I make no secret of the fact that I’m still trying to lose the weight I gained when I had the baby. Never mind the baby is almost 19, I’m still trying to lose it. Do you think that shows a lack of commitment?
So can you imagine my non-comprehension face when confronted with The Truth About Superskinny Pregnancies on TV last night. It’s a British show and was hosted by TV personality Louise Redknapp who was also pregnant at the time. Louise and her team (rightly or wrongly) pinned the blame on women’s magazines and their celebrity features on stars who got their pre-baby bodies back in two weeks.
Gosh, that makes my 19 year effort look pretty pathetic.
Anyway there was a bit on Mommy Makeovers which was sort of like a car crash for me. I wanted to look away, but I just kept on watching as a young mother (five month old baby) underwent a makeover that included a tummy tuck, boob job and liposuction. Honest to god if I ever look at porkbelly in the same way after seeing her stomach cut away it will be nothing short of a miracle.
Things must have changed since I had my baby. The most extreme thing that I did was join Jenny Craig and then I got into massive trouble from the baby healthcare nurse who said the baby wasn’t getting enough energy from my breast milk and was losing weight and I had to stop IMMEDIATELY or I would be forever labelled a bad mother (last bit implied, not actually stated). Imagine what she would have said to me had I started overhauling my boobs.
Apparently the pressure to be a “yummy mummy” has led to a host of pregorexia sites where women gather for online support as they starve themselves and ultimately their baby in the quest to retain their figures. Sort of makes all those pre-pregnancy vitamins a bit redundant doesn’t it.
But there was something lovely that came out of the whole sorry mess and that was the publication of the Shape of a Woman website. The site was set up so women could show off and discuss their post-pregnancy bodies with like-minded women. No two-week miracle makeovers here.
Actually I think a really good start for all of us to take this ridiculous pressure off new mums might be for us all, here and now, to stop using that stupid term Yummy Mummy. You are a mother, not a piece of cake.
That all said, I think I might get to work on being a MILF (Mother I’d Like to Fuck). So much more dignified.
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