Professional dancer Peta Murgatroyd has been praised by mothers for sharing a photo of her post-baby body eight days after giving birth.
The 30-year-old posed in her bra and leggings to remind others that your body takes time to heal after having a baby - and there is no rush to do that.
“I took this photo eight days post birth,” she wrote on Instagram. “I left the hospital looking five months pregnant.”
Murgatroyd continued: “Many people think a woman should shrink right back to her pre-birth weight immediately. That is just not the truth for most.
“The female body is incredible and resilient, but healing and strengthening take time. Now it’s time for patience and hard work.
“Lots of love to all the new mamas out there on the journey.”
The dancer proved that no matter what your body looks like before having a baby, it still takes time to heal.
“Beautifully said,” one mother wrote. “Thank you for sharing this. I’m six weeks postpartum and feel the same. You are amazing.”
Another mum commented: “You just became my favourite woman in the world. Such an inspiration to see you show this reality. I was so uneducated and disappointed when I had my first child that I stopped taking photos of myself entirely.
“You should do a magazine shoot because so many women are lost in Hollywood’s standards and truly believe they will look just as they did before getting pregnant when they walk out of the hospital.”
One mum wrote: “Thank you, Peta! Celebrities often make us regular women feel like we do need to bounce right back, or there’s something wrong with us, when, in fact, bouncing right back is the exception.
“We all know what a bangin’ body you had, and will again.”
The New Zealand-born dancer gave birth to her first child with dancer Maksim Chmerkovskiy on the 4 January 2017.