New mums want celebrity figures

Famous mums like Liz Hurley send out the wrong message

New mums feel pressured to regain their figures quickly and celebrity mums are to blame, a survey suggests.

Nearly half of 500 pregnant women and new mums said their main concern after giving birth was to lose the weight they had gained during pregnancy.

More than 80% blamed famous mums who make it look easy to shed the weight for being bad role models, Norwich Union Healthcare found.

Many said they felt under social pressure to lose weight.

Weight gain appeared to worry many of the women.

Waistline worries

Although 22% of new mums said the best thing about being pregnant was being able to eat what they liked, 13% said the worst thing was feeling fat.

A fifth feared they would never regain their pre-birth shape and nearly half made getting their figure back a priority.

"Super-fit" celebrity mums like Liz Hurley and Victoria Beckham who regain their figures within weeks were blamed for sending out the wrong message to women.

"Big Mutha" Davina McCall was voted the most admired celebrity.

It takes nine months for the body to prepare itself to give birth so it's ludicrous that we expect women's bodies to spring back into shape so soon afterwards Belinda Phipps, Chief Executive at the National Childbirth Trust

Dr Yehudi Gordon, a consultant obstetrician who runs the Birth Unit in North London and has cared for pregnant celebrities such as Jerry Hall and Elle McPherson, said: "There are a lot of pressures on women having a baby.

"These pressures are highlighted by the media.

"Celebrity mums have a vested interest in getting back to shape because their public image is all important.

"But what new mothers must realise is that these celebrities have taken time off to spend each day actively pursuing the result they want with the help of a team of experts from nannies to personal trainers and dieticians.

"Most real women on the other hand can't afford to take out such time or the luxury of a team of helpers," he said.

Bad role models

Belinda Phipps, Chief Executive at the National Childbirth Trust said: "Celebrity mums such as Elizabeth Hurley, who are seen to be shedding pounds immediately after birth put undue pressure on new mums to lose weight quickly.

"It takes nine months for the body to prepare itself to give birth so it's ludicrous that we expect women's bodies to spring back into shape so soon afterwards.

"Our society is also to blame for the pressure women face - we need to learn from other countries where it is accepted that women can enjoy periods of up to 40 days to rest and recuperate from the birth," she said.

Women also appeared to follow other celebrity mum trends.

Half said a woman should have the right to have an elective Caesarean section - scheduled Caesareans carried out for non-medical reasons.

Pain prevention and fitting the birth into a busy schedule were the main reasons cited by the women for this, but 12% said it was because they thought it would help with quicker weight loss after the birth.