VANESSA LIM, 29
Communications manager of a luxury fashion house

Mention to Vanessa Lim that she looks like Taiwanese singer Valen Hsu, and her face drops: 'I don't think it's a compliment. She's not very pretty.'

She is, though, and cuts a slim figure. But don't ask her about her weight as she's 'too scared to look at the scales'.

Instead, she gauges it by the pre-pregnancy clothes that she can fit into.

Lim wears a jacket, necklace and silver pumps, prices unavailable, all from Chanel, 01-25 Ngee Ann City; and her own leggings

Asked if her job at the fashion house gives her extra pressure to regain her figure, she says: 'There is an added pressure to look good, but regardless of whether I work for a fashion house, I'd still want to get back in shape.

'I don't believe that I should let it all go just because I have a baby.'

Motherhood has changed her in other ways, though.

'My schedule revolves around the baby. I used to stay out longer and spent a lot more time with friends.

'Shopping is also something that I haven't done in a really long time.'

The mother of 11-month-old Caitlin hardly has time to work out, as 'an hour at the yoga studio is an hour missed with her'. Her greatest fear is that 'Caitlin would grow closer to my maid than to me'.

She then relates a story: When her engineer husband Goh Tat Chuan, 34, took Caitlin to the airport to pick her up from a business trip in March, the baby burst out crying when Lim turned her back to fetch some luggage. She feared that Mum was leaving again.

She says: 'In a way, that made me feel good. It showed that she missed me.'

TIPS FOR LOOKING GOOD

» Exercise

Besides keeping you toned and preparing you for labour, it helps your state of mind as well.

» Anti-stretch mark oil

You can't really treat stretch marks, except to prevent them. Creams don't work as well as oils.

» Wraps

I did a herbal oil wrap and massage for seven consecutive days after I gave birth. My weight went down substantially within the first week.

This article was first published in Urban, The Straits Times on May 8, 2008.