Moms in the Army say that they feel affirmed after the service followed their recommendation, extending the time allowed to get back within postpartum body standards from six months to a year.
Sergeant Major of the Army Michael Grinston announced the policy change March 19. “This is a common sense decision to help ensure our mothers have time to recover and build back their readiness,” he said in a tweet.
Under the previous version of the regulation, new moms had only six months after giving birth to conform to body fat standards. As a result, many resorted to “unsafe practices to lose weight” or stopped breastfeeding their baby at four months, according to a white paper.