Taking Control

Pic courtesy of "Bridget Jones Diary" the movie

As most of you will know I gave birth 5 weeks ago by caesarean. I thought the road to recovery would be long and painful but by the end of the first week I felt confident doing most of the things I did pre-pregnancy apart from not being able to lift heavy objects and drive. I believe that what helped my confidence and aided my recovery was... Wait for it... My control pants!

I'll explain… I was advised to get a pair whether I had a natural birth or c section by a few friends who had been given the advice from their midwives, and after I had the baby the physiotherapist that visits and shows you certain exercises also told me to get a pair - and it really was the best thing I did.

Not only do they hold your tummy in and make you feel like you've got a more flattering figure but they help hold in the ‘sag’ you get after giving birth – especially after having a c section they seem to hold everything in place and stop your tummy from pulling making it less painful, they also help with the swelling and mean that you don’t have pants that sit on your scar line or pinch half way up your tummy.

I invested in a few pairs so I could wear them during the day every day. You don’t have to spend a fortune, I found pairs in Matalan for £6 which I think is very reasonable and they were the ones that come up to just under your boobs. They are also handy, as they come up so high, for hiding your tummy when you’re breast feeding so you can lift up your jumper and not expose any flesh.

Confidence in your figure after pregnancy is such a big thing as you haven’t worn your everyday wardrobe for 9 months and if you’re anything like me, you’ll be itching to get into your pre pregnancy clothing, it made me feel great when I went out 8 days after giving birth and a few people commented on how great I looked and that my tummy was hardly there, the control pants were helping hold everything in and create a more flattering, flatter stomach - just hearing someone complimenting you boosts your confidence. The pants have also meant I can get into clothes that I would otherwise be self conscious in so I have got back to normality quicker than I would have imagined.

I just wanted make other new mums out there aware of the benefits of control pants as not all midwives tell you about them and such a small thing made me feel so much better in a lot of ways – and if they’re good enough for Bridget Jones, they’re good enough for us yummy mummy’s!!

Emily x

My Mummy Tummy

Before I had a mummy tummy I would wear low waist trousers and fitting tops.
I wasn't into "show your tummy tops" but more into "when I stretch you can get a peek tops" and I had a pretty flat and fit tummy, pretty darn sexy if I may say so! Lol

After much waiting and planning I got pregnant and had my son just before my 22nd birthday, and then again with my daughter just before my 25th birthday.

After having my son my tummy resembled a very bloated prune, it still looked like I was pregnant after a year and then after 2 the "pregnant" look started to go away a bit, the fact that I had also come more to terms with it and had learnt how to dress in a way to better accommodate my new tummy.

Shortly after my new found little confidence came back I got pregnant again, it was planned but as it took approximately a year of trying with my son, I wasn't expecting to get pregnant straight away the 2nd time around!

So I thought... there goes my figure again! But I was delighted to be pregnant again!

After my daughter was born, my tummy seemed like it knew more what it was doing the 2nd time around... when I was breastfeeding I got much more sharper pains than I did with my son and I could literally feel my tummy contracting!

When I complained to my mum about my stretch marked prune tummy she reminded me how I always use to tell her how proud I was of her tummy because those stretch marks was a mark I left there, whenever she complained about hers!!

And how true that is, but I had in my mind that I could have a tummy tuck and my tummy would be perfect... probably brought on by celebrities and adverts!

Well that was until I watched "The Ugly Face of Beauty" a program on tv (on channel 4 I think) and it opened my eyes to reality... a lot of things can go wrong and you could end up looking worse that you did, you could get an infection and end up looking disfigured or worse dead if it's not dealt with straight away, NHS won't touch you or help you after plastic surgery if something goes wrong unless it's life threatening, and even if everything goes fine and dandy you still end up with a pretty nasty scar going from one end of your tummy to the other!!

WHAT???!!! A gigantic big scar and I will still have most of what I have now??? You must be joking!!

The stretch marks I have there are a sign of the love I have for my children, how I made them and carried them inside my body, to me that is till amazing, the fact that I made them inside my body, I remember telling my husband that it felt amazing and super natural, at times I felt like I was in a surreal episode of Alien the movie, feeling the baby move inside me!!! Lol

It was amazing and I am proud to be a mother to my beautiful children, my kids love my tummy and how soft it is, I sometimes close my eyes and feel how soft my skin is there and remember why it is there... it makes me feel good about it.

Now 16 months down the line, I am back to my normal size but with my prune mummy tummy, with the added bonus of a funny looking belly button because of how I had a belly button piercing before I was a mum!

When I got an email from Melissa telling me about how that Justina Perry from MamaBabyBliss was fed up of the body image anxiety mothers have (a 31% increase in mummy tummy tucks) and she was on a mission to change it, I jumped on board.

They have created a gallery of mummy tummies. We have taken pictures of our bellies and put them on the internet for the world to see. And we want more mums to do the same. We want to get as many mums as possible to say: 'Sod it, look at what my amazing body has achieved. It may not look perfect, but it has done a miraculous job. And it's time it got recognised for that.'

So are brave enough to join in? Head on over to here and take a look at the bellies already there. Send in your pic and help spread the word.

I have sent in my pic and I am owning up to my prune looking belly because I am proud of it. I am a mum :) and there is no more rewarding job than that and my prune belly is my "certificate"!

My belly is the one that looks like a white prune, not the tanned prune that made me feel so good that I had a Prune Mummy Tummy sister :D, but the pale one with a red stripy top and a cloudy background!

So come on and join in.... let someone else know that they are not alone and its perfectly normal!!!

Lots of fellow mummy love,
Monica xx