Mum-of-four Peta Todd tackles the subject of how women are supposed to feel about their post-baby body

THE mum-of-four talks family life in her weekly column.

Today Peta,  who is married to Olympic cyclist Mark Cavendish, talks post-baby body image.

When you grow humans, your body changes.

It’s a small price to pay for the beautiful little beings, but as the fog lifts and you replenish your sleep  it can be hard to look in the mirror.

Running your hand over a tummy that has cocooned your baby for nine months – but is now empty and all that remains is skin that is somewhat tired – can be tough.

In a time where we live in such juxtaposition between filtered perfection and body positivity, it is hard to know how we are supposed to feel about our new bods.

I’ll let you in on a secret – we are allowed to feel however the flip we want to feel.

We may have gained the moniker of Mum but we still want and deserve to feel confident in our skin.

Confident doesn’t mean skinny – it isn’t a size and doesn’t mean looking the same as you were pre-baby. Being confident is a state of mind.

At risk of you wanting to punch me in the face, I admit I have lost my baby weight fairly quickly after giving birth two months ago.

But if I’m honest, I still do not feel 100 per cent confident in myself yet.

The skin on my tummy is slightly crepey and no amount of exercise seems to be able to change it.

My former Page 3 boobs would definitely not earn me a living these days.

I would never change these things, for it would mean not having my babies and they are my world, but that doesn’t mean I have to love these characteristics of my new body.

When I posted on my Instagram a few weeks ago that I was trying a new non-surgical, non-invasive treatment to rejuvenate and tighten tummy-skin using micro frequency waves, I was fully expecting negative feedback.

I prepared to be told to “embrace” my saggy mum tum and  be grateful for my children, so I was pleasantly surprised to be hit with positive comments and private messages.

Women were asking me about the treatment and saying how much they have struggled to love their tum.

They asked me to let them know how I got on with the treatment.

There are so many creams, teas – I hate the whole tea culture – and surgeries that are aimed at the booming business of new mums and usually I’m a bit sceptical.

This tummy-tightening treatment is not a magic wand but, I can honestly say, I saw results.

The practitioner came to my home and explained the whole procedure and what to expect. I posted a “before and after” – and after only three sessions my skin tone had improved.

This alone was a boost to my confidence which is pretty much all I wanted.  Plus, it allowed me 40 minutes to just lie down and chill, which is always a bonus.

Peta’s treatment was Tummy Tightening by @loulabelluk