A mum who "struggled" with her body after pregnancy is helping other women regain their confidence post-birth.
The ECHO previously reported how Sarah Rowley, of Halewood, went from feeling "intimidated" in a public gym to winning a national body building title as she urged other women to reach for their dreams. Embarking on a fitness journey back in 2017, the 26-year-old was keen to stick to her dream.
But after falling pregnant earlier this year and giving birth in October, Sarah said she "struggled" to accept her new body at first. But keen to rid the negative impact weight has on a pregnancy journey, she is helping other women accept their own bodies.
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She told the ECHO: "I struggled during pregnancy at first. I wasn't noticeable until 20 weeks then all of a sudden my gym clothes wouldn't fit and I had to find new ones that were comfortable. As I slowly got bigger, I felt like a massive whale.
"It's about getting your confidence back. I knew what I previously looked like before and I just knew my stomach would never be that small again so for me, as someone who's always been into fitness, it was hard to accept that I can still be healthy, but will never look the same.
"With social media, many women are seen getting back into fitness weeks after birth instead of waiting the recommended six weeks. You're constantly seeing women in better shape post birth but everyone is different.
"There's a huge pressure there. But it's okay to feel that way. Before pregnancy I was a size eight to ten and when I was pregnant I went to a size 12 to 14 and stayed the same after birth. Going through people say he's just a big baby but you don't know that until you give birth."
Now, the mum-of-one is sharing her experience and fitness knowledge with other mums in a bid to give a "confidence boost" for women post birth. She also aims to provide fitness tips with safety at the forefront.
Sarah added: "Weight has a negative influence on pregnancy. For me, I didn't like what I saw in the mirror. I have stretchmarks that will never go, I did everything people suggest but they will be there for life.
"But to lose the baby weight, as people say, it's about doing it in a controlled way rather than going from one extreme to another. I just have to accept my stretchmarks, it's something I can't change.
"It's quite sad, the world we live in now, people think they have to be this perfect, glamorous mum 24.7 who looks great and looks like they haven't had a baby but it's unrealistic."
As Sarah goes through her own journey, she wants to teach other mums a safe way to train, while providing them a "safe space" where they can train and bring their children. For Sarah, starting from the bottom and working your way up is key and making slight changes to a fitness regime for safety.
She added: "It's about giving mums the confidence to train with their babies there and teaching them what exercises are safe and aren't safe."
More can be found here.
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