W
oman has baby”. That’s
how satirical news
magazine
Private Eye
announced the birth of the
British royal family baby, Prince George.
The birth of the little prince caused a far-
reaching media frenzy – I was delighted
to receive an email frommy landlord
while I was in the UK, asking me to wish
new parents, the Duke and Duchess
of Cambridge, well if I met them at
Buckingham palace.
The best offering from the media
came courtesy of Sky News’ Anna
Botting, who asked when the Duchess of
Cambridge emerged with her newborn
baby: “Why does she still have a bump?”
To which the whole of Twitter chorused,
“Because she had a baby yesterday!”
Equally helpful was
OK! Magazine
’s
offering of a “post-baby weight loss
regime” for Kate.
The
OK!
article, which at first glance
looks like a spoof, shows just how extreme
the media’s obsession with female
perfection has gone. Jo Swinson, the UK
minister for women and equalities said:
“Publications like
OK! Magazine
need to
get some perspective. Fitting back into
pre-pregnancy jeans is not the priority
after childbirth.” Well said, Ms Swinson!
Back to normal?
Tanja Held, pre- and postnatal
nutritionist with Wellness and Birth
(
, says,
“After giving birth, a woman’s body
stores some fat to make sure that there
will be enough energy to produce
milk. While breastfeeding, adding an
additional 635kcal to your normal daily
diet is recommended. When I was
breastfeeding, I craved red meat (an
iron-rich food) so I got my calories that
way.” She adds, “The sleepless nights,
breastfeeding, socialising with other new
mums, while recovering from giving birth
and managing one’s household, requires
Don’t worry about losing pregnancy weight quickly;
instead, enjoy being a mum,
writes Vicky Hill.
loads of energy, and some women lose
weight without trying.”
“Grandmothers, aunties and friends
will have lots of advice and there will be
competition from other mums, but avoid
all the stress – it takes up unnecessary
energy and will limit breast milk
production. Just enjoy getting to know
your baby,” Tanja says. And know that it’s
normal for it to take nine months to get
back to your pre-pregnancy weight.
Discovery Bay-based pre- and
postnatal yoga teacher Hanny
Stadelmann agrees: “After giving birth,
don’t worry about working out straight
away. Clients are always telling me they
want their body back. I reassure them
that there is no rush to do that, and the
first thing to get right is the pelvic floor.
So many women suffer with bladder
weakness or incontinence and no one
talks about it.”
Hanny says, "After a mum’s pelvic
floor is back to normal, then we can
start working on the core – the area of
the body that women feel most self-
conscious about.” Before that, you can
rejoice that sit-ups are actually a no-no,
as they put pressure on the pelvic floor.
Try these yoga exercises to get your
pelvic floor back in ship shape.
• Squeeze and pull upwards the muscles
you use when going to the toilet. With
muscles engaged, stand up straight
and put your hands on your hips. Lift
and lower one leg to the side, keeping
the hips level. Repeat, and change
sides.
• Lay on your back with the soles of your
feet on the floor, your knees bent and
your arms beside your body, palms
down. Squeeze and pull up the pelvic
floor muscles, roll your hips up, then
lower down slowly. Repeat.
post pregnancy
priorities
‘‘
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