I was concerned about the possible negative medium to long term effects pregnancy would have on my body. I’m sure I’m not alone when I make that statement and I don’t want anyone to think I was more concerned about gaining too much weight than I was the health of my baby, I wasn’t.
When it came down to it, as I mentioned in my maternity fashion post – I didn’t weigh myself the entire 7 months from when I discovered I was actually pregnant. I’d heard a gain of 2 stone (28lbs/12.5kg) was to be expected. This sounded like a lot if I’m honest, that was until I became more educated in the numerous changes you go through in order to grow a human (please see the grey box on the right) and then it didn’t seem quite so overwhelming, if anything 2 stone doesn’t give you much room for kitkats and cake does it?
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I exercised throughout the nine months, a mixture of pilates and the Tracy Anderson workout DVD. Exercising makes me feel good, not just the obvious release of endorphins but the fact I like to feel fit and strong, I was creating a person after all, I wanted to make sure my body was equipped to do just that. I weighed myself at 39 weeks on the morning I was due in hospital (I had an elective C-section due to a pre-existing condition and a prior operation that could cause complications for both my baby and I should I opt for a natural birth) and I had gained 24lbs. I assume had I gone full term then I would have been nearer the 28lbs as estimated/expected.
Due to the c-section I have been unable to drive or work out until my 6 week sign off which was last Thursday, I waited until this point to weigh myself again and see how much I have to “lose”, I am 10lbs more than than what I would like according to the scales. I thought I would be more bothered by this but I’m not. I thought I would stand in front of the mirror in my underwear and be upset by my reflection, I’m not. I’m not about to don a bikini anytime soon but the weight aspect or even the change in my over all shape (for the first few weeks I seriously couldn’t imagine how on earth all that extra torso skin would ever go back to the way it once was) although not exactly filling me with joy, pales into insignificance in comparison to how seriously impressed I am at how my body has coped with producing my beautiful, healthy daughter.
I completed my first post pregnancy pilates class Thursday evening (nothing like throwing yourself right back erm.. into it) and it was tough, I couldn’t manage half the things I could do easily only a few months ago. This didn’t come as a shock, my doctor had recommended I take it very easy and stop if I felt even the slightest bit uncomfortable. But my goodness I enjoyed it. It’s like I have this whole new found respect for my body, I want to look after it better that ever before, not so that I can feel confident in the aforementioned swimwear but because I owe it. As a result I’m re-thinking the amount of refined sugar and general rubbish I shove into it most days (I could never deny myself, nor should I but I have a serious “treat” issue). And yes I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to considering the timescales in which I want to be able to wear my “usual” wardrobe but I understand and respect the fact I’ve got to give it time to heal.
I guess the purpose of this post is to say it wasn’t as bad as I’d expected and that although vanity will undoubtedly play a part in my recovery it’s come as a pleasant surprise that for the most part, I have never felt more comfortable in my own strong (and at this point quite stretched!) skin. I’m even quite fond of my scar – it makes me feel like I’ve got the war wound to prove I won the battle.
As always do share your own experiences and thoughts, and if any of you can recommend some discreet but hard working undergarment type shape wear it would be much appreciated.
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{Weight Gain Facts}
Baby: 7.3lbs
Placenta: 1.5lbs
Amniotic Fluid: 1.8lbs
Uterus Muscle Growth: 2lbs
Blood Volume: 2.6lbs
Extra Fluid: 2.6lbs
Breast Tissue/Fat storage for breast feeding: 9.1lbInformation is provided by The Baby Centre and is an expected estimation.
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Thank you for writing this, Charlotte. I’m 38 weeks pregnant and despite some body image issues in the past, am loving my bump and general pregnant bod. I will admit, though, that I am feeling more than a bit nervous about the shape (or state) I’m going to be in after this baby emerges (though apparently not enough to restrict my daily chocolate intake).
After reading this, I’m feeling a lot more confident that it will be ok – I might slim down again quite quickly, I might not, but either way, it won’t matter because my body has just done something so much more amazing than any diet can offer.
