s used to something called ‘run hugs’ and he’d run, and we’d pick him up and spin him around. And it was like, ‘Well, Mommy for the moment, can’t do ‘run hugs,’ but we can do big hugs on the ground.’ … He got used to it, but after six weeks, you start to feel yourself stronger, and you’re able to lift, and then you start coming around the bend.”
Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.
Dewan opened up with her followers on social media throughout her pregnancy, and has continued to show her life postpartum, including both the ups, such as sharing adorable baby photos, and the downs, like her experience with mastitis.
The mom of three reflected on creating a community on Instagram and shared what it means to her.
“I would say communicating in this fashion and through social media in different ways for years, I really love the community feeling. I have a — knock on wood — I have very nice, incredibly supportive and awesome people that I communicate with followers and whatnot on social media,” Dewan said. “And I really noticed that with my mastitis journey because I joked that I think mastitis could bring the world together. It’s one of those things that if you’ve been through it, it’s so horrible … I had friends. I had people sending me messages and going, ‘Oh my gosh, do this. I feel you. I’ve been there.’ I had so many suggestions and a lot of them really worked. I mean, I was reading these going, ‘Oh, okay. You’re right. If I take this supplement that does help. But if I do, you know, if I put warm compresses on. Oh, but not warm, because the new studies say cold.'”
“So I’m finding out all this stuff through this way of communicating with these people over social media,” she added. “So I really find it to be a positive experience and I’ve really enjoyed it. And I do think it allows for more communication and just connection.”
Dewan said “so many moms” reached out to her. “It was so awesome,” she shared. “We all need support, and we don’t say how we get the support. We just need support.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Dewan talked about the parenting insights she’s learned since welcoming baby number three, and shared what she enjoys most about starring on ABC’s The Rookie.
Check out the full interview in the link, above!
