Yummy Mummy phenomena?

Does this annoy you?

It annoys me big-time!

I'll explain...

This is my first pregnancy...I've never been the slimmest of people...I'm about a size 14 (and not particularly tall!!!)

I've always had issues with my weight...and had to really work through these issues...learn to accept myself as "less-than-perfect"...and in the last few years, felt like I finally achieved that...I found a style of dressing that expresses who I am, without making me feel ashamed about my body...I was really proud of myself for beating that horrible personal demon of mine!

However...

I've found these issues have re-appeared with pregnancy...I feel great pressure from "society" (probably fueled the celebrity media predominantly) with the whole "yummy mummy phenomena"

...having the perfect "bump"...not too big, not too wide and expansive...not showing too early...not having any other nasty bumps or lumps anywhere...not having breasts that are too big...etc...

It's really taken me by surprise...and I'm struggling with it...

I feel like the beautiful and natural state of pregnancy has been hijacked by the "fashion police" and that there's now all these rules on how "pregnant should look"...

Does anyone esle struggle with this?

I'm not pregnant at the moment hun, but thought I'd jump in anyway. Pregnancy is such a beautiful time and to me all pg women are gorgeous.

I do understand what you mean though - I remember too well leafing through magazines with pics of beautiful women with not a stretch mark or spot of cellulite to be seen. I wouldn't worry though, Monnie - just enjoy the magical journey.

I definatly know what you mean. I didn't even put on that much weight but still felt like I shouldn't put on weight anywhere but my tummy. At the gym I had all the trainers telling me that they worked out till weeks before they popped but I was just too darn tired and so that made me feel bad too.

Also a lady I worked with delighted in telling me that she left the hospital in her pre-pregnancy jeans...thanks, just what I wanted to hear! I packed pre-pregnancy clothes in my labour bag to wear home and guess what? I hadn't a hope of fitting in to them and had to go home in my pyjamas!!!

I really don't have any advice as I felt the same but just try and enjoy your new body and show off the new assets! I only ever have boobs when i'm pregnant so I loved wearing low(ish) cut tops! Also it was the only time I didnt have to suck in my stomach. Go the stretchy maternity pants!

And the best part...go to the movies and eat all the popcorn, lollies etc you want and NEVER be uncomfortable because you don't want to undo a belt/top button!

I hope you start feeling better about you body soon :)

I'm with Nat Monnie, I think all pg women look beautiful!

I really know what you mean, but I think if you've perservered through these issues before to feel good about yourself, you can do it again! I bet you look fantastic hun ;)

Personally, (and I might sound up myself LOL!), but I think I look really good ATM - and I think that might be because for the first time I can remember I'm not at all worried about what I'm eating etc and how much I weigh! Whether or not I actually look great or not, I don't know, but I certainly feel it! Pg certainly has it's not so fun times, but if you feel good, and comfortable, in yourself then I think that shows through :D .

I am most concerned with what appears to be an obsession with losing your 'baby weight' ASAP! I have friends who are worried about it, and I mean worried, only six weeks after having bubs! To me, at that time you should be enjoying your baby, and getting used to life with him/her, not thinking about something like your weight FFS! (Besides, everyone's going to be too busy looking at us pushing our SCs to be looking at our tummies LOL!)

I agree, 'society' has alot to answer for in regards to weight issues surrounding pregnancy etc! Don't let it get you down, just enjoy this wonderful, magical time :D

ETA Oooooh Rachel, I just realised that I haven't felt that need to pop my top button for months! Gotta love maternity clothes (and not having to suck your tummy in!)

Yeah. When I'm pregnant I carry small and when these two older women asked how far along I was and I told them they said "you're respectable, aren't you" because I wasn't showing much!!!! So would that have made me disrespectful if I was larger??!! How rude and stupid.

yep def hearing this one!! i wasn't small either 12 - 14 and only 5'1 already struggled like u in the past and u get to a point when u think it is all good and then bam lol... u kinda think too that preg is a time where u dnt really have to worry about those things so much (well i did) and then u see these magazines and everything about not gaining anything but the baby in the belly and loosing the weight so quick u must have spent more time wuth a personal trainer then with ur new baby ****es me off really!!!

I loooove being pregnant.... but as with the first time.... i feel ripped off in a pg body. Its my fault of course no one elses....but cos i wasnt skinny...or even 'normal' sized before i got preg i didint have a proper round belly or look preg. I hated that.. andt his time its not going to be any better cos im still carry (what i call flab) from DD birth.

