"How you look in a bikini has nothing to do with being a new mum."

You know what does a body good? Moderation, time, sleep and being kind to yourself.

Weight gain and weight loss is a hot topic among women. It always has been and probably always will be, but does it need to be during pregnancy and post delivery? During the most emotional and special time of our lives? Can’t we give ourselves and each other a break? (And a few more weeks in our muumuus?)

When people find out I have twins, one of the first questions they ask is “did you get huge?/How long did it take to lose the baby weight?” I also have to admit when we found out there was ‘two in there’, I definitely wondered how big I would get and if I would ever fit into my pre-preg clothes.

How silly. Weight gain and weight loss is literally the least important part of any pregnancy.

Lately I’ve been feeling really disappointed with the pressure and expectation of women to bounce back. The amount of women on social media using the #noexcuse hashtag and uploading exercise selfies two or three weeks postpartum really worries me. I get that you want to stay accountable and even to motivate other mums – but how you look in a bikini has nothing to do with being a new mum.

The no excuse hashtag is kind of killing my soul. If you just had a baby, you actually do have an excuse, because you know, you just grew a human, pushed that human out of your vagina, or had surgery. Either way, your body is recovering from the delivery. Your world has been flipped on its head. The last thing you need is to feel pressure to remove all evidence of carrying a baby.

I dead set looked pregnant for weeks post delivery. A soft squishy belly that needed time to adapt to being empty. (To be fair, I kept it pretty full with toast).

This stupid bloody #noexcuse business doesn't serve ANY new mum well.

Can't we just focus on bonding with our bubs, reconnecting with our new bodies and learning how to navigate through motherhood before we worry about getting back into a bikini?

I bloody love motivated mums and I shared my journey, photos and all - BUT I never chose exercise over sleep or bonding time. Not a single calorie was counted. I didn't get my butt onto a treadmill until our babies were sleeping well and in a routine.

There were days, possibly weeks, that I didn't get dressed, let alone think about hitting a gym. I ate like a teenage boy (or a breastfeeding mum) and I've turned out all right.

WATCH the realities of post-baby bodies. Post continues after video...

The postpartum period doesn't need to be one of extreme deprivation to feel good about yourself. In fact, I would argue the opposite. I understand there is an irony to posting this article with a bikini picture, but I want the mums out there to know that you can feel really good without living in the gym or dieting hardcore.

I'm not anti-exercise (quite the opposite) but I'm just saying it's okay to bask in the newborn-ness. Take it slowly. Moderation and time are your friends.

Pre-kids, I really worried about how my body looked. Post-kids, I don't care if my soft mummy tummy rolls a bit while I'm playing with my kids in the sand, because I made two babies (with a little help) and carried them for 37 weeks.

Having kids doesn't mean you need to say goodbye to feeling good in your own skin or forget about ever wearing a bikini again, but give yourself time, girlfriends. Don't buy into the pressure to get back to pre-baby shape while you have a newborn. There's plenty of time for that once your body has recovered.

Don't let #noexcuse make you feel sh*t. You are a new mum, you are amazing, even if you aren't back on that exercise grind.

Did you feel pressure to regain your pre-baby body?