My pleasure, you will find that the time goes so fast too – in a good way as you are spending so much quality time with your baby that the first month or so you won’t really give your body too much thought. So glad you are loving your bump, I kind of miss mine 🙂
Brace yourself….there will be a LOT of mums out there who are a lot further down the road, with a lot more than 10lbs to lose! I will never forget the friend who told me ‘Oh I lost all of mine within 2 weeks’ when I was still carrying an extra 2 stone and my baby was 5 months old. Why she felt the need to point this out to me I will never know.
I wasn’t able to exercise at all during pregnancy, towards the end I couldn’t even walk (SPD). Afterwards I was aneamic and very weak for several months. My main exercise now is the old cliche of running around after my toddler! Lifting him has also worked wonders for my arms. I have tried to do the 30 Day Shred video but he just comes and sits on my belly which makes it quite difficult! He is 19 months now and I now weigh less than before I fell pregnant. I didn’t bother trying to lose anything until he was about a year old, weight came off slowly and steadily on its own before then. It also just wasn’t that important to me. After what I’d been through, I was still amazed with myself and feeling superhuman and happy that my body was still functioning! Now I’m slim again though I feel great, and to be honest if I had another I would try to be a bit more sensible when pregnant (easier said than done!!) so I didn’t have so much to lose.
Also never fall pregnant in January when you are still carrying extra Christmas weight!!!
Hi Kathryn, it sounds as though you had a really tough time of it but its lovely to hear how you coped so well/are feeling now. The weight “number” thing is a bit of a difficult one to mention without potentially causing someone to perhaps feel it isn’t that much, for the record I don’t think it is and I completely appreciate those who have significantly more they want to lose (or less!) but it’s all relative, I’m short/petite so it’s about 9% of my usual body weight…and it seems to have stuck itself all on my backside 🙂 x
This picture is the cutest!!! Love reading your blog posts about this – having been married for a few years now, babies are certainly on the brain at the moment, and it’s really useful to read all about your experience and to get others’ advice too. Keep posting! 🙂 x
Hi Claire! thanks for the feedback – always appreciated, without it we don’t know what people like! x
Oh its so nice to hear that other people worry about this sort of thing too! I have been feeling really vein when I have worries about losing my alright-ish figure and have been desperately trying to put it to the back of my mind. The minute I told my best friend I was pregnant she kept looking at my still flatish but albeit slightly bloated belly and its making me feel really worried that I’ll come out of this experience with a body I am self conscious of. The problem is that right now, at only 8 weeks pregnant, I feel so sick all of the time and the only thing that makes me feel remotely better is to pretty much constantly stuff my face. Different foods repel me on a day to day basis and whilst some days I only want to eat apples (hurrah) the next day (today) I just want to eat almond croissants and hot chocolate (gulp!) – I had a particularly low day the other day with a pot noodle.
I am usually VERY disciplined with what I eat as well as going to the gym at least 4 times per week and spending the summer doing triathlons. I really hope that once the sickness subsides I can focus on healthy eating and ALOT less refined sugar and processed foods.
PS Thank you for the Tracey Anderson recommendation – I am looking forward to feeling less sick and making this a more regular part of my week.
Hi Georgina, you sound a lot like me with regards one day only wanting to eat apples/raw carrot but on another just wanting malteasers…..what I would say is listen to your body, sometimes you clearly just do need an almond croissant! and as long as you are balancing it out with “good” foods and exercising I wouldn’t worry about it too much.
I am actually doing the Tracy Anderson post pregnancy too as it’s gentle yet effective, I plan on moving to her other DVDs at 12 weeks ish (There are so many, how does one choose?!)
The pot noodle comment made me laugh, I did the same with a bag of greasy sausage rolls from Morrisons bakery…….. 🙂 x
Georgina I was exactly the same at your stage. To my horror, I couldn’t stomach any fruits or veg for the first trimester. All I could eat was carbs and sugars! Apparently it’s an instinctive way for your body to avoid anything likely to contain bacteria and focusing yourself on ‘plain foods’. I ate a lot of sausage rolls & chocolate!