But as a whole.... we r human and normal people... not celebs...so we should look and feel sexy no matter what others say :)

I remember i always wanted to be one of those pregnant women who could wear a very clingy dress and just have my bump sticking out nicely at the front. When i tried them on i had lumps and bumps everywhere and it didn't look that great!! I gave up the idea and just looked for clothes that made me feel good.
I'm bigger this pregnancy, and i am so proud of my bump, that i'm not letting the other bumps get me down.
Those models in the magazines have probably been airbrushed anyway. (and i bet your dh thinks you look wonderful and wouldn't swap you for one of those thin model like versions anyway.)

With the mentality ATM of women competing to look good 24/7 (even if it is only in their minds kwim) it is no wonder this has extended into pg. I know of women who walked 10km's a day cause they heard that you get bigger with subsequent pg's and didn't eat like they should all because of some ideal they had in their heads.

Being Pg is the only time that I feel totally comfortable in my skin because I love the fact that I am pg and that my body is doing the most basic yet essential thing that mother nature intended it to do. I don't care that I look like I have 5 basketballs up my jumper instead of one sitting nicely in the front, nor do I care that I don't look like Elle after having a baby (I feel like it, just don't look like it LOL). It takes 9 months to gain any weight, so it can take 9 months for it to come off again. I do know that being overweight already it is in my best interests to lose weight afterwards, simply for my own health and not a desire to look good - that is simply a bonus.

Monnie, If you have worked hard to get where you were beforehand, I have no doubt that you will get there again afterwards. Granted that sometimes nature just does not let you get all the way back sometimes, which I have found, but embrace that and celebrate what an amazing job your body has done to nurture and birth a beautiful baby. Wear the stretchies and the extra lumpy bits with pride I say.

This is something I am really struggling with this pregnancy. Between June and December last year, I lost 28kg. I went from 116kg (eep!) and a size 20, to 88kg, and a size 14.

Now that I am pregnant again, people are dropping all these comments on me like "Oh what a shame!" and "you worked so hard, and now you'll put it all back on!" Those sorts of comments make me feel really self concious, and quite frankly, ****ed off!

Not everyone puts on tonnes of weight when they are pregnant, and even if they do, so what? It's the one time in your life when you are SUPPOSED to get bigger.

Aside from crying and getting angry, I just don't know how to address those things when they are said. Now I feel like people will be looking at me and feeling sorry for me, or thinking "Oh what a waste" , instead of "ooh! A baby! How exciting!"

I know what you mean ...

Some of the "yummy mummy" stuff I agree with - the ability to have a life and a baby (but I'll see how practical that is when Blobble's born!)

Like others here, I lost weight over the previous year or so but luckily nobody's made the hurtful comments to me like qui. But the interesting thing is that because I lost the weight previously through exercise and healthy eating, I'm not going overboard in the eating - I'm just eating what I feel like.

My belly isn't a perfect basketball, but hey, I'm liking it. I'm able to tell them, if they ask, that I'm happy with my weight gain - only 7kg so far - and am worried that I'm not putting on enough weight. That really stops them.

And one of my goals in losing weight originally was to get down to a healthy weight for conceiving - which I achieved.

When bub's born, I'll be walking everywhere as my vehicle is a work lease that expires the same day I start maternity leave (Wednesday). And then I'll start getting fit again - I haven't been to the gym since I was about 6 weeks preggers and haven't done any real bushwalking since I was 11weeks. So I'm looking forward to being able to do that again, and not being breathless after climbing the stairs here at home, because there won't be a baby pushing against my lungs.

And that's my goal - to feel fit again when I can. And I'm not packing anything pre-pregnancy for the hospital :D

Oh Monnie, I'm glad you brought this up. I HATE the term "yummy mummy" and I think it should be consigned to the garbage bin along with its kissing cousin "bling bling".

Some of those so-called "yummy mummies" are starving themselves and exercising like mad and the bits they haven't been able to get rid of have been airbrushed out anyhow. It is just not desirable nor attainable.

I've had self-image issues all my life. I can see them now objectively but it is strange how they still raise their ugly heads from time to time. I just have to remind myself of what is realistic and what is just stupid. I never comment on another person's weight or appearance, apart from telling them they look great and I really mean it when I say that. To me, looking great is about so much more than weight and as another poster said, aren't all pregnant women beautiful anyway?

