New mum Hilary Duff has spoken out about the pressures on celebrity mums to quickly shed their baby weight.
Talking to Parents magazine, the mother of seven-month-old Luca admitted she was struggling to live up to Hollywood expectations that she would immediately snap back to her pre-baby body.
“There are some women who look the same right after — I think they are freaks of nature! I don’t know how that happens,” the 25-year-old said.
“I’m not one of those people. It takes your body nine months to get there — really 10 months. So I’m trying to be patient but I’m working hard. And I think now more than ever, I appreciate my body and what it’s done for me.”
Hilary, who married her hockey star husband Mike Comrie in 2010, said living in the public eye was also difficult.
“I mean there are photographers following me every day. So you feel the pressure because of what people write about you,” she told the magazine.
“Not that they’re personal attacks, but obviously, when you see ‘Hilary Debuts Post-Baby Body!’ you want to tell people, ‘No, actually, I was just going out to get a coffee’.”
The young mum said she was enjoying the many joys of parenting and that she can hardly put her feelings of being a first time mum into words.
“It’s really wonderful. There are no words to describe it. I mean, to say “It’s wonderful” sounds minuscule,” she said.
“When you get to see your baby for the first time, and they put him on your chest, and you’re looking into each other’s eyes, this feeling just washes over you and there are really no words.”
Despite her joy, Hilary says that being a mum isn’t always easy.
“You know what, I think that I work well under pressure. So I’ll step up to the plate when there’s a screaming baby and he needs something,” she said.
“I do have a lot of energy, I feel great, and I had a really easy pregnancy. I want to have more kids and I’m looking forward to doing that, but I’m not in any rush.”
