Yummy mummy myth: Unlike celebs, the average new mum takes 409 DAYS to get her figure and sex drive back after having a baby

Yummy mummy myth: Unlike celebs, the average new mum takes 409 DAYS to get her figure and sex drive back after having a baby

By Lucy Waterlow

PUBLISHED: 06:53 EST, 2 July 2012 | UPDATED: 18:02 EST, 2 July 2012

While celebrity mothers like Victoria Beckham and Amanda Holden returned to work with slim figures soon after giving birth, such a miraculous recovery is a far cry for many women.

In fact, it can take 409 days for the average woman to get her figure and sex drive back after having a baby, according to a survey.

The poll of 1,000 British mothers of all ages founds that it typically takes one year, one month and two weeks in total for women to get their 'mojo' back.

Back to work: Slim Victoria Beckham returned to work as a fashion designer, with daughter Harper in tow, left, weeks after giving birth while Amanda Holden resumed her Britain's Got Talent judging duties shortly after becoming a mum

For some that means having a healthy sex life again or feeling attractive, while for others it can be returning to work or having their own social life again.

The mums admitted that the it took them on average five months longer  than they expected to return to this condition than they were expected before they had their first child.

In the study by new women’s lifestyle site Mojomums, 10 per cent said it took them the even longer time of two years to feel sexy again, while 15 per cent admitted they never really get back the same feeling - physically and mentally - that they had before becoming pregnant.

The barriers to them getting their 'mojo' back ranged from feeling constantly tired, having no time to themselves and not shedding the baby weight.

But they cited being able to go back to work in the right job as the biggest factor in their post-pregnancy state-of-mind.

Baby blues: The average woman takes more than a year to get their 'mojo' back after having a baby, according to a survey (posed by models)

Forty-three per cent said they only felt returned to a pre-maternal state once they had found a job that gave them a healthy work/life balance. And 60 per cent said the longer they were off work, the longer it took to get their 'mojo' back.

Psychologist Elinor Wilde said she was not surprised by the results.

'Having a baby is a life changing event and you can’t expect to return to the woman you were before children overnight.

'Mums need time to adapt, try not put themselves under pressure, and resist comparing themselves to others.'

The survey was commissioned to launch the new Mojomums site which was founded by Sally Overhead, who has five children all under the age of six.

She said: 'This survey reveals that mums do find it difficult to get their mojo back and it’s not as easy as you might think. We weren’t surprised to see sex is a big factor but so is work.

'Although mums going on maternity leave might be delighted to han g up their work clothes it appears the longer they are off, the harder it is to get their mojo back.

'And it’s even harder for mums who want to go back to work but can’t find a suitable job to return to.'

 

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