Celebrity Mom Jessica Alba Talks Post-Baby Shape

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Even celebrity moms like Jessica Alba wonder whether they will ever be able to wear those pre-baby skinny jeans again.

The Scoop

In a sit down with Allure magazine, Jessica Alba opened up about how pregnancy changed her body shape and why her efforts to return to her pre-baby weight didn't work. "I can't ever get down to the weight I was before I had Honor," she tells the magazine (as reported by The Today Show).

Alba was pregnant with daughter Honor in 2008 and is expecting baby number two sometime this summer. "My body's just different," she adds. "The jeans just sort of zip up differently, and things hang differently. It's a miracle what happens, but you definitely are different afterward ... Unless you're Gisele."

But the upside to those new mom curves? Alba also says that having a baby made her better understand her own sexuality. "I was quite shy with it," she says. "It wasn't something I embraced until I had my daughter. I saw how incredible and amazing it is to be a woman and to be able to create a life. There's a reason why certain areas of the body are desireable, because it all leads to reproduction. There's a science behind it all. It's not just to sell whatever you're selling on a billboard or a magazine or a movie."

Your Body

Trying to get your post-baby shape-up plans to take shape? No matter what the scale says, taking steps to eat right and exercise offer some pretty hefty benefits for new moms. According to the Mayo Clinic, regular exercise after pregnancy (in conjunction with a healthy diet) can help with weight loss, improve cardiovascular fitness, restore abdominal muscle tone, boost energy levels, improve mood, relieve stress, and help moms affected by postpartum depression.

No, we can't all be Gisele, as Alba points out, but we can all make choices that make us feel healthy and more energetic, two things that definitely make being a new mom a little bit easier. Just don't rush it. Most doctors still say that waiting for six weeks after giving birth before resuming physical activity and exercise is a good idea, especially if you had a C-section. Check with your doctor or midwife to find out what's best for you.