steffy before after baby pregnancy
Credit: Howard Wise/JPI (2)

The Emmy winner is keenly attuned to her body and its needs.

After Jacqueline MacInnes Wood gave birth to her and husband Elan Ruspoli’s second son, Lenix, in February, it seemed like she went from very pregnant to swimsuit-ready in the blink of an eye. How’d she do it? No, not magic — preparation, she tells Soaps.com.

“No. 1, I was working out through my pregnancy, even if it was only little things,” she says. “It was tough the last few months just because we were moving, but hey, moving is still working out.

“Just chasing [firstborn Rise] around the house, in one day, I walk a mile and a half, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth,” she adds with a laugh. “He’s usually keeping me moving.”

Bouncing ‘Back’

On top of that, the Bold & Beautiful leading lady put a special emphasis on working out her back. “That was so crucial for me, just because the more you pop, the more you can have sciatic problems and lower back problems,” she explains. “So even before Rise or Lenix, when I knew, ‘OK, I want to get pregnant,’ I wanted to work out my back because that’s your core.

“Luckily,” she continues, “thankfully, I didn’t have many back issues.”

Food for Thought

Steffy’s portrayer also placed an emphasis on her menu — in particular “just having really nutrient-dense foods and being mindful. I always preach that I’m an 80/20 girl” who sticks to her diet most of the time. “But I definitely enjoy myself. I love a cookie, and I love a cocktail, and I love to have fun.

“But I don’t overdo it,” she hastens to note, “because I’m not sleeping, I’m up with the kids and doing a billion things at once. So stress levels could be up. And that means your cortisol levels are up. And that means there’s a greater chance that you’re going to get sick.”

In Sickness and in Health

Wood knows her limits — and knows what happens when she blows past them. “Knock on wood, the only time that I get sick is when I push myself too hard. I don’t usually go, ‘Oh, this person got me sick,'” she says. “I have to blame myself, because I am the one that’s pushing myself too much — not drinking enough water or eating too much sugar or not getting enough sleep.

“So,” she concludes, “it was really crucial for me after having a baby” to take care. “You know, people can have a postpartum depression, and a lot of that is due to lack of nutrients. So I just tried to be as balanced as I possibly could and let my body be my doctor.”

While you’re here, check out the below photo gallery that reviews Steffy’s life and loves.