The pressure to 'bounce back' and look a certain way is something after having a baby is something that plagues many women - but that is something a Victorian woman is working to change.
Alycia Hatzi, a Bendigo personal trainer who works with women before and after they give birth, is championing the #nomoreprebabybody campaign to encourage women to rejoice in their bodies.
Ms Hatzi said the pressure on mothers to "get their body back" after pregnancy was unrealistic, so the campaign aimed to do away with that phrase and celebrate the diversity in women's bodies.
"Our worth is not wrapped up in how our body looks," she said.
Pressure to look a particular way was something the 33-year-old experienced herself following the birth of her two-year-old son.
As a personal trainer, she was fit but pregnancy did change her body.
"Getting back into exercise after that, I felt immense pressure to look how I used to look," she said.
As a result, Ms Hatzi said, she did not give herself time to transition into motherhood and enjoy being a new mum.
After having her baby, she began looking for support and guidance, which led her to gain accreditation to train women while they were pregnant and postpartum, and develop her own program, the Strongest Mum.
She also discovered Body Beyond Baby, the company behind #nomoreprebabybody, where she saw women simply enjoying themselves and being in their bodies.
This shifted Ms Hatzi's perspective: she realised she could look after her son and her clients, and it did not matter how she looked.
These experiences compelled Ms Hatzi to spread the word about #nomorebabybody.
On Sunday, she organised a photo shoot at Lake Weeroona with local women, to celebrate real, unadulterated images of bodies.
The images will be shared online with the hashtag #nomoreprebabybody to raise awareness and encourage more people to look at the bodies of women - and their own bodies - in a more loving and accepting light.
"We're creating a ripple effect," Ms Hatzi said.
Jana van der Schoot was one of the women who took part in the photoshoot.
She said she was confident in her body but there was a lot of stigma in the community.
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"There's so much pressure on parents, but [especially] women, mothers, and if I can do something to help... I'll do it," Ms van der Schoot said.
Chantel Oliver said she had been trying to lose weight since she had her first child almost four years ago, but then she made a change.
"I decided I didn't want to worry about that, I wanted to be health and worry about that instead," Miss Oliver said.
Bendigo photographer Mel Harrison donated her time and skills to take the photographs, as a mother who had experienced discomfort around her own body.
"It's a good thing for women to feel secure about our bodies and not insecure like social media makes us feel," Mrs Harrison said.
Ms Hatzi is also hosting a virtual event on Sunday, December 6 during which women can share their own photos celebrating their bodies.
As a personal trainer working with pregnant and postpartum women, she said she saw a lot of clients who wanted to lose weight and said negative things about their bodies.
Ms Hatzi said she worked to shift that language and have her clients focus on getting fit, healthy and strong, rather than their appearance.
Natalie Croxon
Reporter at the Illawarra Mercury, mostly covering social affairs. Previously of the Bendigo Advertiser, Northern Daily Leader and Quirindi Advocate. Our Watch award winner.
Reporter at the Illawarra Mercury, mostly covering social affairs. Previously of the Bendigo Advertiser, Northern Daily Leader and Quirindi Advocate. Our Watch award winner.
