Enough already with post-baby bodies!

Last updated: 24/08/2015 14:59 by JillianGlancy to JillianGlancy's Blog
Filed under: MummyBloggers
Ok, I’ve said it. I’ve had enough with the selfies and belfies (that’s a breastfeeding selfie to us mere mortals) and since when did everyone become obsessed with taking photos of their post-baby bodies? It is now officially a ‘thing.’ Even on Instagram, there are over 100,000 images with the hashtag #postbaby showing mums in various stages of undress with enviably flat tummies. So what on earth is happening?
 
Years ago, back in our mothers’ time, life was simpler. Maybe people didn’t have as much, but they were none the wiser and ignorance truly was bliss. Women mostly stayed at home, raised their children, and were happy with their lot. Maybe when the kids were older and school going, they got a part time job.
 
Fast forward thirty years and mums today are unrecognisable from the mums of yesteryear. Whether women work outside the home or not, they are expected to have it all; an expression I have come to loathe. Not only must your house look immaculate, you should be available to ferry your little darlings around like a taxi driver, feed them only organic food, still make time for your other half, do yoga or pilates three times a week (yes, Gisele and Hilara Baldwin thank you!), keep your roots done (remember poor Kate Middleton when she dared to step outside with grey roots showing?) and of course, ping back into your pre-baby figure in about four weeks.
 
Oh and you mustn’t forget to share your smug post-baby fitness photos on Instagram.
 
Am I the only one who finds all of this utterly ridiculous? When I had just given birth, I remember staring at my wrinkly, crepe paper tummy with horror. (Why does nobody tell you about having a crepe paper tummy?!) Luckily, the crepe paper tummy went away, but it took quite a long time and I certainly didn’t ‘ping’ back into shape quickly.
 
Shortly after giving birth, I saw an ex-colleague in a shopping centre, only to be asked when my baby was due! I was not feeling so fabulous.  I had a screaming baby with colic, so there wasn’t much time for selfies, belfies and photos of my #postbabybody online.  It was the last thing on my mind.
 
I really do think there is such a thing as oversharing. When I see images of these svelte, perfectly toned mums in their fabulous workout gear, it makes me feel inadequate and not ‘enough’. Where in God’s name do they find the time?
 
When we are teenage girls, we become so aware of how we look, what the media thinks the perfect body looks like and what men think the perfect body looks like. When you become a mum, surely you shouldn’t be worried about having to look perfect anymore. Quite frankly, you’re exhausted enough without having to worry about having a washboard stomach. It’s hardly a priority, is it?
 
As anyone who has had a baby knows, your tummy muscles really will never be the same again after childbirth, no matter how many sit ups you do. Shouldn’t that be ok? Shouldn’t we be proud of our marks and battle scars after nine months of our bodies changing? Our bodies should be celebrated, not because they are perfect, but because they are real and they tell a story. 
 
Perfection is seriously overrated anyway.
 
Jillian Glancy is a freelance journalist and expert tea drinker. When she's not playing Princesses with her four-year-old, she can be found running around like a headless chicken, trying to figure out how to do it all and realising it's not quite possible.
 
Image via Pinterest
 
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