Kates Baby Belly....the Last Taboo of Pregnancy

 

Kate emerged in a light Jenny Packham dress in silk crepe de chine, with a gathered empire waist that actually belted above her tummy, making no effort to hide her changed body shape.

Given the microscopic level of scrutiny of this young woman’s body over the past nine months, one could hardly have blamed her if she had held the baby protectively in front of her to shield her body from the cameras, but no. This thoroughly modern royal was apparently determined to lend a helping hand to women everywhere who have just given birth, and shatter one of the last taboos of pregnancy: the post-baby belly.
 

Kate Middleton stood up for new mums everywhere when she walked out of hospital yesterday, completely unembarrassed by her post-partum tummy. 

British motherhood guru, Siobhan Freegard said “In a couple of minutes on the steps of the Lindo Wing, Kate has done more for new moms’ self-esteem than any other role model.
 Sadly too many celebrities often have ultra fast tummy tucks or strap themselves down to emerge in tiny size 6 jeans, leaving everyone else feeling inadequate. Kate shows what a real mum looks like—and natural is beautiful.
 Undoubtedly over the coming weeks the Duchess will work hard to regain her figure, but on her first appearance as a new mum she’s proved herself a healthy role model for real mums around the world.”

Jade Beall, a photographer and mother who “celebrates the stories and the unphotoshopped bodies of women especially the bodies of mothers,” says: “This is a historic moment for women around the world. Kate has chosen to confidently show what our bodies can look like after undergoing one of the most life-changing feats a human can experience.”

 Women are often surprised to learn that looking very pregnant is not only normal for the first few hours or days after giving birth but for weeks or more. Women have 40-50% more blood volume during pregnancy; all that excess fluid doesn't go down overnight. But it's mostly other things. The uterus-the largest muscle in your body when you're pregnant-must now "involute" or shrink back down to a fraction of the size it was during pregnancy. That starts very quickly. The hormones released during breastfeeding help speed the process, but in all it can take about a month or so. (This tightening of the uterus muscle, by the way, has nothing to do with working out or dieting.) Also, the intestines, bladder, stomach and other organs have to re-inhabit the newly vacated space. Muscles need to drift back into non-pregnant positions and skin tightens.

Seeing Kate's big belly is an important reminder that the process of making and giving birth to a baby does not end at birth. The slow shifting, shrinking and drifting of various tissues and parts is appropriately gentle and very well-designed. Of course it takes time! 

However, Justine Roberts of the British parenting website Mumsnet, disagreed with that view, “Was it a brave decision? Where the heck do you hide it anyway—under a bush? It‘s completely natural to have a baby belly the day after giving birth and it’s a great shame that the world is so obsessed with women’s body shape that Kate’s belly is deemed worth commenting on.”