My postpartum body should not be a talking point on social media

As a fitness influencer who shares content with more than 130,000 followers, Cat Jane admits she does not know what kind of comments she will wake up to each morning.

The mum-of-two says some have "bullied" her for her post-baby body or commented on her "saggy tummy", while others have chastised her for being "too skinny".

"It doesn't matter what you post, someone always has something negative or not nice to say," said Cat, who wants to show her own "imperfections" to give other mums something to relate to.

Having started her account in 2020, Cat from Dolgarrog, in Conwy, said people have said things online that they would never say to her face.

"I don't understand why people think they can give their opinions.

"They would never say that to my face.

"It feels like a different world online and it does upset me sometimes."

The influencer said social media was "really bad" for setting unrealistic expectations, in part due to the widespread use of filters and photo editing.

"There's a lot of pressure on women and mums to look perfect," Cat said.

"I would never want to make someone else feel like they weren't doing enough.

"I've started to share a lot more of my own imperfections just to show I do have cellulite and a wrinkly tummy.

"That's something that other mums can relate to."

In Pwllheli, Gwynedd, a group of new mums meet up every week as part of the Stroll Patrol walking club.

Vicky Edmunds gave birth to her daughter Naya almost three months ago and is about to get married in a few weeks.

"You have to try to not put too much pressure on yourself, but you do.

"The pressure is there because you see all these people online and if they can do it, why can't I?"

She added: "You have to remember how amazing your body is to have created this new little life."

Alex Bull, a mother-of-two and fitness studio founder in Cardiff, said she saw first-hand how social media could shape the body image of new mums.

"The algorithm is cruel," said Alex.

"It knows you've just had a baby because you're looking at trends and searching 'why's my baby not sleeping?'

"And so it thinks, 'I'm going to show you a picture of a mum that's doing everything.'"

Alex said her studio's dim lighting aimed to take focus away from appearance and, in her mum and baby classes, losing weight was not the main goal.

"Pregnancy is like running a marathon, your body has been though so much and you can do more than you think," she said.

"It was important to have a space where [mums] could push themselves safely or just turn up, and that being enough."