You are definitely not alone in this. My mantra is that it takes 9 months to put on therefore you have 9 months to loose it. Mind you I’m ten months on and still half a stone off but oh well. As a cake baker dieting isn’t the easiest thing, after all I need to check that the cakes are up to scratch!! I do worry about loosing the rest but I’m back in my normal clothes so don’t mind too much and no holidays planned so no need to panic yet. So long as you feel healthy and well don’t worry! xx
How you stay so trim and bake cakes all day is beyond me! the only way I can prevent an over indulgence of treats is by not having them in the house 🙂 x
Really enjoying the baby/pregnancy related posts. I had my baby boy 6 weeks ago and have also been surprised how quickly I started to go back to normal. I didn’t weigh myself during pregnancy but need to lose about 10 lbs to be back to my pre-pregnancy state. I was also surprised at the change in my body shape. My ribs seem to have expanded and haven’t yet shrunk back which limits my clothing options. As for shapewear, m&s have some good options but also try TK Maxx. Zara also do some good high waisted treggings which create a nice smooth stomach.
Envious of your ability to stick with Tracey Anderson, I found it exhausting just watching her but maybe I owe it to my body to give it another go!
Hmmm, I haven’t noticed expanding ribs as such, just an expanding bum 🙂
Will check out M&S definitely and I think I have those Zara treggings (also a few similar pairs from topshop)
I think it’s Tracey’s ability to move like some kind of (very small) machine that motivates me, that woman is made of elastic I swear!!!
Thank you for this post Charlotte. As someone who is currently ttc and by my own admission a bit obsessed with my weight, it is really interesting to hear your side of things. I have wondered several times that should I be lucky enough to get pregnant how I will deal with the weight gain both during and after pregnancy… I think you had the right idea by keeping up the exercise and not denying yourself anything, it is a really healthy outlook and I have bookmarked this post to come back to for future reference. Thank you.
Thanks Stacey, I’m glad it helped. I think keeping on top of exercise made me not feel so guilty about eating biscuits, sometimes I was REALLY too tired but still managed to get on with it, I found that 5 minutes in to the workout I felt much better and actually getting my blood pumping made me feel less lethargic over all and I slept better at night. x
My little Felix is 9 weeks now and I lost about 18lbs in the first three weeks. I still have the same again to lose to get back to the weight I was when I conceived. I wouldn’t mind whittling another five pounds off on top of that either!
I did gain more than I expected but it started to happen when my baby wasn’t growing at all between 26-30 weeks. Once that was picked up on by my doctor, I was put on restricted activity, which meant all my pregnancy yoga and walking stopped. I really started to gain at that point, where as up until then I had been on track for about a 28lb weight gain in total I reckon. Oh well….I’m sure I’ll lose it by Xmas and the happiness I feel about my healthy baby far outweighs any wobbles I have about my figure.
On the other hand, I do agree with you about how looking at my body it doesn’t actually feel that bad at all! I am more concerned by the number on the scales than what I look like! Thats a good way round to be I guess 🙂
“Weight” is a weird one, I have a friend who I mentioned my weight to once (pre pregnancy) who thought I must have got it wrong, not in a mean way or anything but because she is a dress size bigger yet weighs quite a bit less, she assumed I must “weigh” less that she did – if you see what I mean. For me it’s more about feeling fit and the way I look in my clothes I guess. Restricted activity must have been difficult but your attitude now seems very healthy! As Charlotte said above, it takes 9 months to get this way, we should give ourselves that time to get back (Funnily enough my husband said the same!) x
Georgina – I’m now 14 weeks and, the same as you, the only way I could stop feeling ill at the beginning was to eat, eat, eat. It wasn’t always bad stuff, but the sheer volume of it couldn’t have been good! Only over the last week or so has my appetite started to get back to normal, but that’s come back at the same time that my tummy is very definitely beginning to grow (and I’m hoping that the majority of it is baby, and not Crunchie, related!). I’m trying to get myself back on track from today, and I’m also giving Tracy another go this week (I was just too tired the last month or so)
Charlotte – your baby posts are fab and always impeccably timed. We waited a month before telling a soul we were pregnant, during which time you posted the maternity survival and maternity fashion pieces – both ace, and it felt like you were the only person who knew! 🙂 Keep them coming! x
Ooh I feel special! 🙂
One thing I would say is, if a Tracy workout is too much do half in the morning and half later on, I found splitting the workout into two 20 minute sessions made it far easier to deal with. There was also a month I found particularly difficult so I simply moved onto the next one earlier. x
I put about 3 stone on in my pregnancy but a lot if it was water. I felt huge but was constantly being told I was ‘all bump’. Plus my baby was nearly 10lb! I weighed myself a week after giving birth and I’d lost 2 stone without even trying! Like I said I think a lot of it was water. My daughter is 1 year old now and have only just got back into my regular exercise routine and 3 weeks in I can already see my body getting back it’s shape. I still have half a stone too loose to get back to pre pregnancy weight but I’m doing it sensibly. I can’t help with shape wear. I find it just pushes my fat somewhere else! One thing I’m not sure will ever go back to normal though since having a baby is my broad back! Not sure why it’s gone so broad (my boobs are back to normal) but can’t tell you the amount of times I’ve been stuck in tops/dresses in changing rooms!
