MumSafe: Maroubra’s Jen Dugard start-up training mothers post-pregnancy

Meet supermum Jen Dugard: a female entrepreneur whose goal is to help mothers recover post pregnancy thanks to a unique fitness program

Meet Maroubra supermum Jen Dugard: a female entrepreneur whose goal is to help mothers recover post pregnancy during the initial stages of motherhood.

Named MumSafe, Ms Dugard’s gym program helps change the way women are looked after in the fitness industry once they become mothers. MumSafe trainers are qualified to suit the needs of women who have gone through drastic physical changes after giving birth.

The start-up was inspired when Ms Dugard realised many women don’t know what kind of trainer to look for post-pregnancy. The majority of fitness trainers are also unaware of the necessary exercises to keep a new mum fit and healthy.

Understanding the basics of post-natal women is vital for their body and mind, according to Ms Dugard.

“When working with mums it’s essential to understand that pregnancy itself, as exciting as it is, is tough on the body,” Ms Dugard said. “As is giving birth and everything that follows.”

Jen Dugard helping out a mother with her training.

“Because of that, it’s essential to have a total understanding of what the body and mind goes through during that time, which is where MumSafe comes in.”

Ms Dugard said there were many myths about women “chasing aesthetics to get [their] pre baby body back” but doing so is not physically possible.
“A lot of generic personal trainers will assume that a mum is coming into the gym after having a baby just to lose weight,” Ms Dugard said. “So already, we’re kind of doing a disservice to her by making that assumption.”

After a woman has a baby, her body goes through “huge changes” that alter her abdominals, pelvic floor, posture and even breathing, according to Louise Hurley, a MumSafe trainer of five years.

However, MumSafe doesn’t just stop at physical health. The trainers are accustomed and experienced in helping new mums mentally.

“After you’ve had a baby, it can get really lonely because you’re so wrapped up in sleep routines and changing nappies and feeding and before you know it, a whole day’s gone and you’ve not talked to another adult,” Ms Hurley said.

MumSafe founder and Maroubra local Jen Dugard.

“It’s so much more than just exercise because you get to offload and share.”

For Samantha Bignell, a mother of three who has been training at MumSafe since October, the mental support has been invaluable as she tried to get her pre-baby body back only to realise that wasn’t going to happen.

“Personally, it was just a case of kind of just accepting that this is how I look now and it’s not bad,” Ms Bignell said. “You’re never going to go back to the way you were.”

Existing ads from fitness programs are always driven by “purely aesthetic goals” and focus on “getting you back to your pre-baby body” while forgetting about the holistic needs of each individual woman, Ms Dugard said.
Currently, MumSafe trainers are located in multiple states across Australia, as well as New Zealand and Singapore. To learn more about the program, click here.