Pregnant Shenae Grimes-Beech Is 'Ready to Embrace' Post-Baby Body and Reject Pressure to Snap Back
Courtesy of thredUP/Shenae Grimes-Beech
Shenae Grimes-Beech is rejecting post-baby body pressures.
The 31-year-old actress is currently expecting her second child with husband Josh Beech, telling PEOPLE this pregnancy has "flown by" since she's mostly busy keeping up with her 2½-year-old daughter Bowie Scarlett.
"Up until this point, I really have just been in such go-go-go mode, running after a toddler and all the rest of it," says Grimes-Beech, adding that in her first pregnancy she was "extra anxious about everything" but doesn't have that feeling this time.
"I feel capable as a mom now, whereas the first time you're like, 'Oh my God, can I do this?!' " she adds.
One thing the 90210 alum feels more confident knowing this time around comes in the postpartum experience, particularly in appreciating her body after baby. Grimes-Beech is eliminating any pressures to "bounce back" to her pre-baby figure by purging her closet of outfits from years past — and selling them on thredUP for others to add to their wardrobe.
"I'm more profoundly grateful for my body than I have ever been in my life. Why am I feeling less-than because the stuff was just hanging there looking at me every day?" she says of her clothes. "It's my second kid, my body's going to change again and it's going to be a whole-new body again."
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Courtesy of thredUP/Shenae Grimes-Beech
Courtesy of thredUP/Shenae Grimes-Beech
"And it's not just jeans, shoes too," she adds, "I had to get rid of so many shoes that I hung onto for way too long that have never, ever fit me again, just because I was like, 'Sure, eventually my feet will shrink back!' It's like, come on girl, it's been two-and-a-half years, the day's not coming."
In clearing out her closet, Grimes-Beech says she is now ready to "discover my new body postpartum," noting that she feels "empowered and so ready to embrace whatever happens."
It was a week after giving birth to her first baby that she remembers feeling surprised that her body didn't resume its previous shape. She shared a candid photo on Instagram of her stomach at the time, showing pride for her body in a powerfully honest caption.
"I did not know that was what postpartum bodies looked like at all," she tells PEOPLE. "I thought, okay, you'll be a little bit softer, naturally. Yes, I put on 40 lbs. in my pregnancy, so you put on weight and all the rest of it, it's not just going to slide off overnight, but I did not expect to still look incredibly pregnant. ... I was like, wow, this really resonated with people. I guess I'm not the only one who's been in the dark about this."
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"I just looked in the mirror, shocked by what I saw. I was like — as I did throughout my pregnancy — 'I'm going to share this stuff with people because nobody told me about all the weird pregnancy symptoms I'm going through and all of the things,' " she recalls of her decision to share the photo. "I'm all about helping others feel accompanied on their journey. I don't sugar-coat things. I don't try to project myself in a light that is far from the reality that, ultimately as humans, we all experience in some form or fashion."
Past the halfway point of her current pregnancy, Grimes-Beech says she's "bracing" herself for the newborn phase all over again, this time with a toddler "in the equation."
She shares, "I do feel mentally the strongest I've ever been in my life. I'm feeling ready and eager to tackle whatever's to come."
"More than anything," says the mom, "I'm just desperate to soak up as much of that one-on-one time with [Bowie] because this is it now forever. That hit me like a brick wall last night ... I just hope she doesn't feel neglected at all when all of a sudden there's a new little baby."
While she's still got some more to-dos before the arrival of her baby boy — like finalizing the nursery and settling on the perfect name — Grimes-Beech is glad to have her pre-baby clothes off her plate. Even if it was a little difficult saying goodbye to them.
"There are a couple of fun pieces I'm getting rid of that I'm sad to part with, but I'm also very excited for them to have a new home," she says of the thredUP offerings.