Hi Lucy, I carried a lot of water apparently although Mabel was 8lbs 7 (she was supposed to be a small baby?!)
It’s amazing how your body does change so quickly isn’t it, I’m trying to do 15 mins or so of pilates now every night before bed (depending on Mabel crying or not obvs!) x
Love this post (well all your lovely maternity ones actually). I stupidly have weighed myself every so often, but mainly to check something is actually happening in there! Am nearly 20 weeks and haven’t really added too much, but I do try to make sure that I stay healthy and not gorge on prawn cocktail crisps (and in my dreams hunks of Brie!).
I ordered Tracey Anderson’s workout DVD from your previous recommendation Charlotte! Love it so far, though the woman is a machine…
Also trying out antenatal yoga. The biggest thing I find is that I’m really missing horse riding and gymnastics, but I guess childbirth and motherhood will be an adrenaline rush in itself.
I’m also at that stage where maternity clothes look terrible, but so do normal clothes and I have two big weddings coming up: one in Mallorca and one big country wedding. So body image has become a little bit of an issue when I’m staring into a high street shop’s mirrors looking like I’ve eaten a very large steak pie. Boobs also have exploded into playboy proportions (prob nothing to complain about but tough to find clothes).
Love all the advice from new mums, it’s so reassuring for a worried first timer.
Xx
I’m going to mention it a future post but have you tried the Sandy and or Hayley Maxi dresses from Boohoo? Hayley is flattering as quite loose (for steak pie days) and Sandy is quite stretchy for if bump appears before wedding – they are a tenner each so an absolute bargain! I think maxi’s for summer pregnancy are the way forward with a slouchy cardigan/cute knitwear for evening cover ups.
I say wear a bit of cleavage on show if you can, you know what they say, if you’ve got it….
Another Tracy purchaser, woo!I follow her on instagram too for um…extra motivation x
Huge congratulations on the rather gorgeous Mabel! I think this is a really sensible attitude. I
(sorry…. Hit send too early… Underslept!) I’ve been blown away at the toll having a baby takes on the body, but oh my goodness, one look at the baby you MADE and you think… well of COURSE it does! And all for a good reason. It does come off, slowly but surely. I had a c sec too and your abs are shot afterwards, but your body is designed to heal, and it gets there.
It’s the bit above the scar that’s odd for me, I simply have no sensation there at all, it’s as though it doesn’t belong to me! it’s still quite swollen though so I expect it will go back to normal in time.
Charlotte I really love your baby posts. For a long time I had convinced myself that babies were not for me, mainly because I was so terrified of the unknown. And this made me feel sad. Reading your posts has made it all seem, well, a little less scary I suppose. I love how honest you are and it is obvious you are besotted with little Mabel! X
Anna what a lovely post, I too was terrified, about the effect on my job, my relationship, whether I’d be able to cope etc, having Mabel has so far made my relationship better than ever and so far my career hasn’t suffered, if anything I’m full of ideas! x
I have always had a bit of a belly, and get stretch marks even just looking at cakes, so I knew my post-pregnancy body would be a bit of a mess! I was devastated when I got my first one at 28 weeks and they just continued to spread. By the time I gave birth, I was completely ‘meh’ about them though, I had carried a blimmin’ human for goodness sake! I can’t lie and say I’m comfortable in my skin now at 5 months post birth, I am half a stone lighter than I was pre-pregnancy (thank you breastfeeding!) but my ‘mum tum’ is pretty bad. But any sadness I feel when looking at the purple marks on my stomach is completely swept away when I look at my little love, she was worth every one! I mean, what’s a bit of sagginess when you can say that your body grew the best person ever?! (However, any tips for reducing a jelly belly greatly appreciated haha!)
