Gemma Atkinson has said she is “loudly and proudly” rocking her post-pregnancy curves as she urged fellow new mums to take their time when it comes to shedding the baby weight.
The actress – who welcomed daughter Mia in July – told her Instagram followers that “training smart and recovering long term” is more important than a quick fix.
Sharing images of her post-baby body, Atkinson said: “Loudly and proudly rocking my post baby curves. This is me 6 weeks and 4 days post emergency C section.
“After a section there’s no physical activity or lifting for AT LEAST 6wks. Exercise has been a big part of my life for the last 10yrs, so mentally at first I found it tough not being able to move like I wanted.
“Part of training well though is training smart & recovering long term. Not just a quick fix to ‘snap back’.”
The former Emmerdale actress, 34, went on: “At my heaviest carrying Mia I was 89kg. I usually sit comfortably around 72kg so I gained just over 2 and a half stone.
“I’m currently 76kg so I’m just over half a stone off my pre pregnancy weight.
“Obviously everything is a lot softer, my body fat is higher and my muscle mass lower, so scales aside (I hate scales) I have a lot of work to do!
“Today I’ve been given the go ahead to start gentle exercise. I can do 30 min walks with the pram, glute bridges & my pelvic floor exercises.
“From 10weeks PP I can start my Pilates again but I won’t be weight training until after 16 weeks. I want to do it sensibly and ensure my ab separation closes. I’m lucky that my abs only parted 1cm when it could have been over 6cm.”
“Despite the madness & trauma getting Mia into this world she actually caused very minimal damage,” she added.
Atkinson said she hoped “new mums realise they don’t have to be back to their post baby body so quickly”.
“Growing a human for 9 months is a big deal and it’ll take longer than a few weeks to get your body back to how you want it,” she said.
“I’m happy I can now start to introduce light training back into my day, but the bigger picture is that even if I couldn’t and I had to wait even longer, it’s ok because I have the most beautiful little healthy girl and the last 6weeks at home have been exhaustingly wonderful.”
The star added that her partner, Strictly Come Dancing star Gorka Marquez, is a big fan of her new curves.
“Congrats to all mums and mums to be! We’ve done ace, we’re wonderful and our little humans think we’re the best thing in the world,” she said.