Yes...if only we were only size 10 and without a lump or bump until our pregnancies started. I can remember with my first pregnancy being 32 weeks and leaving work and my boss said "why are you leaving?" He was a man but still. I have never been small infact been mostly size 22 all my life.

At the end of the day I search for positives.....If I lay down I can feel my pg belly,
I can still wear the clothes I always way....(So not everyone has to know)
I put on a bit extra makeup and hope to goodness they look at my face LOL!

We all have that glow regardless if we have a bump a lump or a stump in front of us!
We are all beautiful, and stuff the stereo type. We are doing the most important job in the world....GROWING A BABY!

JACQUI

One of the things I believe doesn't help is pregnant models. I looked nothing like them when pregnant but of course they are all models who are pregnant. They don't look like regular women when not pregnant so of course they aren't going to look like regular women when pregnant.

I agree, I think it's sad that society is pressuring people into wanting to be what is not reasonable. I too am/ was a size 14 pre pg. Ialso had isues pre pg and early on- I was sooo worried at the begining of my pg that I would get 'too' big, but as time went on I just accepted that I WILL get bigger and that is the most normal thing in the world. I am pg and if I wasn't getting bigger it would probably mean something is wrong with me or my little baby inside me.
I eat when I want to (which is less than pre pg!!), trying to make sure it is healthy for me and bubba, exercise when I have the energy and sleep when I can. I have put on 9kg so far and that is as normal as you can get. If that makes me lazy or unacceptable in society's eyes then so be it. I am learning not to worry too much about what anyone else thinks of me noone's opinions of me matter EXCEPT MINE- considering I am healthy and so is bubba. I heard a saying the other day- 'My self worth is not caught up in your opinions of me'... I think everyone should live their live with that thought!
I have gotten pretty big, and I still have 7 weeks to go, with alot of people telling me so, even my mum saying ' Well you definately don't take after me, I was tiny'...(mind you she is tiny herself at 5'0 and about 50 kg now at 60yrs old! I can only imagine what she looked like when she was 25-30 yrs) but I try to ignore them. Everyone is different and pg is a blessing and we should realise that, so many women/people have trouble achieving it. I am trying to focus on my mental state, if bubba is ok and if I feel healthy physically, not if I look good.
I am also focusing on getting back to my pre pg state- reasonably healthy and fit, and then some, although I'm not being unrealistic. I know that I will probably feel different, be tired/overwhelmed etc and things will happen slowly... but I want to be healthy for my baby, my DH and myself, not for society.

Kellie.

OK - I agree with all the posts here! My words of advice - stay away from Pregnancy magazines like Cosmo Pregnancy - they are BAAAAAAD. I have one copy and I was SHOCKED at the constant weight and fashion obsession that it has. I normally stay away from fashion magazines as they make women feel "not good enough" so we will run out and buy whatever products they are flogging.

I love my pregnant body and I don't think anything should take away from the wonder of creating a new life!

all pregnant woman are beautiful. stay away from those awful magazines! you will feel beautiful just from being pregnant ime:)
i am amazed at the 'yummy mummies' after they have had the baby!the ones who dress up like a vogue model, their baby in a designer pram with designer clothes - makes me so sad that their baby looks like an accessory as well:( you cant help but wonder if that why they had one!:P

I wonder though if the women who do that find it easy to do or that they struggle with it but do it anyway because that is what they think is expected of them?

I've put on about 14 kgs in this pregnancy and I have 6½ weeks to go....this is mind you after saying I would not put on one gram over 12!!!

I think there is a lot of pressure to 'recover' your old body in a hurry after the pregnancy and one person I'm feeling it from more than anyone unfortunately is DF. We have a number of good friends who have been back in their pre-preg jeans 2-4 weeks after the birth and some who have ended up with better boddies after breastfeeding has sucked all the excess fat off them so DF has this strange idea that that's just the way it is and I have to fit into that mould. I've not really felt the pressure from other sources or from myself though and as long as I remind myself that DF is an unreasonable twit (in the sweetest possible way!!) then I'm fine.

I may stir up a few enemies in saying this but I don't think getting pregnant or BFing is an excuse to just let yourself go either. You still have to have some pride in your appearance and attempt to run a brush through your hair from time to time. I remember going to a mum and me thing one day and there was a mother of a small baby (I guess about 4 months) who arrived with totally mismatched socks, too short tracksuit pants with no elastic, a top with spit up all over it, hair all over the place and eyebrows that hadn't been attended to in a looooong time!! Whilst it's unreasonable to be a picture of elegance all the time, I think at least a little effort is called for if you're leaving the house. It's amazing what a clean top, combed hair and a slick of mascara can do and it doesn't have to take more than 1 minute.