I think we all look at at ourselves and are so much more judgmental than anyone else ever would be. Nothing has made my stomach flatter (pre pregnancy!) than pilates, I’m going back to it and would highly recommend it, once you learn the main/basic moves you can do ten minutes here or there/when convenient. You sound as though you have kept very level headed about everything x
Thanks for the post Charlotte and well done you look amazing. It is such a strange thing the whole body issue after a baby. I am 5 months on now and although I was lucky to lose it pretty quickly, my body is not quite what it was, definatly more wobbly and more old lady looking, I just need to tone up but in order to do that I need some motivation! I have a holiday to go on in a month and the thought of wearing swimwear in the sunlight is horrifying! I must step away from the biscuit tin!!
I currently go to buggyfit and can highly recommend it, great way to get up and out with your babba. X
I think the girls from my NCT are considering buggy fit, is it more jogging than actual running? (I’m no longer a runner!) My husband keeps asking if we can go away somewhere hot next month, I have been pushing for at least September….or perhaps I just need to invest in a good kaftan 🙂 x
It is quite gentle, lots of power walking and then you stop and do various exercises, lunges, squats and yes jogging. You just do what is possible for you, everyone is at different stages. I can’t wait for a bit of sun, just go for it :-). The Kaftan is about to me my best friend as well!! X
Thank you Charlotte, cannot believe I didn’t think of Boohoo! Some card battering may happen later methinks…x
I’m really enjoying your pregnancy/post-birth related posts (actually, I’m loving all of the posts and look forward to my morning read of the blog). My little girl is 8 months old. I’m back in my pre-pregnancy jeans, although they’re a little tighter than I remember. I’m at my natural weight now I think, although a bit soft around the egdes. I don’t feel like I’ve had much opportunity to exercise yet (breastfeeding has been a real tie as Amelie won’t take a bottle and she is a rubbish sleeper. I should just make a workout part of the day, pulling funny faces at her whilst exercising!), apart from lifting my chunky monkey and walks with the sling! I tried to carry on exercising throughout pregnancy – giving birth and looking after a baby is tough so I figured having a strong healthy body is important. Quite a few people I know just didn’t understand. I’m sure my dad thought I should just sit on the sofa for 9 months! I would have gone crazy. I love exercise and am really missing it at the moment. I know I’ll get there and am loving being a mum. Amelie is worth a break from circuit training 🙂
On a separate point – where did you get the sleep suit for Mabel in the picture for the post? She’s always very well dressed! Do you have any tips on reasonably priced but stylish baby clothes?
Hi Sarah! Soft round the edges is a nice way to look at it, my husband has mentioned on many occasions how my face and well…in general I look “healthier” recently, I thought he was just being kind to begin with but he’s gone on about it so much!
I’m with you on the exercising and trying to entertain the baby whilst doing it, I’ve set up my studio/home office so I have room to do a bit of Tracy and Mabel can spectate in her swing chair, not entirely sure how thrilled she’ll be about it mind!
The baby grow was a present from Nanny and Grandad (goes off to check label….it’s a brand called Lucy & Sam?) but I would recommend H&M and scouring sales for bargains, I’ve had some super pieces from the Indigo range at M&S for less than half price, John Lewis also do some really pretty sleep suits in a pack of 3 for £15, they wash so well. I have some floral prints, gingham and cute sheep/stripes
Love the name Amelie 🙂 x
At last someone being honest about being worried about their weight post pregnancy! When our anti natal class discussed if we were worried about our bodies after birth everyone skirted around the issue being polite saying they weren’t worried & weren’t in any rush to lose weight as their bodies did such a magical job of making a baby. Which was all lovely but I was the only person who felt concerned that my husband would no longer find me attractive & that I may never lose that extra baby weight. Having been slim all my life naturally I felt that my body shape had become a part of my identity in a way & that would be lost if I kept on all that extra weight. Some people never lose it no matter how much they try & that did worry me whilst pregnant as I made the mistake of weighing myself the once around 30 weeks-it was 3 stone more so I didn’t do that again during preganancy! I was made to feel a bit vain & now 4 months post birth still no one talks about loosing weight (other than my closest buddies) & I’m sure it’s on the minds of fellow new mothers.
