Soap star Jennifer Metcalfe gave birth to her first child Daye, recently and while she’s overjoyed to become a mum, she admits her pregnancy was quite difficult.
New mum Jennifer told The Mail Online that she’d “suffered from every symptom there is”, from constipation to nausea.
The Hollyoaks actress explained that she was plagued by nausea and other unpleasant symptoms throughout her pregnancy.
“I just felt pants every day. I just felt like I had a nine-month hangover without the fun in-between obviously. Every day I just felt a bit sick.
“Basically, I had a bit of every pregnancy symptom you can get. I had a bit of constipation, I was beyond tired, the nausea was the worst because that started after six weeks and went right through until the end. I'm glad it's over”, she admitted.
Despite her body changing during pregnancy and postpartum, Jennifer said she feels more confident than ever.
“I do care about my health and I don't want to be severely overweight or underweight but I think as long as it's functioning properly and I'm at a nice healthy weight then I don't really care if I look absolutely perfect in a bikini,” she explained.
“For the last few years I've felt very confident in my own skin and since having the baby and I suppose seeing what the woman's body can do I've got a new-found respect for it.
“I just think how it adapts so it can accommodate is absolutely incredible, and what you end up with and what it looks like is such a small part of it. I think it's just amazing what it can do”.
Jennifer admitted that she has little time to go to the gym now that she has a three-month-old to take care of.
“He needs to be number one so you can't just go home after a gym session or if you're feeling a bit rubbish just go on the couch.
"The show must go on when you have a baby, so no time for that”, the devoted mum explained.
Jen will return to her role as Mercedes McQueen in Hollyoaks next year but said work isn’t a priority for her at the moment.
"I haven't thought about it at all, I haven't thought about much else other than Daye. It's hard work being a mother so he's just had my full attention and I haven't had time to think of much else,” she said.
