A minister today said women should focus on the joys of parenthood after birth instead of thinking about how to get their slim figure back.
Jenny Willott said women who worried about losing weight after pregnancy risked damaging their own bodies and setting a bad example to their children. She made her comments as a new report suggested mothers who were preoccupied with weight passed negative attitudes on body image to their children.
The Liberal Democrat minister for women and equalities said there was “relentless pressure” on women to be thin all the time.
She went on: “It’s sad that women feel pressured to lose weight so quickly after pregnancy, and it isn’t healthy. That’s why midwives and health visitors are vital players here. Pregnancy and the early months after having a baby should be a time when a woman’s focus is on her health and wellbeing, and that of her child, not losing weight.”
Today’s report, Two For The Price Of One, by Susie Orbach and Holli Rubin, explores the health and psychological impact body image can have on pregnant women and new mothers.
