TUM'S THE WORD
New mums adore their post-pregnancy baby bumps and proudly show them off — just like Meghan Markle
Four women explain why they are in no rush to lose their mum tums
WE often see photos of celebrities who have snapped back into shape days after having a baby – but do mums really feel under pressure to lose their tums?
When Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, posed with baby Archie earlier this month, she proudly showed off her bump with a blazer dress belted around the waist, rather than trying to disguise it.
14
Meghan Markle showed off her post-baby bump two days after giving birth to ArchieDespite the idea that women should return to their pre-baby weight quickly, many are sad to say goodbye to their bumps.
Four new mums tell LYNSEY CLARKE and EIMEAR O’HAGAN why they love theirs.
‘I’m so proud of what my body has achieved’
FULL-time mum Laura Lightbody, 37, lives in Telford, Shrops, with her husband Tyrone, 34, a doctor, and their five children – Elijah, six, Nell, five, Zeke, three, Josiah, 20 months and Shiloh who was born just over two weeks ago. Laura says:
14
Shiloh is definitely my final baby, so this will be my last ever bump.
It’s emotional to think, after seven years of being pregnant or recovering from pregnancy, I’ll never see my stomach like this again – but five children is enough for me.
I’m so proud of my body and what it has achieved.
Shiloh was born on May 3, five days before my due date, weighing exactly 8lb. I have fast labours and his was no exception – 18 minutes. I made it to hospital just in time, otherwise he’d have been born in Tesco.
14
I’ve had a bump after each one of my five births, and they’ve usually taken around four months to fully deflate.
I don’t gain much weight during pregnancy, usually just a few extra kilograms, and I stay active looking after my children.
I know I need my bump to help me care for Shiloh, the extra fat is essential for breastfeeding, so I am grateful for it.
At the moment my belly button looks like a boiled egg, which the children find hilarious. I’m back to wearing normal – albeit stretchy – clothes now and I don’t dress to hide the bump.
14
I’m proud of my body.
I was so shocked after my eldest child was born to realise that my stomach hadn’t immediately gone back to normal. I had no idea I’d have a bump for several months.
The more that women such as Meghan normalise postpartum bumps the better.
It will help first-time mums prepare for the reality that your body 7 takes time to recover.
‘Teaching my girl valuable lesson of body confidence’
TARA RUSSELL, 32, lives in Southampton with her fiancé Simon Baker, 46, a police detective inspector. Their daughter, Elodie, was born three weeks ago. Tara, a PR manager, says:
14
I feel a real sense of responsibility to teach Elodie about body confidence. I want her to look back at photos of these first weeks of her life and see me happy, confident and at ease with my body, not hiding it away and looking uncomfortable.
Being proud of my bump is the first lesson I can teach her about accepting your body, irrespective of size or shape.
In the past, celebrities hid away after they’d had a baby, until they were back in their skinny jeans with a washboard stomach.
That’s changing and now there’s no shame in still looking pregnant after you’ve given birth.
14
I spent the last two months of my pregnancy on crutches because I had a very painful pelvic condition.
Then Elodie was delivered by emergency caesarean on April 23, weighing 10lb 12oz, after I was induced because she was almost two weeks overdue.
We both needed antibiotics after the birth because of an infection.
To have come through all that, and now be at home with my beautiful, healthy daughter, I just feel incredibly grateful.
14
What my body looks like at the moment really isn’t important to me.
I’m glad we’re both OK and I can walk without crutches.
It feels amazing to be mobile again.
Before becoming pregnant I did the London Marathon. I’d like to get back to running in the future to stay healthy, but for now my body needs time to recover and 7 Elodie is my priority.
‘I’m happy being curvier and will miss my bump’
NURSERY team leader Stef Keogh, 32, from Worthing, West Sussex, gave birth to Zara three months ago and is happy with her post-partum bump. Stef lives with her painter-decorator partner Dean Nihill, 29, and says:
14
My bump reminds me my body has done something incredible and how lucky I am to be a mum. Until I got pregnant, I was a size eight or ten but when Zara was born, I was three stone heavier.
I carried the extra weight on my tummy, hips and bottom.
It was strange seeing my body grow and stretch but I was the most body-confident I have ever been, happy and relaxed.
I wore tight T-shirts because I didn’t want to hide my bump and I liked the attention that came with being pregnant.
14
When I had Zara, I thought I’d fit straight back into my size eight jeans. But when that didn’t happen, it wasn’t an issue.
None of my pre-baby jeans fit and although it is expensive buying new clothes now I am a size 12, I will be sad when my bump eventually goes.
Sometimes I wear my maternity trousers because they are so comfy.
I’m happy being curvier and my boobs have gone up two cup sizes, so I feel shapely.
14
I wear tight dresses because I feel confident with my new figure.
I do a boxing class once a week and take Zara to baby yoga.
Dean is really supportive and loves me for who I am, not what I look like.
When I watched Meghan introduce baby Archie to the world, I got emotional.
14
It brought back how I felt when Zara was a newborn.
Meghan looked fantastic and I loved how the dress she wore didn’t hide her bump.
She could have worn something to make her look slimmer but showed off her figure instead.
Good on her for not hiding away her post-baby body.
‘Life’s too busy to care about body snapping back’
PROJECT manager Tamara Rodrigo, 37, and her musician fiance Alex Larke, 39, are parents to daughter Athena, three, and earlier this month they added son Theodore to the family. Tamara, from Welwyn Garden City, Herts, says:
14
I’m so pleased I’ve still got a little bit of a bump. After months of growing it, I’m not quite ready to say goodbye.
It’s a reminder of such a special time, nurturing Theodore inside me.
Before I had my first baby, I was naive. I had no idea I’d still have a bump after giving birth.
I assumed my stomach would return to normal immediately.
14
It was a big shock when I realised that’s not what happens.
There’s this limbo time between pregnancy and having a post-pregnancy body when the bump is still very much there.
I was more prepared second time around and made sure I had comfortable clothes in my hospital bag to come home in.
At the moment, I’d describe my stomach as a jelly belly.
14
It’s very squishy, which feels odd after it was so stretched and taut towards the end of my pregnancy.
I have some stretch marks but I’m proud of them.
They are symbolic of what my body has done.
I’m breastfeeding, which is helping my bump go down, but have no plans to diet or exercise to speed up the process.
MOST READ IN FABULOUS
I’m far too busy getting to grips with life as a mum of two and getting to know Theodore to care.
When I saw Meghan posing with Archie and Harry, her bump proudly displayed, I thought: “You go, girl!” She went a step further than Kate, who always opted for looser dresses, and chose a style that really showed off her bump.
It’s a positive trend to see famous women being honest about the fact a body doesn’t immediately “snap back” after giving birth. Good for her for being so realistic.
Stacey Solomon says she won't look like Meghan Markle after giving birth and that she is jealous of Prince Harry's newborn
- GOT a story? RING The Sun on 0207 782 4104 or WHATSAPP on 07423720250 or EMAIL [email protected]
Topics