You know what? I did the whole "yummy mummy" thing: the small breasts (boo, the comment I got from most people on announcing the pregnancy was "oooh, you'll get boobs now"), the "perfect" bump, the clinging clothes, good hair, good skin... and no compliments! My DH still found the bump to be a big turn-off!

I was zipping up my pre-preg skinny jeans 3 days post birth (and didn't struggle - though the portion sizes they served up in hospital probably helped, I had to get two main courses some nights!), only gained a stone from conception and am out and about, but it doesn't mean you don't still have the body issues, you just have people thinking you're evil! I still have a flabby tum, not a rock-solid flat one, have spots, am still waiting for that episiotomy and bruising to heal, get frustrated and upset with myself if I don't have myself and DS up and dressed by 9am - even if I won't buy the designer clothes - DS is a very fussy feeder and slightly colicy, DH possibly has PND... basically, it's just the luck of the draw and if you don't have "problems" (or perceived problems) in one area you may well have them in another. (Just to mention, DH is gutted I still have a huge linea nigra, but I love it the most, like proof I was pregnant when everyone glares and tells me I don't *look* like I had a baby less than 3 weeks ago... just like I didn't *look* that pregnant when I was overdue then?) Judging someone for their body just isn't on, be it because they balloon in pregnancy or because they don't. All pregnant women are beautiful and who cares what the daft "celebrities" look like? They all have implants, should we get them too? They probably have surgeons and girdles crafting their bumps, either that or thy hide away for the entire pregnancy.

(Oh, and I had huge issues with my body whilst pregnant because I didn't look like anyone else around me and people kept not noticing I was pg, even at 7 months, so was very happy when people bought me pregnancy magazines because at least they had photos of people I looked like... or would look like if I ever spent £500/$1200+ on a dress I couldn't wear most of the time and spent a good 30 minutes doing my face.)

Ryn...it's so interesting that you had the same problems, at the other end of the continuum...it's just awful...

I guess it's sort of my point...there's this incredibly narrow line of what "pregnant" should look like these days...not too big, not too small...the bump has to be this perfect size...not too wide, not too long, not too whatever...and those who don't fit within that narrow line (and there's not that many of us who do), are left dealing with these horrible body image issues...I always thought that pregnancy would be the time I could escape these issues...

If it was just celebrities, it wouldn't be so bad...I can't stand them...what I'm finding though is the "yummy mummy" phenomena has truly infiltrated into our society...especially in the more affluent sectors...

Although we're not wealthy, we have quite a few friends that are doing very well...and it's those guys (and the suburbs where they live) who I think are living proof of the pressures of being a yummy mummy...and unfortunately that pressure is being passed on to all...

I was at a party tonight...and overheard this awful comment that just made me cringe...

This guy was pointing at friend of mine (who had a baby about 10 months ago)...I heard him say "she looks like she has stacked on the weight...I wouldn't have even recognised her...what's caused it?"

Just awful...she just obviously hasn't lost her "baby fat" quick enough for his liking!

I would say I definitly put the effort in most days 5-7 a week with blowdrying my hair then straightening it and doing the whole makeup thing, hell I still paint my toenails (with great difficulty) and I always wear a skirt or dress that is fitted. I have not once made the effort to cut down on food, I eat easily twice as much pregnant than pre pregnancy, I have my mothers metabolism to thank for the lack of weight gain though. I don't do my whole getting ready routine to fullfill this whole yummy mummy thing though. I do it so I feel good about myself. There are so many other women in town due around the same time as me and I am sure they don't all put the excess effort into their looks like I do; but I think they all look equally as gorgeous. Pregnancy is meant to be beautiful no matter what you look like or your size or the effort you put in. So enjoy the time and if it makes you feel better to get dolled up everyday then do it but if you feel comfortable as you are then do that too! Don't be guided by other peoples ideals. Everyone is a yummy mummy.

I agree with everyone's thought here but also take a slightly different view on this issue - probably because it helps me sleep at night!!

