First, it was the "Great Kate Wait".

After the world impatiently counted down to the royal baby's arrival last week, another "wait" is swiftly upon us - this time, the "Great Kate Weight Loss".

The British edition of OK! magazine got in hot water last week, sparking public backlash for running a cover story about Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton's post-baby weight loss regime on the day she left the hospital with newborn George Alexander Louis. She sported a prominent "mummy tummy" under her blue Jenny Packham polka-dot dress.

The celebrity news tabloid promised details of a "Duchess diet and shape-up plan", and quoted Middleton's personal trainer as saying "she's super-fit - her stomach will shrink straight back".

While this may sound extreme and put unnecessary stress on mothers to lose weight soon after birth, the pressure of looking good is part of the fame game.

"Celebrities are pressured to stay slim since they are in the public eye. They are scrutinised and criticised for their looks all the time," local celebrity blogger Xiaxue told The New Paper.

The new mum would know, considering she has often been criticised for her appearance, even when she was pregnant.

The 28-year-old, whose real name is Wendy Cheng, gave birth to her first child, son Dashiel, by caesarean section, in March.

"Only people who don't have children will make a ridiculous statement that losing weight should be a priority for new mums, particularly first-time mums," she added, referring to OK! magazine's story.

"The first few weeks are extremely tough. You stress about milk flow and if the baby's latching on.

You also have to tackle post-natal blues, find a routine for the baby's day and get used to no more than two hours of sleep at a stretch. All the while, you are in residual pain from childbirth.

"The last thing we need is to stress about our waistline."

Australian-Chinese actress-host Jaymee Ong agreed: "The Duchess emerged one day after giving birth, so that in itself is amazing.

I think she is so beautiful and that's what a woman looks like 24 hours later.

How dare anyone comment on her figure?

"She looked stunning and radiant, and there is no reason a woman should feel the need to hide anything."

But Ong, 33, who has a three-year-old daughter, Juliet, admitted that she did feel the pressure to get back into shape.

Said the Singapore-based Beam Artistes artist: "I was back filming (entertainment news variety show) eBuzz seven weeks after delivery, so I needed to look somewhat slimmer.

"There is so much pressure on women in general to look a certain way. The last thing you need to worry about after having a baby is weight loss. Women need to do everything in their own time, when they're ready."

For Yeo Yann Yann, 36, the star of the Canneswinning local movie Ilo Ilo, getting back into shape after her caesarean section was on her mind only because she was "way overweight during pregnancy".

The Malaysian actress, who has an 11-month-old girl, Song Wen, had piled on 30kg and tipped the scales at an unhealthy 78kg.

Her unplanned pregnancy almost cost her the lead female role in Ilo Ilo, but director Anthony Chen re-wrote the script so that Yeo's character was pregnant.

She said: "Most people will want to get back their figure straight after delivery, and so maybe OK! magazine assumed Kate wanted that too."

Fortunately for these three personalities, losing the baby weight came naturally and all credited breastfeeding as the secret.

Read the full story here.