A mum who piled on six stone while pregnant revealed how she lost her "mum tum" in just 13 weeks - after giving birth to an 11lb baby.
Emma Scott, 28, piled on the pounds while pregnant with her second child, now four months old - which she put down to "comfort eating and barely exercising".
Emma felt her body confidence plummet as strangers pointed out "how big" she was - even asking if she was expecting twins.
After giving birth for the second time in January 2023, Emma was determined to get her confidence back.
She took up yoga, walked a total of 43 miles a week and swapped takeaway pizza for porridge.
In just 13 weeks, she went from 16st and a size 16 to 11st 7lbs and a size eight - after losing four stone and seven lbs.
Mum-of-two Emma now feels “better than ever” - and says she “wears her stretch marks like a badge of honour” to show new mums it’s “normal for your body to change” during pregnancy.
Emma, a yoga teacher, from Carlisle, Cumbria, said: “My postpartum body felt alien to me - but it’s important not to hide or feel embarrassed by it.
"I feel like I’ve overcome so much, and I feel better than ever.
“Mums just can’t talk about the healing process after giving birth.
"We go through so much - our periods stop, we’re sore and breastfeeding, we’re even recovering from things like ab separation.
“Losing weight was important to me, but I also knew I had to get active to keep my body safe and strong.
"It was so hard for me, mentally, to look in a mirror.
"My body didn’t feel like my own.
"Now I feel like I’ve finally got my confidence back.”
Emma had her first child - a daughter - in May 2020. Her tot weighed 9lbs 7oz at birth, and it took Emma 10 months to lose her baby weight.
She gave birth to her son in January 2023 - and he weighed almost 12lbs.
“He’s a big baby, and people used to ask all the time whether I was pregnant with twins,” she said.
“It did affect me, and I’d love for people to know they can’t just say whatever they like to pregnant women.
“As a new mum, I was shocked at how much my body changed.
"I struggled to adapt to my postpartum body - your belly doesn’t just snap back straight away, and I had a lot of loose skin.”
This was amplified by the changes to her tattoo of an ornamental elephant on her stomach.
In the 13 weeks since giving birth, Emma made the decision to get her strength back and try and slim down.
“I wanted to be able to pick my baby up and not feel like I was straining,” she said.
“It’s hard work picking up an 11lb baby lots of times in a day."
Thanks to the support of her husband, yoga teacher Martin, 44, Emma found time during the day to exercise, make meals for herself and get back into yoga.
She said: “People say all the time that new mums miss out on hot meals - and I’ve got two children under two.
Emma Scott, 28, piled on the pounds while pregnant with her second child, now four months old - which she put down to "comfort eating and barely exercising".
Emma felt her body confidence plummet as strangers pointed out "how big" she was - even asking if she was expecting twins.
After giving birth for the second time in January 2023, Emma was determined to get her confidence back.
She took up yoga, walked a total of 43 miles a week and swapped takeaway pizza for porridge.
In just 13 weeks, she went from 16st and a size 16 to 11st 7lbs and a size eight - after losing four stone and seven lbs.
Mum-of-two Emma now feels “better than ever” - and says she “wears her stretch marks like a badge of honour” to show new mums it’s “normal for your body to change” during pregnancy.
Emma, a yoga teacher, from Carlisle, Cumbria, said: “My postpartum body felt alien to me - but it’s important not to hide or feel embarrassed by it.
"I feel like I’ve overcome so much, and I feel better than ever.
“Mums just can’t talk about the healing process after giving birth.
"We go through so much - our periods stop, we’re sore and breastfeeding, we’re even recovering from things like ab separation.
“Losing weight was important to me, but I also knew I had to get active to keep my body safe and strong.
"It was so hard for me, mentally, to look in a mirror.
"My body didn’t feel like my own.
"Now I feel like I’ve finally got my confidence back.”
Emma had her first child - a daughter - in May 2020. Her tot weighed 9lbs 7oz at birth, and it took Emma 10 months to lose her baby weight.
She gave birth to her son in January 2023 - and he weighed almost 12lbs.
“He’s a big baby, and people used to ask all the time whether I was pregnant with twins,” she said.
“It did affect me, and I’d love for people to know they can’t just say whatever they like to pregnant women.
“As a new mum, I was shocked at how much my body changed.
"I struggled to adapt to my postpartum body - your belly doesn’t just snap back straight away, and I had a lot of loose skin.”
This was amplified by the changes to her tattoo of an ornamental elephant on her stomach.
In the 13 weeks since giving birth, Emma made the decision to get her strength back and try and slim down.
“I wanted to be able to pick my baby up and not feel like I was straining,” she said.
“It’s hard work picking up an 11lb baby lots of times in a day."
Thanks to the support of her husband, yoga teacher Martin, 44, Emma found time during the day to exercise, make meals for herself and get back into yoga.
She said: “People say all the time that new mums miss out on hot meals - and I’ve got two children under two.
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