Hollyoaks’ Jennifer Metcalfe: Pregnancy was like nine-month hangover
She’s doing her bit to make new mums feel better about themselves, speaking openly about her pregnancy and body. She’s doing her bit to make new mums feel better about themselves, speaking openly about her pregnancy and body.
Jennifer Metcalfe has spoken of her struggle throughout her pregnancy, describing it as feeling like she had a “hangover” for nine months.
The actress, who is best known for playing Mercedes McQueen in Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks, gave birth in June to son Daye, her first child with partner Greg Lake.
Metcalfe, 35, told The Daily Mail: “I just felt pants every day. I just felt like I had a nine-month hangover without the fun in-between, obviously.
She said she had “a bit of every pregnancy symptom you can get”.
“I had a bit of constipation, I was beyond tired, the nausea was the worst because that started after six weeks and went right through until the end.”
Metcalfe added: “I’m glad it’s over!”
Having given birth three months ago, Metcalfe – who won the sexiest female prize at the 2015 Inside Soap Awards – said she feels much more confident about her figure now and said that as long as she is not “severely overweight or underweight”, she will be happy.
She said: “For the last few years I’ve felt very confident in my own skin and since having the baby and I suppose seeing what the woman’s body can do I’ve got a new found respect for it.
“I just think how it adapts so it can accommodate is absolutely incredible, and what you end up with and what it looks like your body is such a small part of it.”
Metcalfe recently won praise when she posted a picture of her post-pregnancy body on Instagram, along with a frank and honest message about her physical appearance.
The soap star described how her figure is different, detailing the changes in her breasts – which went from a B-cup to an F and a G-cup – her “big” bottom, her “wobbly” arms and legs, and her “squishy” tummy.
She used the social media post and the picture of her “unfiltered” body to urge other mothers and expectant mothers to be kinder to themselves about their postnatal bodies.
