When celebrity parents seemingly bounce back to their pre-pregnancy body it can put pressure on everyay people and make them wonder why their body isn't like that.
Health on Female First
It most likely has something to do with the personal chefs, personal trainers and the numerous nannies they have on hand to help.
New research has found that new mums across the UK are not only having to contend with sleepless nights and feeding on demand as they adapt to their new life, but over a third have revealed they feel under pressure to get back to their pre baby body just one month after birth.
Worryingly, in the most important period for mother and baby, almost 1 in 5 said they had felt pressured by their partner to slim down, and 75% had received negative comments about their post pregnancy body shape.
In reality, over half of new mums said it actually took over 6 months to get back to their pre pregnancy clothes.
This new research, which was commissioned by Bio-Oil, highlights the pressures that new mums feel in the first three months after the birth of their baby. Of the mums surveyed, 60% said they weren’t prepared for the skin and body changes they’d experienced, and 70% of new mums think women need to be given better advice and support about their post-pregnancy bodies.
Kathryn Gutteride, Consultant Midwife & Clinical Lead at Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals said “I find it concerning women are under unnecessary pressure at a time where their main priority, aside from their baby’s wellbeing, should be how they’re coping with the huge physical and emotional changes to their bodies. It’s important that women realise that just as they took nine months to produce a full grown baby, it will take at least that long for them to regain some of their former shape.”
Pressure for new mums in this initial three month period also comes from celebrity influences.
On the list of the biggest body concerns for new mums, stretch marks top the table, with 43% worried about them, closely followed by baby weight. 15% of mums admitted to spending time worrying about the size of their breasts.
Perhaps more concerning is that one in seven new mums say they feel guilty about taking time for themselves in this initial 3 month period, and 13% of women in this period feel they’re not coping.
Bio-Oil skincare expert Kirsty Mawhinney who gave birth to her first baby Ella in January comments: “Having a new baby is both the most amazing and most over-whelming time as it completely changes your entire lifestyle. There is already enough pressure on mums without the added worry to get back in shape quickly. It’s important that mums are given a realistic insight into what is happening to the body, how quickly they can expect to see changes and the little things they can do to care for their skin and body as it goes through this period of change.”
Tagged in Pregnancy Women's Health Pregnancy Health