Losing the post-baby bulge is traditionally a difficult task and the general advice of following a sensible diet and upping the amount of exercise applies as ever. Davina McCall uses the 'nine-months-on, nine-months-off ' maxim, meaning that the weight didn't go on overnight, therefore keep weightloss expectations realistic. Ideally, weightloss should be 2lb a week, which doesn't sound like a great amount but will result in you losing a stone over two months.

But for some new mums, even diet and exercise fail to do anything about the problem area of the tummy, which is the why a treatment called endemologie may prove to be especially attractive to them.

Traditionally, endemologie, a holistic treatment, was used to improve scars, burns and for sports injuries such as muscular damage.

The fact that it is one of the most effective treatments for reducing cellulite and promoting weightloss was only discovered by accident. The treatment involves a handheld motorised roller which stimulates lymphatic drainage (up to 300%) and eliminates toxins, increasing blood flow to the area by 400%, resulting in increased collagen and elastin improvement and a healthier skin tone. Clients wear a body stocking for this allover treatment, which can be slightly uncomfortable at times but not painful.

A recent innovation to the treatment is Lipomassage, which focuses on trouble spots in particular, such as the tummy, love handles and thighs and this is what many people seeking to regain their post-pregnancy figure, according to Jeanette Dunne of the Renew Aesthetic Clinic.

Dunne, a former nurse, established the clinic with another former nurse, Sinead Gallagher, and says that clients are opting for a mixture of traditional endemologie and lipomassage to achieve optimum results. "They're picking an area that they would like to concentrate on, so let's say the tummy. We do lipomassage around the tummy and maybe the waistline. Then they would have some traditional endemologie for cellulite, maybe on the bum and then the backs of the legs, " she says.

Overall, 12 sessions are recommended and ideally, two sessions per week, although many people's schedules won't allow them to accommodate this. One session a week will give results but obviously the process will take longer and the effects first start to become visible after six sessions.

It doesn't need to be accompanied by a strict diet or intensive exercise regime but reason should prevail. "What we say is that you do need to make a bit of an effort, you do need to take some exercise. Certainly we don't advocate that you go from nothing to three days a week in the gym because that's unrealistic. But you do need to get out there and do a bit of walking and you do need to watch your diet, " Dunne says. "Don't think that you can just lie on the bed, have this done and everything will be great. We'd recommend that you cut out any high-fat foods and just have a sensible diet . . . nothing drastic."

Endemologie isn't exactly a cheap treatment ( 90 per session and a course of 12 session costs 900 at Renew) but devotees maintain it's well worth the outlay. The final results aren't permanent but they are long term, with clients often opting for one treatment every four to six weeks for maintenance, or before a big event like a wedding or a holiday.

While it won't guarantee the figure of Vodianova (but what treatment ever could? ), it's certainly a good push in the right direction.