Welcome to the new rules of losing baby weight. Biscuits are good.

Would these new rules at the hospital have made you feel better about your body after having your baby?

Do you remember thinking about your body immediately after having your baby? You try not to, you’ve heard a million times that it takes nine months to put it on so it’s going to take nine months to take it off but it just feels so uncomfortable. And we all know someone who lost it quickly, or saw a celebrity who had.

Well it turns out that pressure to lose our baby weight too quickly is unhealthy for both mum and baby. And the anxiety surrounding it is leading to eating disorders and anxious mothers. This affects our beautiful little babies who, in those first few weeks and months, really should be getting our undivided attention.

Now a new campaign has enlisted midwives to help encourage new mums to lose baby weight more slowly, following the release of a report showing that fast weight loss post-birth can be harmful to both mother and baby. Celebrity mums are once again copping most of the blame, so the report, commissioned by the UK Government, recommends midwives following three steps during post-birth checkups:

1. Never refer to foods such as biscuits as being ‘bad’;

2. Hang up pictures of mums with a range of body shapes and types in meeting areas for mums;

3. Use popular TV shows featuring pregnant women and new mums to start conversations about body image.

I’m not sure how effective these measures will be. We all know biscuits are okay in small doses but the stress of being a new mum coupled with sleeplessness can sometimes only be relieved by that sixth biscuit. We all know that new mums come in all shapes and sizes but we secretly want to be one of the thinner ones. And since when are fake characters on TV shows a good way to talk about body image pressures?

Women and Equalities minister in the UK, Jenny Willott, said the report highlights the message that women should focus more on the joys of being a mother and not on losing weight quickly like their favourite celebrities seem to do.

She said, "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."

Now that is really good advice. Whenever you do feel a bit uncomfortable with your body or you have a moment to stare longingly at all the clothes you can't fit into yet, turn your attention to your beautiful new baby. Enjoy that time and worry about your weight later, or less. Just take it easy on yourself and easy on your body.

Victoria Beckham has once again been singled out for pressuring new mums to lose weight quickly by getting back to a size 6 just weeks after the arrival of her fourth child, a daughter named Harper, in 2011. Other celebrities in the firing line include Miranda Kerr, Nicole Ritchie and Halle Berry. But seriously, it's not their fault. Being a certain weight is their livelihood. They often have jobs they have to slim down for and enlist all sorts of hired help to get there. Imagine the pressure they are under?

Instead of envying them, feel sorry for them. They are being deprived of their baby bubble. How lucky are we to be able to get completely lost in ours, with absolutely no pressure to lose the baby weight except the pressure we put on ourselves?

You'll never get those first few weeks back so do whatever you need to do to get through it in the happiest and most relaxed state possible. Allow your body and your mind plenty of time to recover and adjust to motherhood and feel happy with the knowledge that you can make healthy changes when you're ready.

Did you feel pressure to lose your baby weight quickly?

Celebrity mums are being blamed for pressuring new mums to lose weight quickly. Do these images make you feel like losing weight?

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