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Zooey Deschanel blasts post-baby body expectations: 'You just grew a human'

Zooey Deschanel, who gave birth to her daughter last June, thinks that the pressure to return to a pre-baby body right after giving birth is "odd" to say the least.
/ Source: TODAY

If you've recently given birth and noticed that the body you see in the mirror isn't quite like the one you used to have, take heart! That's to be expected.

Or, rather, it should be expected.

Instead, these days new moms not only face all the responsibilities that come with an infant, they also face pressure to quickly return to their pre-baby bods. And Zooey Deschanel, who gave birth to her daughter last June, called out the absurdity in a new interview with Redbook.

Zooey Deschanel
Zooey Deschanel, a cast member in \"The New Girl,\" poses at a party celebrating the 100th episode of the television series at the W Hotel Westwood on Wednesday, March 2, 2016, in Los Angeles.Chris Pizzello / AP

"To expect someone to look like her pre-baby self immediately is odd," the actress explained. "Because you just grew a human and then birthed that human — there's a lot that needs to go back to where it was. All your organs move around, for chrissakes!"

MORE: Zooey Deschanel on body image: 'I don't buy into that skinny-is-better mentality'

Even just before she and husband Jacob Pechenik welcomed their baby girl to the family, Deschanel was aware of the pressure she'd soon face — and knew that she wanted no part of it.

"Haven't we all seen those pictures of a sexy new mom in a bikini after one month? I will not be that person," the "New Girl" star told Cosmopolitan at the time. "I've always gone my own course and never been someone who had the need to be super skinny."

More: Zooey Deschanel reveals name of her baby on TODAY

So she's decided to ignore the body buzz and the have-it-all stress many moms face, too. Since having her first child, Deschanel has returned work — but not quite as much work as she used to do.

"I've slowed things down a bit," she revealed to Redbook. "I think it's good for your whole self — your creative self, your professional self, and just your soul — to take a little time for yourself and your family. You can spend your whole life going after things, but I think you risk missing out on some really powerful self-reflection."

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