to wonder why, after all she's been through Amanda Holden is planning to 'return to Britain's Got Talent' this weekend?

[deaconblue]

surely you'd just snuggle up with your newborn for a while longer?

Well it's not exactly 'work' is it?

And she won't have to catch the bus there and back or ride a bike.

If she's up to a couple of hours in front of a TV camera then fair play to her.

Agreed Fatlazymummy, but I guess the point I was trying to make was that people in RL are guided by what these celeb types do. My friends are generally all childless and assume that having babies and caring for them is a breeze. I just think for me personally it'll fuel the perceptions I've encountered which seem to be along the lines of, if you choose to hole up with your newborn, you're lazy.

The feminism board has a thread on sisterhood and supporting women because of shared experiences e.g. motherhood. Looking at this thread I can see that the sisterhood is indeed a myth.

bofo it is silly that people look to celebs for guidance. They are just people, the same as all of us. Unfortunately people usually do think babies are a breeze when they don't have any of their own, see the threads on childless weddings eg!. You just have to have confidence to do things your way, there is no right or wrong way in this situation.

I'm not AH, I'm not her DH, I'm not her GP, her boss, her driver, her stylist... I don't know her. All I know is that she had a horrendous time of it not long ago, and that she's going back to work this weekend, her work doesn't entail long hours away from home, and mostly involves sitting down watching performers.

I have to assume that she feels fine, has been given the all clear, and isn't going to be working long hours away from her baby (who will more than likely be less than 100yds away being coo'd over by the production staff).

Why the heck is it another stick to beat myself with? I gave up beating myself a long time ago, IF her choices make people feel bad, they need to look at themselves and seek some help with confidence.

love the pronouncements on sisterhood etc... thread reads to me more supportive than anything. but some sisters do like to feel superior, don't they?

If people in RL are guided by what celebs do, they are morons.

Oooh, some blonde nobody went back to vacuously judging other nobodies when she just had a baby, I'd better not take the standard maternity leave that almost everyone takes and everyone expects you to take

Really? Just how stupid do you think people are?

i do think people are influenced by celebs... that's why companies want to dress them and use them in ads. it doesn't mean we need to participate of course, but it's pretty clear that we are influenced at some level.

choosing what top to wear or mascara to buy isn't quite at the level of choosing how much time to spend with your own child, but perhaps I'm overestimating womens intelligence?

It IS long hours though

Will her baby be allowed that close? With H and E being what it is, insurance etc, don't bet on it! Not that it matters where the baby is

HAndS

If she can take her baby with her, have a nanny/father backstage, have a chauffeur to and from the studios, then it's really not like most of us working in the real world where you just cannot take a baby into work.

Pfffft. It's hardly the most taxing thing and just a few hours really. If she feels up to it and wants to good for her.

What she does is not an indictment of other women nor an example or mandate to follow.

and she is probably terrified about being pushed out by Aleisha/Carmen.

Her baby will be allowed with her. The days aren't that long really, there's a lot of downtime throughout the day where Amanda will be able to stare at her baby.

I assume.

Presenters and actors often are able to have their babies close by/on set... its quite common.

12hrs sat on the sofa at home with a few breaks from visiting rellies, or 12hrs sat in a dressing room with a few breaks for the next take... there may well not be much difference.

But some people see the headline, and don't even try and assume anything other than how she must be a foolish/uncaring/matryr woman. Gets right on my nerves that does. She may be of course, but I always get annoyed when people think in the negative instantly, without considering that maybe she'd doing this after serious thought and is able to do it a way that wouldn't be open to the rest of us. [shrugs]

12hrs in a factory/office/ward is very different to 12hrs on set, in terms of continuous working. Its tiring, boring, time consuming la la la, but perfectly possible to be able to have a small baby around.

I wonder if she's doing it as a KIT day?

I'm sure no-one would bat an eyelid if we were talking about the Father of a new baby going off to work for a few hours.

Well, it's just another brain dead reality show.

Hope the next Holden headlines are more positive

I don't think there is a "sisterhood" any more than I think that anyone with two brain cells to rub together would assume that all women should go back to work 2 weeks after having a baby because a sleb did it.

There is a world of a difference between Amanda's work and the work that the majority of working women do.

I doubt that many of us have full-time nannies, drivers at our disposal and a make-up/stylist team to ensure that we are looking our best.

WorraLiberty no but it's unlikely that a father would have spent three days in ITU with a PPH.

If a father/male/anyperson was in ITU for three days and then a fortnight later returned to work - well I think people would have something to say about it.

if they were nosy gits who couldn't keep their opinions to themselves they might.

Many women have pph and have to go to intensive care. They are then expected to go home and look after a baby on their own because dads only get 2 weeks paternity leave. Given the choice between being at home on my own with a baby recovering from pph and c-section and being in a studio with lots of help, my baby most of the time being fed and having my hair and make up done for me... well I'd take the latter option. Much less hard work IMO.

It's her choice to make, even if it's not one that many people would agree with or make for themselves.

I almost died from an infection when I went into premature labour with our daughter who died. I really wasn't in any state to go back to work two weeks later, I was very ill for weeks afterwards. For the first week I wasn't even able to walk a single step and it took me a long time to realise just how ill I had been because for months I was only focusing on the loss of our daughter. The seriousness of the situation was kept from me at the time, I was told afterwards but it didn't really hit me until months later.

I can understand Amanda if she feels she wants and needs to get back to normal. I was desperate to get out of hospital and go home, just to get back a bit of control and normality. She might find that she struggles in a few months when the reality of her situation sinks in a bit and the excitement of having a new baby starts to feel more normal to her, but if she's reacting now by feeling that she needs to get back to normal I don't think she should be criticised for it.

I can understand that she might be taking comfort and protecting herself by getting back to a familiar routine of work. Sitting at home with time on her hands to think "oh my god, I nearly died!" might actually be harder for her right now than working on TV with a newborn in tow. It takes time, after an experience like that, to feel strong enough to face up to it.

WorraLiberty no but it's unlikely that a father would have spent three days in ITU with a PPH

Yeah but Amanda knows her own body. Her medical team will also know it.

If she's well enough to go back to work after two weeks, I can't see the problem.