Natasha Hamilton has said that she is embracing her “new stretch marks, mummy pouch and thread veins” after giving birth to her fifth child.
Hamilton, 41, known for singing in the 2000s band Atomic Kitten, posted a photo of her new “mummy pouch” to Instagram and announced: “This is the new me and I love her more than I ever thought I could.”
Earlier in the month, the singer revealed that she had given birth to her daughter Kitty Iris with husband Charles Gay, in an Instagram post which said: “Our family is complete.”
In a new post, Hamilton wrote about body positivity and mentioned the pressure to “bounce back” from having a baby.
Explaining why she wanted to post the photo of her “mummy pouch”, Hamilton wrote: “This is the 1st picture I’ve taken of my body post baby.
“I didn’t take it to compare to my old body, but because I am so proud of what my body has achieved over the years.
“I’ve just had my 5th baby at age 41.
“I’ve been through the mill with my body over the years and not always felt so proud of it.
“When I was younger, I feel like there was so much pressure to ‘bounce back’ after babies. To be a certain clothes size.
“I spent years with scales in my bathroom and weighing myself first thing in the morning to make sure the numbers were going down.
“I’ve tried many diets, I’ve tried to steer clear of the ‘fads’ and focus on exercise and clean living, which were always the ‘diets’ that worked best.
“It’s common sense, but in order to feel your best, starving yourself isn’t going to work! It’s a slow but concerted effort over time that will give you the best results.
“So this time, there’s no scales! No diets as I’m breastfeeding.
“There’s no pressure. My approach is of love and giving thanks that my body has housed my baby and kept her safe for almost 9 months.
“I haven’t figured out yet where I want to start on my fitness journey this time? Maybe Pilates? Peloton? (Once the stitches and everything is healed).
“Definitely baby yoga (yoga with your baby in the sling, looks fab).
“But whatever I do, I’m going to enjoy the process and embrace the new stretch marks, mummy pouch and thread veins all over my legs.”