HELP! I’VE GOT A MUMMY TUMMY!

HELP! I’VE GOT A MUMMY TUMMY!

Having my daughter has been the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I genuinely wouldn’t want to change a thing. If I could go back in time, I would want to conceive at exactly the same moment with exactly the same outcome. Some people think that having a baby turns your world upside down. I think that my world was upside down before, and Amelia has turned it the right way up. Being a new mum was difficult, but six months in, things are pretty much perfect. There’s only one problem. One large, wobbly problem that’s impossible to ignore. No amount of dieting or exercise will shift it. Yes, I’m talking about the infamous and much dreaded Mummy Tummy.

Now, I’m not claiming that my abdomen was washboard-perfect before I got pregnant, because it wasn’t. There was always a slight convex incline, if I’m being brutally honest. I actually quite enjoyed having a bump, because it meant I didn’t have to worry about my tummy sticking it- if it was, there was an excuse for it. Now, however, the bump is gone, and all that seems to be left in its place is a saggy bowl of blancmange. It’s not pleasant, for my eyes or anybody else’s. I have decided therefore, that Something Must Be Done.

After a quick Google, it becomes apparent that I am not the only un-yummy mummy desperately seeking to restore her pregnancy-ravaged figure. There’s a whole array of postnatal exercise classes out there, the most promising of which seems to be something called Buggyfit. Buggyfit is a franchise which runs groups in a range of locations across the country. I have an initial mental image of athletic, Amazonian women sprinting with their prams, but the website assures me that there is definitely no running with buggies, and all exercises are specifically designed to help the postnatal body recover strength and restore its shape. Best of all, sessions are held in local parks and recreation grounds, so you don’t have to go anywhere near a gym. It sounds good to me, so I search for my local branch- Heaton Park- and sign up on the spot. I fill in a downloadable form and I’m done!  My first session will be 10am tomorrow.  

It’s only then I stop to realise that I am far form well-prepared. I don’t actually own a pair of trainers, and my jogging pants are more of the lounging-about-the-house variety that the go-jogging-in-public variety. However, I’m determined to see it through, and I’ve even persuaded a couple of my NCT group buddies to come along. I’ll let you know how it goes…!