Dad's post-birth weight gain: 'This is what a real dad looks like'

Sammy Baugh's before and after kids post. Photo / Facebook

A former fitness fanatic has taken to social media to bravely reveal the true effects of fatherhood - beer gut and all.

In a post on Facebook, father of two Sammy Baugh used 'before and after' images to demonstrate the weight he has put on since his children were born. The first picture shows a clean-shaven Sammy in figure-hugging shorts, side-on and with rippling abs in full view. Next to it, an older, bearded Baugh is seen lying prostrate on a double bed, bottle of beer resting on his gut. His young son, complete with beaming smile, sits at his side.

"145 lbs. to 180 lbs. married with 2 kids in 4 years! I've been asked, 'How did you do it?' My answer is, 'A...

Posted by Love What Matters on Saturday, 28 October 2017

"145 lbs to 180 lbs married with two kids in four years!" he wrote in the post, which has since gone viral. "I've been asked, 'How did you do it?' My answer is, 'A consistent diet of eating whatever your pregnant wife wants and copious amounts of beer!'"

"It was tough but I'm proud of the results!" he added.

The post humorously parodies typical fitness-related body transformation stories, which boast of incredible weight loss in short spaces of time. It also echoes the trend for mothers to post pictures of their post-pregnancy bodies, as a way help other mums to feel comfortable with their bodies.

Last month mother of three Elise Raquel from posted pictures of herself hours after giving birth, in a bid to encourage other mothers to feel a sense of solidarity and pride at the additional stretch marks and enduring bump following child birth.

"It's taken me three babies, but I've finally realised this postpartum body isn't something to hide! I am beyond proud for what this body has given and sacralised," she wrote in her post, which has been widely shared.

Baugh's tongue-in-cheek point seems to be that dads suffer the effects of parenthood too.

In the post, he describes how he now has no time for fitness, instead juggling childcare and difficult shift patterns with his wife. He says he has found it near impossible to lose weight and has instead decided to embrace his 'dad bod'.

"My stomach is a symbol of how happy I am to be a father and a husband," he writes. "I don't have a six pack? So what! I have two beautiful children and an amazing wife at home."

Construction worker Baugh's humorous take on the physical effects of parenthood appeared to resonate with a large number of parents when it appeared on the Love What Matters Facebook Page. One mother commented; "Maybe it's the mom in me but I think men with beards and a little chub around the mid section are pretty darn hot."

Another supporter called into question our priorities as a society, citing mental wellbeing and contentment as vastly preferable to a lean and lonely lifestyle: "Hell yes, you have your priorities in order. Being thin or not thin doesn't make a person happy or healthy."

Others questioned whether or not a woman embracing their post-pregnancy body in similar fashion would receive the same level of support: "I think the only part that annoys me is that a dad with a few extra kilos is 'cute' and 'a good dad' but women are shamed for it despite the fact they actually grew another human being, changing their body forever."

The sight of someone embracing the contentment of fatherhood sends a positive message to many parents struggling with similarly difficult schedules which don't allow for ab-blasting gym sessions. Bulging biceps be damned, a contented family life is what counts.