Why Delivery Room Makeovers Aren’t Worth It

Elise Solé
Updated
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Kate Middleton shows off her new babies Prince George in June 2013 (left) and Princess Charlotte in May 2015. Both photos sparked controversy over how perfect new moms should look. (Photo: Getty Images)

Childbirth is one of the most exciting — and messiest — moments in a woman’s life. So the latest trend of new moms hiring hair stylists and makeup artists to beautify them in the maternity ward for postpartum photos makes sense. Kinda.

According to a story published Sunday in the New York Times, expectant moms are increasingly shelling out hundreds of dollars to look pretty and polished after delivering their babies, with the help of hired stylists who curl and contour their clients for that first baby photo on social media. The newspaper reported that Warren-Tricomi salons have sent stylists out on 10 hospital appointments in the past few months and Stylebookings.com sends about five per week. In the same vein, there’s a booming business in stylish hospital gowns and maternity photography.

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What’s fueling the demand in makeovers: social media. With Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram the fastest and most far-reaching platforms to show off a new baby, many women feel pressure to look their best — especially after spending exhaustive hours in labor or undergoing surgery for C-sections. Another possible reason: images of celebrities such as Kate Middleton, who was reportedly pampered with hair, makeup, and style teams after giving birth to Prince George and Princess Charlotte. On both occasions, when the duchess departed St. Mary’s Hospital wearing heels and designer dresses and with pristine hair and makeup only hours after childbirth, she triggered a social media frenzy.

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But while a hairbrush, lip gloss, and a flattering camera filter can do wonders for a new mom, delivery room makeovers can underscore the emphasis on postpartum perfection. As is, 70 percent of new mothers say they’re “expected” to quickly return to their prebaby bodies, according to one survey conducted by Baby Center; another poll found that 60 percent of moms feel pressure to appear “perfect” on social media.

Body image aside, focusing too much on postpartum beauty can overshadow what’s really important. “In many parts of the world, new mothers are expected to follow the ‘40-day rule,’ during which they do nothing but care for and bond with their babies,” Gil Weiss, MD, assistant professor of clinical medicine at Northwestern University, tells Yahoo Parenting. “Worrying about how you look during this critical time can interfere with bonding and breastfeeding.”

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What’s more, he adds, the body needs time to heal after delivery, and hovering with a flatiron can distract from medical protocol. “The doctors aren’t finished once the baby is born,” he says. “Patients bleed, the infant has to be examined, and doctors need the mother’s full attention. It’s a group effort.” And from a practical standpoint, flawless photos may be fruitless — if your water breaks at 2 a.m., labor starts a week early, or you undergo an emergency medical procedure, all that preparation could amount to nothing.

To be clear, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to look amazing in photos you’ll cherish forever. It’s problematic only when there’s an obsession with curating the mom in the photo to the detriment of the baby in real life. Case in point: This breastfeeding mom who regretted her spray tan.

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Jaime King’s low-key delivery room photo earned her more than 60,000 likes on Instagram. (Photo: Jaime King/Instagram)

That said, delivery room makeovers aren’t the norm. The wildly popular Instagram account Take Back Postpartum, where moms proudly post photos of their stretch marks, C-section scars, and softer stomachs, has spawned a body-positive movement with more than 46,000 followers. And several mothers have recently gone viral for flaunting photos of their so-called flawed bodies. Even celebrities have rebelled against postbaby perfection. In July, Jaime King introduced the world to her second child with an Instagram photo in which she was lying in a hospital bed breastfeeding with her robe falling off one shoulder. The model-actress was seemingly makeup-free, and her hair was tied back in a loose braid. After giving birth to a son in 2013, businesswoman Ivanka Trump posted a photo to Tumblr in which she was wearing a maternity gown and hospital bracelet. And in May, new mom Carrie Underwood poked fun at the notion of a “bikini body” by tweeting a bikini-clad selfie from the shoulders up.

Thaïs Aliabadi, a gynecologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, isn’t against the idea of mothers hiring a postbaby glam squad. “If visitors respect the rules and move aside when the mother is given medical attention, there’s nothing wrong with it,” she tells Yahoo Parenting, adding that she once delivered a royal baby in the Middle East, and, with the help of a hair and makeup team, the mother looked flawless within hours. “If it makes a woman feel better,” she says, “more power to her.”

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