- New advice issued to help new mothers deal with body image pressuresÂ
- Warns midwives not to call biscuits ‘naughty’ to prevent focus on weightÂ
- Suggests putting up photos of women of ‘different shapes and sizes’Â
10:41 EST, 3 June 2014
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10:41 EST, 3 June 2014
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Pressure on new mums to lose weight after giving birth risks making them – and their babies – paranoid about their body image, the government has warned.
Midwives are told not to call biscuits ‘naughty’ and to put up pictures in hospitals of women of ‘different shapes and sizes’.
Women who have recently given birth are also urged not to rush to ‘get back into my skinny jeans’, and focus on their wellbeing, not their weight.
Midwives are told not to call biscuits ‘naughty’ and to put up pictures in hospitals of women of ‘different shapes and sizes’
THE NEW ADVICE TO MIDWIVESÂ
PUT UP PICTURES OF LARGER WOMEN
Try to ensure that your workplace has images of happy, healthy-looking women who are different sizes and shapesÂ
DON’T CALL BISCUITS NAUGHTY
Be careful about language that unwittingly stigmatises fat people or talks about food or bodies as having intrinsic moral worth (for example, a chocolate biscuit is not a ‘naughty’ food – though it is a processed sugary food that is best eaten in moderation within a balanced diet).
DISCUSS PREGNANT WOMEN IN SOAPSÂ
Is there a character in a soap opera that is pregnant/has recently had a baby? What does she look like? Has there been any mention of her body shape/size? This is a really good starting point for a conversation.
A new report from the Government Equalities Office calls on NHS staff to do more to support women’s body image during pregnancy and the months after childbirth.
The report, written by psychotherapists Susie Orbach and Holli Rubin, emphasises the importance of early attachment between mothers and their babies.
It added: ‘Mothers who are preoccupied with eating and body image problems can inadvertently behave in ways that shape bonding and attachment patterns in damaging ways.’
It said that midwives and health visitors should routinely talk with mothers about such issues.
The report criticises the media for lauding celebrity mums who ‘achieve a state of emaciation’ six weeks after birth.
‘There is a cultural insinuation that a mother’s job is to present herself physically as though nothing as momentously life-changing or body-changing as having a baby has occurred,’ the authors wrote.
Miss Ruben said: ‘New mothers shouldn’t feel pressured to think, “How do I fit back into my skinny jeansâ€.
‘Health visitors and midwives are in a prime position to help with this, and should be supported to do so.’
The report suggests midwives must be ‘careful’ about the language that they use, including not calling biscuits ‘naughty’ at a time when women do not need to focus on their weight.
It also proposes putting up pictures of women of different shapes and sizes in the workplace giving examples including a statue of a pregnant woman and US actress Mo’Nique.
The Royal College of Midwives warns that the pressure put on new mothers to lose weight after their birth of their babies can result in them feeling ‘failure and shame’.
Women’s minister Jenny Willott said that the pressure to lose weight ‘isn’t healthy’ for new mothers.
‘There is a relentless pressure on all women, celebrities or not, to be thin all the time and research shows mothers who are preoccupied with body image problems are not only damaging their bodies but these negative attitudes can be passed onto their children.
‘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 women’s focus is on her health and wellbeing, and that of her child, not losing weight.’
Women’s minister Jenny Willott said new mothers should focus on their wellbeing and not their weight, as midwives were told to put up photos of women of different shapes and sizes, including award-winning actress Mo’Nique
The new approach has been backed by the Royal College of Midwives, the National Childbirth Trust and the Community Practitioners and Health Visitors Association.
Cathy Warwick, chief executive of Royal College of Midwives (RCM), said: ‘New mothers often feel under great pressure, and this can surface in feelings that their bodies are a source of failure or shame.
‘Midwives are there to help, and will want to reflect on the implications of this report for their own clinical practice. The RCM is committed to helping that process and has offered its help to the Government Equalities Office to help raise awareness and understanding within the midwifery profession.’
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pixie,
bristol, United Kingdom,
5 minutes ago
im one of those people who can eat what i want and never put on weight. i was back in my size 8s after 3 days!
Rainy,
Amsterdam,
11 minutes ago
Third article with the same comment from me RUBBISH
hh86,
Leeds, United Kingdom,
15 minutes ago
Oh yes because overweight is REALLY healthy, not to mention attractive…ridiculous article, fat is not happy!!!
greenparrot,
Duesseldorf, Germany,
19 minutes ago
I cannot see too many women rushing back to skinny jeans because it is just too uncomfortable.
wee.jap85,
Glasgow,
25 minutes ago
I gave birth just under 6 weeks ago and really look forward to getting back into my jeans as 1. I can’t afford a new wardrobe and 2. I sick of struggling to find something to where each day!! Some light exercise and walking seems to do the trick…Does this mean I’m damaging my child?!!
Francisca,
Cardiff, United Kingdom,
28 minutes ago
I hate hearing Jamie Oliver talking about guilty free food! What on earth is that? Why would we eat with guilt? Do your research, don’t believe the crap you are told (he has to spread it because he is paid for that, so don’t listen to him either) and then source your food as natural as you possibly can although in order to do that you need money, unfortunately! I only eat home made cookies and even that rarely, not because they tell me not to but because there are other things I prefer like the fat of healthy meat! I don’t let them tell me what to eat…. I eat bloody tasty food, that is what I eat and I have never been over weight in my life, or in bad health!
oneri,
Southampton, United Kingdom,
30 minutes ago
Is staying fat as in pregnancy is healthy? Beeing stupid is very dangerous. Eating unhealthy food too. Just take care of your diet. Dont eat something with long list of strange ingriedients.Eat v3getables instead of chips. And take your child for loong (i mean 6 miles not to nearby shop) walkies. It is working.
Brinneh,
Maidenhead, United Kingdom,
15 minutes ago
Take all articles with pinch of salt,
South east, Ireland,
44 minutes ago
Yet if ure seen leaving the hospital with ure newborn DM and the likes will comment ‘still carrying baby weight’.
Uncle Bulgaria,
Varna, Bulgaria,
45 minutes ago
women should wear frocks. trousers are forr men.
Clearview,
Chester, United Kingdom,
21 minutes ago
ajoke,
Universe, United Kingdom,
1 hour ago
Just how infantile is the WORLD?
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