If you're not "bouncing back" as soon as you expected after giving birth, don't beat yourself up. A recent study suggests that new moms may take up to a year to recover fully from childbirth.

Assessing post natal recovery at two to three weeks, at three months and then again at six to seven months, Dr Julie Wray of Salford University found that women typically took around a year to feel themselves again.

Wray interviewed women on how they felt about their post natal medical care and found that many mothers were disappointed to find they were not in shape by their six week check-up, with many calling it a "fantasy".

"Women feel that it takes much longer than six weeks to recover and they should be supported beyond the current six to eight weeks after birth."

She said that many women felt they were left to get on with it, with very little support after birth.

"The midwifery profession must raise the status of postnatal care as any further erosion can only be bad for women and their children," she told the Daily Mail.

Along with physical changes, new mothers need to adjust to the dramatic change in their lives psychologically, which can be extremely challenging for today's working moms.

Sue MacDonald, an expert in midwifery in Britain, said that many women endure a lot of discomfort and pain in the months after childbirth because they think it is normal.