I see the word "yummy mummy" as a woman who is either pregnant or has a child to whom you can see there is a special bond that no-one else other than a mother can understand. What makes them "yummy" is not their physical appearance but the way they communicate to world their happiness at being or about to be a mother. When I see a mother holding her child and each staring into each others face - I see true beauty!

I was a size 16 pre preg - and 178cm tall. Have so far put on 7 - 8 kg. Am mostly happy with my gain, now that i have accepted it.
I was 90kg before preg, and was trying to get to 85. It has been 7 years since i have weighed more then 95kg. Used to be about 120kg.
I wanted to be one of those preg peoples, skinny all over, and a basketball at the front, but, unfortuntaly, genetics play abit of a role in things.
But, DH, loves me as i am, and i am healthy, and baby is healthy, so, thats what counts.
Having had body issues all my life, maybe just used to looking a pictures of people that i wish i could look like. But, reality is, they are models, skinny as, and air brushed to the max. No one can compete with that. We are all different, and, at the end of the day, as long as you are happy and healthy, then, thats the main thing.

I've resigned myself to the fact that my body will never be the same as it was pre-baby (I'm 3 years older for a start lol) but now I have 2 little boys who think I'm the most beautiful woman on earth. A couple of stretchmarks, a few extra kilos and some extra skin on my tummy are a small price to pay for the kind of love that babies bring into your life.

Expat - just read your comment RE: making that bit of effort.
I do agree with that. Doesnt matter where you are in life, or in the social chain. Doesnt take much more effort to put on matching socks, comb your hair, and have clean top on. (Admittly, bubs may have different ideas on the cleanliness of your top !) but, no matter what my weight is now, or later, it doesnt mean that i cant take pride in my personal appearance. Just might mean that it takes me abit longer, and i might end up doing things differently to now - but, it still can be done.
Ryn - interesting to read the yummy mummy story from your side. The grass is always greener on the other side i guess. I forget that there is the other side, and whilst i am worring about putting on to much weight, someone else is worring about not putting on enough.

Hi I just want to put a word in for the unyummy mummies you see in their trackpants with baby spit on their tops. Perhaps these women are not coping. I for one could not get dressed and out the door before midday, had ZERO family support (newly moved to the town three months before DD was born) and in hindsight had a pretty terrible case of post traumatic stress disorder. I'm fairly sure that having immaculately blow dried hair wasn't a big priority there for about a year of my life. Instead of criticising, how about we all show some compassion. That might be the only sign that woman is displaying that things are terrible and she is slowly drowning at home.

HI I have to agree with you all.

I lost 15kg, gradually over about 2 years. Everyone else thought I was doing it for me, I guess in a way I was but i also wanted to do it to have kids.
I wasn't happy weighing 78kg and being 5ft 2. So far i have gained 1 kg per month and i feel good. I don't really care how much I gain, and i managed to loose it once i can do it again.

i expected coments about gaining weight again after loosing so much, but I didn't get any. Plus who really cares as long as bubs is ok,

saying that at the same time, I like to go out in public reasonably neat and clean, don't give a rats about makeup, but I would always have an outfit that matched. And I think after being stuck with only a bubs to talk to most of the time, I'd be relishing the chance to get all gussied up.

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One of the things I believe doesn't help is pregnant models. I looked nothing like them when pregnant but of course they are all models who are pregnant. They don't look like regular women when not pregnant so of course they aren't going to look like regular women when pregnant.

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So those women in those mags and other women who are that size - are they not "regular" women???

Marydean, thanks for the reminder not to be too judgemental of other mums who are looking less than yummy. It's all too easy for us to criticise, reaching out can be a bit harder.

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So those women in those mags and other women who are that size - are they not "regular" women???

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Nope - nor are we "real". Apparently, "real" women are 5'1 tall and size 12-26. Size 26 and 5'1? That's diet time, not shopping time! That's a pet peeve of mine, especially in shop windows, because no-one caters for the women almost 6' tall and a size 8 (American 4)... well, they do, but who wants to pay £1000 for a dress when "real" women can get a tent - I mean dress - for £20?

This is why I love fashion magazines, it makes me feel like my body is normal. This is why I'm even loving having a bit of a belly now!

Mary, I hear what you're saying about those women looking like crud cos they feel like crud but I honestly think it's a vicious cycle. I feel like crud when I haven't had my hair cut for 6 months and my eyebrows are out of control but it's amazing what a pick me up it is to groom yourself a little and feel good about the way you look. Being a yummy mummy is to me more about looking like you can pull it all together and have some pride in the way you present yourself and less about what clothes size you wear. True, it is easier to present an elegant picture of yourself at a size 8 rather than a 16 but body shape only go so far, grooming can do a lot for you.


