A Healthy Perspective - Our Bodies after Babies

In an age where glamour and motherhood goes hand in hand, ordinary women are joining the clamour of celebrity mums dieting and exercising to within an inch of their lives to squeeze into stylish clothes.
Let me say right now, I have no issue with naturally-slim women lucky enough to find their bodies snap back into shape after birth, nor with determined mums who exercise and diet safely, without compromising the health of themselves or their babies. It’s so-called yummy mummies like Liz Hurley - who lost her baby weight on a regime of brown rice, lentils and exercise at an expensive Thai health retreat - that put unrealistic pressure on mere mortal mums to look fabulous too.

I know that at a time when our bodies have helped bring another human being into the world, and we are coming to grips with the most-important job we will ever have, our looks shouldn’t matter. And besides, there are more important concerns to think about - like caring for our babies and bonding as a family. But show me a new mum, and I’ll show you a woman who doesn’t need to be confronted with pictures of picture-perfect celebrities who have personal chefs, personal trainers, hairdressers, make-up artists, and pots of money to spend on looking fabulous - and what’s more, the childcare and the time to do it.

It’s not just celebrity mums who put pressure on new mums. In some circles, pregnant women seem to compete to see who can put on the least amount of weight, and take it off quickly afterwards.

“It’s almost as if women who lose the weight quickly are good, and women who can’t are bad,” explains body image expert Rachel Oakes-Ash, author of “Good Girls Do Swallow”, book about body hatred and eating disorders, and “Anything She Can Do I Can Do Better”, about female competition (both published by Random House).

“There is so much pressure on women to look good, and more than ever in pregnancy and childbirth. People act like you’re a bad mother if you put on too much weight, if you can’t breastfeed, if you have a caesarian, if you have drugs. Nowhere is the competition worse than in mothers’ groups, where many women look for a flaw in other women, so they can feel better about themselves. Celebrities are judged on their looks more than anyone, so it’s no wonder that mums like Elle Macpherson are depressed - I’m surprised that all new mothers aren’t depressed!”

She says the glamour mum phenomenon has resulted in a new breed of women with eating disorders.

“A lot of women are more concerned about what the baby is going to do to their body than on the impact of having a new little person in their life,” she says. “There’s a drive to obtain an unattainable goal - to be skinny and perfect - at a time when we’re more vulnerable than ever.”

The Australian Medical Association’s spokesman on eating behaviour and weight management, Dr Rick Kausman, says many mums are indulging in risky behaviour. The author of “If Not Dieting Then What?” (Allen and Unwin, $RRP 24.95) says: “There’s a lot of emphasis on the way women look after childbirth, but we don’t hear about the stress and anxiety they go through, and what happens afterwards,” he says.

“There is nothing wrong with wanting to be the best weight you can possibly be, but you need to do it in a healthy way. Not only do fad diets not work in the long term, but they can be very risky and have long-term health consequences. It’s important to listen to your body and give it what it needs, because if you don’t, you will feel sick, unwell, and often end up over-eating.”

He says breastfeeding mothers need to be particularly careful to eat a healthy diet. “Mothers have to remember that they are providing the nourishment for their baby, and their bodies will look after the babies first. So it’s the mums who suffer later on.”
Hopefully, celebrity mums like Kate Hudson - who bucked the trend by allowing herself to be photographed with a tiny post-baby belly (gasp!) - will help turn the tide.

There’s no doubt that I don’t like my ‘Mumsie’ body as much as my old one, and I may never look as svelte as Sarah, Liz and co. But I only have to look at my gorgeous children to realize that every kilo was gained in the production of two wonderful kids. And because of that, I’ve never loved my body as much as I do now - stretchmarks and all.

Now will someone please pass the chocolate?