WWE fighter and new mother Ronda Rousey has opened up about her speedy postpartum recovery, while sharing images of her toned abdomen, just ten days after giving birth to her first child.
The 34-year-old posted two mirror selfies on Instagram on Tuesday, both of which show her posing in a maternity bra and underwear, with the first capturing her body from the front, while the other sees her twisting to the side to better capture the definition of her muscles.
Rousey’s candid selfie shoot comes just over a week after she and husband Travis Browne welcomed their first daughter, who they named La’akea Makalapuaokalanipō or Pō for short.
In her caption, Rousey explained that her ‘body seems to be recovering faster than she hoped’, however she noted that she won’t know the true extent of her physical condition until her six-week postpartum check-up, which won’t take place for another month.
The wrestler also got candid about how her body has changed in the past two years, admitting that she ‘feels like she lost a lifetime of muscle’ after breaking her hands in a WrestleMania match-up in December 2019, just over a year before announcing that she was expecting a baby.
Changes: WWE fighter Ronda Rousey has opened up about how her physical recovery ten days after giving birth to her first child, while sharing images of her postpartum body
Evolution: The 34-year-old shared two images of her toned abdomen on Instagram on Tuesday, revealing that her ‘body is recovering faster than she hoped’
Mother and child: Rousey welcomed baby girl La’akea Makalapuaokalanipō Browne – her first child with husband Travis Browne – at the end of September
‘My body seems to be recovering faster than I hoped, but I won’t really know if Pō tossed a grenade on the way out till my 6 week checkup,’ she explained.
‘Since breaking both my hands and getting pregnant it feels like I lost a lifetime of muscle – it’s easy to get discouraged over all that lost progress – but if anything I’m looking forward to getting cleared to train again even more.’
Although Rousey has not yet been given the go-ahead to get back in the ring, she said that she is already eagerly anticipating the day when she can return to her intensive physical training regimen and begin transforming her body.
‘This is an opportunity start over and mold my body into its next phase,’ she added, before including the hashtags #BaddestMomOnThePlanet and #ThisIsntEvenMyFinalForm.
The wrestler – who shot to fame at the 2008 Olympics when she became the first American woman to win a medal in judo – also drew comparisons between herself and her mother, AnnMaria De Mars, a former world judo champion.
‘My mom went back to training 6 days after having my sister Maria, then made weight and won the judo US Open 6 weeks later…’ she recalled, before revealing that her mother ‘only gained 12 pounds’ when she was pregnant with Ronda – who weighed 8lbs when she was born.
‘When she was pregnant with me she only gained 12 pounds – and I was an 8 lbs baby!’ she shared, before joking: ‘I’ve decided to let her keep those records.’
Family: Rousey and Browne first announced that they were expecting a baby together in April, with the former UFC fighter revealing at the time that she was due on September 22
Bumping along! Rousey learned that she was pregnant in January – one year after she stepped back from WWE when she broke her hands in a December 2019 WrestleMania match-up
Back in action? Although she said she has not yet been cleared to return to training, Rousey said she is excited to get back in the gym so she can ‘mold her body into its next phase’
She concluded her post by offering some brief insights into the less-than-glamorous side of postpartum life, revealing that she chose to ‘crop out the ice pack in her underwear’ before sharing her mirror selfies.
The new mother’s candid post was shared just one day after she revealed a touching video clip of herself cradling newborn baby Pō in her hospital bed, describing her shock at how quickly her little girl is growing.
‘I can’t believe Pō is over a week old already,’ she wrote. ‘She’s so perfect I wish we could bottle up these times and revisit them forever.’
Rousey and her husband first announced that they had welcomed their baby girl on September 27, when the wrestler posted a sweet image of herself cradling the newborn, as well as a touching photo of her daughter’s hand wresting on Browne’s tattooed chest.
She wrote her daughter’s full name in the caption and added a heart, but gave little other details about her arrival.
Pō’s full name pays homage to her father’s Hawai’ian heritage, with her first name, La’akea meaning sacred light in Browne’s birthplace, while the middle name, from which the baby girl gets her nickname, has no direct English translation.
Although Rousey and Browne currently live on a sustainable ranch in California, they have maintained a close connection with Hawai’i – and even chose to tie the knot there back in 2017.
Browne is already father to two sons – Keawe and Kaleo Browne – from his previous marriage to Erin Browne, however he couldn’t hide his joy at the prospect of becoming a dad once again when he and Rousey announced they were expecting a baby earlier this year.
Ready to go: Rousey shared just a handful of Instagram posts during her pregnancy, including one video of her baby girl kicking
The couple shared their happy news in a sweet YouTube video, with Rousey sharing her excitement at finally being able to ‘show off’ her growing bump.
‘Pow! Four months pregnant!’ she said while pulling a pillow away from her body to show off her budding bump.
‘I’ve been pregnant since January. So, four months. Woo, baby bump! I can’t hide it anymore. So, it’s time to show it off,’ she went on as Travis planted a smooch on her head.
Rousey and Browne began dating around 2015 and wed in Hawaii on August 28, 2017 after Browne’s super romantic proposal under a waterfall in New Zealand.
And the pair haven’t hid their dreams of starting a family since.
‘We’re just putting it out in the universe and letting nature take its course and not trying to rush it or put any pressure on ourselves,’ she told E! News in 2019.
‘Just kind of enjoy our time as a family together. Enjoying every day and accepting it whenever it happens.’
The athlete revealed that she and Travis, who is also a mixed martial artist, were taking a very natural approach, saying: ‘You know, we’re not taking ovulation tests or anything like that.
‘But, I’m also not on the road 200 days a year and taking power bombs every night. So, I’m sure that helps.’
Ronda’s pregnancy rules out a return to the ring anytime soon.
Rousey’s last WWE appearance was WrestleMania 35 in 2019 when she lost the Raw Women’s Championship to Becky Lynch.
Before that she was UFC’s first women’s bantamweight champion, who set the world record for defending her title six times.
Ronda began her athletic career in competitive judo, taking home a bronze medal from the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China.