Giovanna Fletcher praised for opening up about the realities of postnatal dressing

Giovanna Fletcher has been praised online for opening up about the realities of postnatal dressing.

The author and host of the Happy Mum Happy Baby podcast gave birth to her third son, Max, in August 2018.

She also has two older sons, Buzz, four, and Buddy, two, with her musician husband Tom Fletcher.

Earlier this week, the 33-year-old took to Instagram to describe how she is struggling to find clothes she feels good in 10 weeks after giving birth.

“I’m currently at a very odd post-pregnancy stage where my clothes usually make me feel poo... nothing fits,” she wrote. “My maternity wear makes me look pregnant still and my ‘normal’ clothes either don’t do up or create all sorts of interesting lumps and bumps.”

The mother-of-three went on to explain that she’s not “berating” her body and appreciates the “wonderful job” it did at helping her deliver another healthy child. However, this doesn't change the fact she still struggles to find clothes she enjoys wearing.

Fletcher concluded the post by saying that she finally found an outfit that made her feel good - the one she is wearing in the photo - and that it made her smile every time she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror.

Shortly after posting the message, the photo gained more than 71,000 likes and hundreds of comments from fellow mums saying they felt exactly same.

“This has made me feel so much better about myself reading that I'm not the only one going through the still look pregnant nothing fits stage,” one person wrote.

Another added: “I have the same problem I don’t like me in anything at the moment. Everything I seem to wear I hate the look of.

“I have two children, one is two and the other is three weeks old but currently feeling bigger than ever and hating the mum tum with such passion. Don’t even know where to begin with getting rid of that but my two beautiful babies are worth it.”

A third person commented: “Oh my god! I thought it was just me who felt like this. My daughter is 11 weeks old and I’m struggling to feel good in anything.

“Currently on holiday and I’m hating having photos taken with my family. I’m feeling extremely insecure. Feels good to know that I’m not alone in feeling the post-pregnancy struggles.”

This is not the first time Fletcher has spoken out about her postpartum body.

Earlier this year, she uploaded a photo of herself wearing a black swimsuit while on holiday with her children and criticised people who use the term “real” when describing women’s bodies.

“Talking about ‘real’ bodies can’t be done without body shaming those who have the bodies we’ve been relentlessly told we should strive to achieve,” she said. “Which really goes against what praising and embracing our different body shapes is meant to do in the first place.

“‘Real’ bodies, ‘real’ women, ‘real’ mums... I’m pretty sure we’re all ‘real’ no matter our sizes”.

She added: “If we have flawless skin or cellulite and stretch marks, or if we’re an apple, pear, oval, diamond or hourglass. Our bodies should be seen as wonderfully unique, not something to be ashamed of - or something people might judge us over".

The mother-of-three went on to urge her followers to make judgements based on “actions and words” rather than someone’s lack of a thigh gap, or their “slender frame”.