Malin Akerman’s Parenting Tips for New Moms

The actress is starring in a new ABC show this fall. Here, her advice for fellow first-time moms
The actress is starring in a new ABC show this fall. Here, her advice for fellow first-time moms

The actress you know and love from Watchmen, The Proposal, and The Heartbreak Kid is starring in her first TV show this fall, hitting the set of ABC's Trophy Wife just four months after giving birth to son Sebastian. Here's what the star had to say about splitting her time between the baby and workouts, dropping the pregnancy weight ASAP, playing a woman who struggles to prove she's more than just a trophy wife, and more.

You had your son Sebastian in April, but you do not look like you have a four-month-old (in case you were wondering, the photo above is post-baby!). How did you lose the pregnancy weight so fast?
Well, I wish I could tell you it was easy, but it was hard work. A lot of exercise and diet, obviously--anything from hiking and Pilates to cycling and CrossFit. Anything to create muscle confusion to keep my muscles guessing so I wouldn't plateau. And then also diet-wise, making sure to have a lot of healthy foods and snacks throughout the day. I've had a lot of fresh fruits and veggies. Yogurt is a really great snack, too. One of my favorite is Muller yogurt--it feels like you're indulging, but it's actually nutritious.

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How do you work in exercise when you have a little one demanding your attention all the time?
My husband is a musician--it's not a 9 to 5 job--so we've been able to tag team a bit. It's been wonderful--he's been able to take care of Sebastian, and I've gotten to go to the gym on certain days, and vice-versa. When I start working that is going to be an even more difficult balance. Every spare moment I'm going to have to take advantage of. I have some cardio videos I can do in my dressing room.

Have you noticed that you're into different types of workouts post-baby than you were before you had Sebastian?

To be honest with you, I kind of went back to what I've always been doing. I just feel like if it ain't broke, don't fix it. I really am enjoying SoulCycle, which to me is a little bit of a dance class on a bicycle. I need something to motivate me and to distract me from the fact that I'm working out. Pilates is a little bit newer to me--I started doing it while I was pregnant, and now I'm doing a little bit more power Pilates now that I'm not pregnant and going at it a little harder. That's been wonderful because I feel like the contrast of cycling and Pilates to stretch out my muscles afterward is really nice.

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You start filming your new TV show, Trophy Wife, on Monday. What scares you the most about going back to work?
Of course, not having time with my son basically. The main thing is, you know, having had so much time with him and now having to share that, balance that out--it's just a balancing act, having a baby and working and being focused and concentrating on work and staying in shape. It's a new thing for me.

Was it ever a question whether you'd go back to work or not after having Sebastian?

I always knew that I would come back to work. As much as I'd love to have a year to be home with him, this business is what it is, and you take the jobs as they come. I always knew I'd be back--I'm too much of a busybody to not go back to work. I love my job; I think it's so much fun, and I don't ever want to stop. But this is a perfect opportunity to have a TV show in town not too far from where I live and be able to come home at night and tuck him in and have him on set with me.

Is that why you decided to venture into TV for the first time?
I've been looking into TV for the past couple of years, actually. I just feel like a lot of really great writers have come over to television, and I think there are so many more opportunities now than there used to be. And for an actor, it's really fun because you get to really develop a character and have a true character arc. A lot of great actors are now looking at TV, so it was fun to be able to find a show that was really great and written really well.

So it wasn't so much about the baby--it was more about where the best work was, and some of the best scripts that were falling into my lap, the ones that were the most well written, were the ones for television.

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So what's your favorite TV show to watch?
Breaking Bad! It's so good, it's amazing. It's so funny because I love to do comedy and comedic films, but most of the television I watch is drama. Breaking Bad is one of my all-time favorite shows, and House of Cards is great, too. I have to get into Homeland, too--everyone's been telling me it's good.

Trophy Wife is a sitcom about your character, Kate, trying to get along with her new husband's ex-wives and their children. What was it about the script that appealed to you?
I think the fact that it's a very grounded comedy--it's not very farcical, meaning it's real people but in very funny situations. And I just thought that the character of Kate was really well written. I love the idea that it's this new family unit we see all the time with exes and kids. I come from a broken-up family, so it was very relatable to me. That's almost the norm now, so for most people it's very relatable.

How different has preparing for the role of Kate been from playing Debbie Harry in your upcoming movie about the punk rock club CBGB (out this October)?
It's totally different. Debbie Harry was such a fun little cameo to do in the movie. I kept teasing the producers and saying hey we should do a whole Debbie Harry movie; that would be fun. But it's totally different, that sort of studying someone and their mannerisms and trying to imitate that person, whereas Kate is a fresh take and a whole new character.

Any last words of wisdom for fellow new moms?
I would say follow your gut. I think that there's so much information out there, we tend to get a little overwhelmed. As a new mom, there's so much going on. If you have the ability to, be at home as much as you can and get to know your child and how he or she ticks--because every child is unique. And as you kind of get to know your child, then you can start seeing what types of tips you want from other moms. Otherwise you're going to be really overwhelmed with all the information. I got so many books when I was pregnant, and then I was like, "I'm going to go with my gut and see if I can handle it." So I think that's the only advice I can give is just to see how you feel and give it a shot.

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