I’ve signed up for buggy fit (you can jog or run and push yourself harder if you want to) which is hard going as I hate exercise with a vengeance but have a wedding/holiday in a few months time so I have the 9 months on 9 months off mentality to sensibly go back to my pre baby weight. Breastfeeding helps but although I don’t fit into all my wardrobe I now have an excuse to buy more clothes as finding comfy yet fashionable clothes you can breastfeed in is a whole other ball game!
It’s interesting, most of my friends have definitely talked about the weight aspect, but I’d say it’s the overall “shape” that seems to be more cause for concern, and takes more work I imagine. For me the biggest thing is looking longingly at all of my lovely clothes (I bought quite a few new things just before I found out I was pregnant and have never been able to wear them) but I use it as motivation and something to look forward to.
I know what you mean about the breastfeeding/fashionable thing, I felt like I was house bound, the bras in particular made me very sad indeed (of course this could have just been the hormones!) x
Love the pregnancy / baby posts, I’m 35 weeks at the moment and have been surprised so far that my body hasn’t changed a scary amount and I’ve only put about 16/17 pounds on (I am not saintly with my food but sickness until 18 weeks shortly followed by daily heartburn has meant I haven’t stuffed my face as much as I thought I would!) but a lot of people tell me that you can balloon in the last month so I’m getting a bit anxious about how I might change from now until the birth and how I’ll look afterwards! This post has reassured me that it might not be so bad… Pre-pregnancy I used 30 day shred to lose weight for my wedding so I think I’ll go back to that when I feel ready but intrigued to try Tracy Anderson now too! X
Hi Sarah, I was pleasantly surprised too, gosh, we must all have such pre-conceived ideas about morphing into someone else entirely!
I didn’t balloon in the last month as such, it was 35 weeks that my bump was pretty big, it didn’t get much larger after that (good job, I would have toppled over.)
I’ve heard of this 30 day shred may times, it must work well, although the term “shred” puts me off for some reason?! is it supposed to make you muscular? x
Haha I don’t think so although there are 3 levels to it and I must confess I’ve never advanced past level 1 as that’s always been scary enough for me… It’s just a good effective workout with a mixture of cardio and weights to burn fat and tone up! I like the fact that it’s quick, it’s over with in about 20 mins but you feel like you’ve been pushed! If you do it regularly as well it’s amazing how quickly you see an improvement in your stamina which is encouraging… I’ve only been doing aqua aerobics once a week while pregnant so fully expecting to struggle when I return to more hardcore exercise… :/ x
Not only do I have my own 23 week old baby Mabel(!) but I’m also a nutritionist. I see a lot of women so worried about their weight both during pregnancy and in the post natal period and it saddens me. Most of the time these ladies have nothing to worry about about – with some healthy choices and a bit more pushing the pram they shed the weight that they have naturally gained to support their pregnancy (although i would say there is a serious lack of support and education when it comes to nutrition during this important time). Unfortunately we’ve all come to believe that a women’s body has to look a certain way, when the reality is we are all different, especially post baby. Wouldn’t it be lovely if we could all wear these changes and differences with pride!
What a great baby name choice 🙂
It’s the time thing for me, I’m so impatient, I always think I’ll see results far sooner than is realistic, but yes there is a lack of nutrition info, all I read was what I SHOULDN”T eat, which seemed to be basically everything!
I’ve just found this – the 4th trimester project which I think is a great leveller. I also really love the quote from Salma hayek…
http://www.buzzfeed.com/ashleyperez/photographs-that-hope-to-change-the-way-we-look-at-post-p?bffb&s=mobile
No matter how ‘ready’ I thought I was for having children, nothing prepared me for the alien like feeling of looking at my body and not really recognising it. The weight gain doesn’t bother me *too* much (am 26 weeks) but I do have a very large bump for my stage. I haven’t put on weight anywhere else yet, but my overall shape just feels different. Having gone from a very modest B-cup to a bra that is quite considerably bigger (I actually can’t put the measurements in writing… Its took scary!) I feel different, I look different, everything fits differently… But not in a bad way. It all feels very natural.
