Fiona Falkiner reveals ‘stupid’ new mum mistake

Model and TV presenter Fiona Falkiner reveals the important lesson she has had to learn since the birth of her baby son.

Like so many soon-to-be first-time parents, Fiona Falkiner didn’t fully anticipate how much her life would change once she became a mum. In fact, the 38-year-old model and body

activist had planned to go back to work just two months after she gave birth to her son Hunter in March.

“Stupidly – I think now in hindsight – I told my clients I would be back after eight weeks. Which, I’ll be honest, was probably too much for me,” she tells Stellar On Friday.

“I’ve learnt to be so much kinder to myself.” (Picture: Steven Chee)

Motherhood is teaching Fiona Falkiner some important life lessons. (Picture: Steven Chee)

“In my head I thought, I’ll be able to do all my work while he’s napping. But you know, it doesn’t really work like that. When he’s napping, I need to nap because I’m tired. And if I’m not napping, I’m doing things around the house.”

Conversations with her partner Hayley Willis encouraged Falkiner to step back a bit.

“I’ve learnt to be so much kinder to myself. I’ve slowed down with work a lot now. I’m just taking on things that I know I can kind of do quite easily,” she says.

“Being a mum is a full-time job in itself.”

But now, at four months postpartum, the former host of The Biggest Loser is preparing for her first lingerie and bikini shoots.

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“My body changed dramatically after having a baby. I’m a size bigger than I normally am, and I’m OK with that,” she says.

“I hope seeing a body like mine in swimwear and lingerie will help other women feel normal in their bodies. It’s important to normalise the lumps and bumps – because we all have them.”

Adding to the craziness of their first year as parents, the family recently spent two weeks in hotel quarantine in Queensland, as Willis – who works for the Sydney Swans – has gone into the AFL bubble there.

“It was better than expected,” Falkiner says of the experience.

“Our world revolves around Hunter, anyway. Aside from not having fresh air, it wasn’t that different to normal life. And I’m so grateful that we’ve been able to keep our family together during this time, because so many are separated.”