The Yummy Mummy

Technically, a Yummy Mummy by definition is a woman who fits into her size 6 Seven jeans three weeks after giving birth (by scheduled C-Section of course -- no messy labors please!). She's a fashionista mama who shops for groceries in heels, closing deals on her cell phone while wagging finger puppets to stimulate her baby's growing brain.

I came across a book with this title about a month ago and then again this weekend. I wanted to buy it but I've already binged on books so I had to pass. I thought it was a cute title. Then I read on the net that actress Kate Winslet was just declared Yummiest Mummy of the year in the UK. So it's more than just a random idea on a book title. The term has actually gained legitimacy -- much like the terms "baby boomers" or "general Xers". I have to laugh at the thought of being in skinny jeans after three weeks. I vividly remember being a bloated mess of hormones three years ago, panicking over being left with a jealous Joshua, who had the bad habit of wanting to hit his sister as I breastfed her.

Seriously, I don't know how these women do it. And I don't mean the actresses and models whose livelihood depends on how they look. I don't own a single pair of Seven jeans (and never will -- the price tag is enough to buy diapers for more than a year). My feet have grown two sizes since the kids were born. I don't think I will ever go back to my pre-pregnancy weight no matter how long I lay off the carbs (or kill myself on the treadmill). My tummy will never be the same. It's not always sweetness and light, designer baby gear and pilates classes.

It's difficult for me to balance work, time for the kids and the hubby, and time for myself. It's a tough world and sometimes I feel like I've got one foot in the corporate world and the other one in mom world, never really fitting in either. I feel lost amidst the stay at home moms who see each other every day at my son's pre-school. They are all nice and friendly but I am a stranger to them. I get distracted at work when the kids are sick, eaten with guilt that they are being cared for by someone else. I feel responsible for so many things and the thought of having to live up to a glamorized image of motherhood just doesn't appeal.

But I guess, in the end, you just do what works for you. Hats off to the yummy mummies out there -- as long as the kids are clean and happy and I'm relatively presentable then that'll have to do.