Energy to keep up
"I have more of myself to give. That is what I wanted, not a number on a scale, but the energy to be present for the people I love."
withova · her story
Shila Amzah
"Becoming a mother changed everything. It made me think differently about my future and about being there for my children."
Motherhood changed what health meant to her.
She wanted the energy to be there for the people she loves, to keep up with her children and to be healthier for her family. Along the way, she also came to understand how becoming a mother can change a woman's body in ways many don't expect.
Motherhood is all-consuming. The early years especially, the sleepless nights, the constant presence your children need, the way your own needs quietly move to the back of the queue. For Shila, that wasn't a complaint. It was her reality, and she embraced it.
But she also noticed, gradually, that her body had changed in ways she didn't fully understand. Not the visible changes, she'd expected those. It was the internal ones. The way energy worked differently. The way weight felt harder to manage even when nothing in her lifestyle had obviously changed. She started asking questions. And the answers, when she found them, changed how she thought about support.
See it in her own words.
Understanding the biology
Why does losing weight feel harder after having children?
Motherhood changes more than your schedule. Hormones, sleep disruption, stress and the physical changes that come with pregnancy can all affect weight.
Take the first step by calculating your BMI and better understanding where you are today.
Postpartum hormones
After pregnancy, oestrogen and progesterone levels drop sharply. These hormones affect how the body stores fat, regulates appetite, and metabolises energy. The shift can persist for months or longer, and many women don't realise these changes are biochemical, not personal failure.
Sleep disruption
Disrupted sleep raises cortisol and ghrelin, the stress and hunger hormones — while lowering leptin, which signals fullness. The result: increased appetite, reduced ability to recognise satiety, and a body under low-level chronic stress. This isn't willpower. It is biology.
Stress & life change
Major life transitions, a new child, relationship changes, shifting routines, all affect the nervous system. Sustained elevated cortisol promotes fat storage. Exercise time shrinks. Cooking gets deprioritised. Each of these is a small force. Together, they compound.
What shifted
How motherhood changed Shila's perspective
Present for them
"Motherhood made me realise health isn't about how you look. It's about what you can do, and who you can be there for."
Same act, not a trade-off
"I started to understand that taking care of myself wasn't separate from taking care of them. It was the same thing."
Energy to keep up
"I have more of myself to give. That is what I wanted, not a number on a scale, but the energy to be present for the people I love."
Present for them
"Motherhood made me realise health isn't about how you look. It's about what you can do, and who you can be there for."
Same act, not a trade-off
"I started to understand that taking care of myself wasn't separate from taking care of them. It was the same thing."
Women's health - the numbers
33.9%
of urban Malaysian mothers retain ≥5 kg above their pre-pregnancy weight at 6 months postpartum.
75%
of women weigh more at 1 year postpartum than before their pregnancy.
80%
of women take more than 3 months to return to pre-pregnancy weight — most without any clinical guidance. [3]
Did Shila's story feel familiar?
Over the next few weeks, we'll share the full stories from Shila, Siti and Diana, along with practical advice from OVA's doctors to help you better understand your weight and what support is available.
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