At last i have a waist for the first time

Cuddling my baby girl, Rosie, I felt a rush of love. It was May 2006, and as my squishy little newborn peered up at me with her big, brown eyes, the horrendous 52-hour labour I’d endured all seemed worthwhile. I’d hoped to give birth naturally, but even after my waters broke, my cervix didn’t dilate. Doctors were forced to intervene, and Rosie was delivered by emergency Caesarean. But she was safe and healthy, and that was all that mattered. ‘She’s perfect,’ I said to my husband Matt, then 35.

I took it steady for the first few weeks, while my C-section scar healed, and I was soon back on my feet. But although I loved being a mum, I hated the pouch that pregnancy left behind.

My stomach seemed to hang over my scar, and when I had my second daughter, Bella, in December 2008, also delivered by C-section, the overhang seemed more prominent than ever. But having excess inches around my waist wasn’t a new thing. I’d always struggled with the weight around my middle.

When I’d left university at 21 years old, I’d worn a size 12 and weighed 11st. At 5ft 8in, I was tall with slender arms and legs, but whenever I put on any extra pounds, they went straight to my middle. Determined to feel slimmer, I tried every diet under the sun. I cut carbs, tried meal-replacement supplements and points-based diets, and swam every day.

Slowly, my efforts paid off and I dropped 21lb, slimming to 9st 7lb and a size 10. But I still wasn’t happy with my figure. My arms and legs looked too skinny, and I felt underweight, yet I still had flabby flanks and tummy rolls.

I was naturally apple shaped, and no matter what I did, it made me feel fat and frumpy. Over time, I came to accept my figure, and I learnt to dress in a way that hid my problem area. I wore loose dresses that skimmed my middle, baggy tops and smocks, and supportive underwear that sucked me in. I slowly gave up on the idea of ever having a slim waist.

DRASTIC ACTION

But a few years after having my children, I went up to a size 14, and the overhang on my stomach really got me down. There was a bulge above my C-section scar that no diet could combat, so I started looking into liposuction.

A friend had slimmed from a size 16 to a 12 after having the procedure, and couldn’t recommend it enough. She gave me the name of her doctor, and I spent months researching the clinic, based in the UK. I