I had a friend in highschool who was a typical little Calabrese chickie! Her parents and siblings were all short and 'rounded' yet I never went over there and saw anything less than perfection in their presentation of their house and themselves. They took pride in their presentation and worked the best they could with their genes. I had another friend whose family was the total picture of what Hitler wanted for Germany...tall, arian, athletic and gorgeous, yet they obviously didn't give a squat about their presentation, there were always huge piles of papers everywhere, the garden was a mess, the sofa was more dog hair than uphostery and I don't think I ever saw a clean floor in that place...and I was there a fair bit in my school days!

If you look at potential to look like a picture of perfection, the 2nd family obbiously had a head start, yet their attitude to their presentation was lacking and it showed.

It's the same on an individual level, you can have as much natural beauty as you like and do nothing with it and be nothing special or you can show the world that you respect yourself and like to be the best you can be and it counts for a lot more IMHO.

Marydean, I agree ... one never knows what another's situation is like. And for all we know, we could be looking at someone who appears perfectly groomed and yet isn't coping either!

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Marydean, I agree ... one never knows what another's situation is like. And for all we know, we could be looking at someone who appears perfectly groomed and yet isn't coping either!

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Well said Melbo! I'm sure I fail miserably, but I always try to make an effort not to be critical of others in this regard, you never know what a person is going through.

Hmm, I agree that there is too much pressure to look a certain way when you are pg, but - I don't have a problem with the term "yummy mummy" itself - to me it means that just because I am a mum doesn't mean I am not still a woman, and I can still be attractive. I like to wear nice clothes, and I absolutely hated the clothes I had to wear during pregnancy the first and second times (which were 8 and 6 years ago respectively). The clothes and options are heaps better now, even nappy bags are attractive instead of being boring navy blue.

I went through all this with my first as well :(

I am also not a small person (14) and with my first I had comments from my boss, my mother in law and a wedding photographer. I cried all times.

I was so proud that I only put on 9kg over the whole time and then they had to be rude. My MIL's comment was "look at that bum you are definitely having a boy!" I was completely devestated (I had a girl :P) I was a bridesmaid when I was 7 months and the photographer said something like "don't worry I won't show your belly too much". In the group shot on the beach I was on the end and sort of half cut off.

This time they can all go and kiss my fat a***!!

I'm of the same mind set as Sally I think - I see the term as meaning that mummies and pregnant women can dress just as yummy and be just as (if not more) yummy than other women. I see it as a rebellion against that old 'hide the bump and pretend you're perfect' mindset from our parents era.

I do agree though that celebrities who are suddenly exactly the same body shape as pre-pregnancy within only a week or two present an unrealistic picture. I enjoy seeing pics of celebs who are still nicely rounded months after pregnancy just like many other women. The important thing is that there is a huge variation in what is normal - from people like Ryn to those who put on lots of weight and may never lose it. I don't know what my body will look like in the future, but I'm enjoying having a different body now and would never have had this chance if I wasn't pregnant. "Yummy" is an attitude for me which is about celebrating the wonderful experience and shape of pregnancy and beyond and showing that to the world whatever shape and size I might be.

This is such a good point...there is pressure for women to look a certain way after giving birth which is unrealistic and ridiculous. I think it not only affects the way women feel about themselves but can in some cases influence a mans expectations of their partner.
We are not celebrities with nannies to take care of our kids while we lay in bed starving or slogging our guts out at our personal gym. We dont have personal chefs to make us eat brown rice all day and not the kids leftovers.
The reason we look the way we do after kids is because we eat and relax during pregnancy...the main focus is the health of our child than how we look! Putting yourself before your child is I think the most important thing you can do. If celebrities are not prepared to compromise their bodies they really shouldnt have children!

Saying that, it does of course still hurt when people make unhelful comments. Just the other day when I dropped my son off to school a mum commented that I had lost weight and that if I lost another 10kgs id look REALLY great. It did make me a feel a bit down at first but then I thought well screw her, both my sons were over 8.5lbs, are beautiful, happy and healthy. If her life is that boring that she notices every kg weight loss up or down in people than she really should get out more.

I love my boys more than my body.

Claire x

Me 28 He 25
DS Jack 8
DS Corey 4months
:angel: 11 weeks Dec 05

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