Ashley Tisdale Gets Real About Postpartum Pressure, Getting in Shape ‘The Old School Way’ (Exclusive)

Ashley Tisdale believes our culture’s obsession with “instant gratification” is having a major effect on new mothers and their self-confidence.

In an exclusive interview with Us Weekly on Monday, May 12, Tisdale, 39, opened up about her postpartum experience and how she’s yet to “bounce back” after welcoming daughters Jupiter, 4, and Emerson, 8 months, with husband Christopher French.

“I feel like people expect so much from moms. And I think, for me — I don’t like to use ‘bounce back,’ because I’ve never bounced back from the babies, and it’s taken me a lot of time,” Tisdale told Us while promoting her partnership with Bush’s Bluey Baked Beans. “It’s so interesting how we are into instant gratification, whether it’s through social media, going viral or, you know, taking a shot to make you thinner. I don’t judge anybody, but I just think that we are getting to a point where we’re, you know … I definitely have gotten comments on my social media. I am not what I was size wise. And that’s OK. Like, [my daughter’s] eight months old.”

Tisdale went on to explain that postpartum mothers feel pressure to get back into their pre-baby shape so quickly, despite their bodies needing to heal and adjust to things like hormonal changes. Also, now that Emerson is closer to her first birthday, Tisdale believes there’s “this expectation” to return to her normal shape.

“I work really hard at working out and eating right, and I do it the kind of traditional way, the old school way, so it takes much more time,” she said, noting that she doesn’t use weight loss drugs.

“I’ve always been one to work hard, so I feel like it’s all encompassing whether it’s working out at the gym and really just doing it the old fashioned way,” Tisdale added.

“But I do think that’s really interesting that we have this instant gratification. We’re still healing, you know? Our bodies are still healing, and we should not put that pressure on [ourselves]. And our bodies are beautiful just the way they are, you know? We should be a little bit less judgmental in this time toward new moms or moms that just had a baby because to have that level of expectation — like, maybe someone else has bounced back a certain way, but that’s not everyone’s body, and that’s OK. There is that thing where it’s like, when you get past the six-month point, you’re like, ‘Why is my body not back together yet?’ But we went through something humongous and really beautiful. And so it just takes time and we should allow ourselves to have that time to do it.”

The Frenshe founder is set to turn 40 in July, a milestone birthday she says she’s looking forward to. She believes she’s worked on her “mental health stuff,” knows how to deal with her anxiety better and is heading into a new decade feeling “really good mood-wise.”

“It feels like I’m heading into a different era of my life, which is nice,” Tisdale told Us. “I’m in a place in my career and my life that I feel just really great about and I’m just super proud of what I’ve built. I just have so many blessings and having these two kids, it’s just so much fun. There’s a level of contentment, I guess, and that feels really nice. So I am looking forward to being with my family.”

Tisdale also celebrated the launch of Bush’s Bluey Baked Beans at Bluey CAMP in New York City on Wednesday, May 14, which was inspired by the bean antics in fan-favorite episodes of the hit children’s show. Fans can now serve up beans in their own “Fancy Restaurant” or pick up beans for dinner like the “Grannies” with the themed-beans.

“Bluey is so huge in our household. I don’t know who loves it more, my husband or the kids,” Tisdale said, laughing. “He gets super sentimental and every episode is just so good. But [Bush’s] made it so amazing for mealtime because there is something, obviously, with packaging that just gets kids to eat it. Jupiter was like, ‘Oh my gosh, Bluey’s on this. I need to eat these beans.’”