Kim Raver on Putting Herself (and Baby!) First

Courtesy Cookie

Kim Raver can easily recall her first steamy scene with co-star Robert Buckley on the hit TV show Lipstick Jungle, only a few shorts weeks after she welcomed her second son, Leo Kipling last October. As the two stars got hot and heavy, once the scene was over, Kim remembers seeing everyone walk away, only for her to be left alone lying like "a bug stuck on my back." With no stomach muscles and having recently endured a cesarean — which only "made it worse" — Kim was eventually helped to her feet by Robert. While the pressure of maintaining her great physique onscreen may have been daunting,the 39-year-old actress also felt the stress behind the scene, until she came to the realization that her son was more important; Kim was breastfeeding her newborn. Adopting the attitude that "there’s going to be more milk and healthier milk if I’m eating well," Kim knew that with her stress already on the rise from her busy work schedule, eating balanced meals was key. "Get me a really, yummy, highly calorie steak!" Kim recalls telling the catering services.

For Kim, nursing her son was at the top of her priority list and luckily for both mom and baby, the whole crew of Lipstick Jungle completely agreed! Although Kim is thankful for the crew building a nursery on set and setting aside ‘feeding breaks’ for baby Leo, she does admit that there were some days with her busy, hectic schedule that she would have hormonal breakdowns. After dealing with 17-hour workdays beginning at 5 a.m. and lasting some days until after midnight, Kim can remember one day just bursting into tears at "one photo shoot because I couldn’t get into the dress I’d normally fit into." With Brooke Shields — who is a mom to two girls herself — coming to the rescue, Kim was reassured as her co-star was quick to remind her "that [this period is just] a short window."

Click ‘more’ to get the dish on Kim’s unique way to get back in shape and her desire to not have a social life!

After spending eight months breastfeeding Leo, Kim then moved on to exercising and getting her body back in shape. While she does admit that she works with a trainer, her best routines include her running shoes, the park, and her older son, Luke West, 6. Recruiting Luke to join her outside and taking two birds out with one stone, Kim said to her son, "I’ll get my run in while you learn how to ride your bike without training wheels." The idea proved to be a hit, as Kim — who calls her plan "a great workout" — remembers, "he’d get it so I’d sprint; then he’d stop so I’d slow down. Then he’d get it and I’d sprint."

Whether it’s spending her days at the park with Luke, having special time with Leo, 11 months, or enjoying a getaway weekend at the beach with her boys — including her husband Manu Boyer — Kim says she doesn’t "really want a social life." However, juggling her career and her family life, Kim is quick to offer advice to other moms when it comes to a little self-indulgence.

"Remember to love the body you’re in after having a baby. You’re not sleeping. You’re juggling one, two, or three kids. If it’s emotionally satisfying at three or four in the morning, when the baby won’t go back to sleep, have a piece of chocolate! While you nurture your baby, it’s important to nurture yourself."

Season two of Lipstick Jungle premieres Wednesday, September 24.

Source: Cookie Magazine