The husband says he loves my bump and ‘new body’ and that I look really healthy, but I can’t help but wonder how I (and he!) will feel with my post-pregnancy bod!
And Charlotte, I too am trying to be a bit more sensible with what I put in my body: there’s nothing like the conscience weight of growing another human to make you think twice about whether you *really* need that slice of cake….!
Ha ha Tallulah I know, although I couldn’t resist the biscuit tin in general I ate a lot less processed foods/take aways etc
I also found red meat and cheese made me feel really sick so I cut those out too and I felt much better, I’ve managed to keep to that post pregnancy (although I do miss lasagne…)
I think husbands/partners are a lot more understanding and appreciative than we give them credit for, mine exclaimed how he couldn’t believe “how quickly I’ve snapped back into shape” – erm, is he blind?! and whether he’s being especially nice or genuinely thinks it at least he’s said it, it makes me feel less self conscious undressing. x
I have read these comments with interest and really enjoyed the post Charlotte. I have found it is quite a taboo subject amongst other women to talk about how terrified you are that pregnancy will ‘ruin’ your body. Having suffered with anorexia in my teens I was filled with anxiety to learn just over two years ago that I was expecting twins…my genuine first fear was ‘oh my god, I’m going to be huge!!’ Somehow I managed to put these thoughts to the back of my mind…I too only found the horrid nausea went away when gorging myself with carbs (particularly hash browns!!). At 37 weeks going my induction I tipped the scales 5 stone heavier then I started…I was mortified!! But I was overwhelmingly proud to have my twin girls naturally and at 5 and 6lbs they were great weights for twins! A lot of it was fluid and I lost a fair amount breastfeeding. 20 months later I am still a stone heavier than I was when we conceived but I am so proud of my battle-scarred body..I hate the ‘twin-skin’ around my belly and my less than pert boobs from 10months of breastfeeding but it’s slowly recovering but I’m chuffed to bits I carried two!!
Gosh Sophie, with a disorder history AND having twins you have such a healthy and positive attitude. I STILL have a craving for hash browns (they are like one of my favourite food stuffs)
Congratulations on your lovely twins, it’s amazing how we have all this anxiety only to realise it wasn’t as bad as we expected and the end result is more than worth it x
[…] was five times that amount. (I was wearing the grey version on the picture I had with Mabel for my Body Matters […]
I have loved this thread and it has made me feel so much better about my growing pregnancy body . I actually allowed my hubbie to get a (very short) glimpse of me starkers the other morning – to which he nonchalantly walked past muttering ‘fit’ HURRAH! I think we need to give the boys a bit more credit sometimes. Anyway – thanks again for the baby related posts – keep them coming! I’m off now to Sainsbury’s to buy hash browns. Mmmmmmmm 🙂
Ha ha ha loving the “fit” 🙂
And yes credit where credit is due, my husband thought the whole thing was quite amazing. x
Charlotte, yet another fabulous post. My husband and I are still ttc so I can’t really talk from my own experience. Interesting enough though not becoming pregnant gives me immense motivation to exercise . My mantra at the moment is “If I am not pregnant, I might as well be fit!” I just believe that it helps me feel good and might help with conceiving too and supporting my body in pregnancy as well.
However working in obstetrics I see a LOT of pregnant women on a daily basis and I have to admit I wish half of them were as motivated and interested in a healthy body as all of you are. And I stress that I mean healthy and not necessarily slim! But the number of obese women with the rising risks increases drastically…
Hi Anja, thanks so much for the positive feedback, my GP outlined what a growing epidemic it is – pregnant women not looking after themselves during pregnancy, it’s such a shame. I wonder if it’s to do with lack of understanding/naivety? x
Thank you so much Charlotte! I had my baby nearly 3 weeks ago and had many the same worries as you mentioned – what would my body look like post-Bump? Would I fit back into my ‘normal’ clothes? And how would I feel being more squishy for a couple of months? But since my Bump became a Baby I don’t care I think my body (all female bodies) is incredible at it has produced. I have a new found respect for my body that I wish I’d had all along! I have vowed to drop any thought of dieting and just live a healthy lifestyle with some exercise thrown in for good measure. Like you I owe my body this much. This is certainly one post-pregnancy benefit I had never dreamed existed!
[…] my thoughts on the aesthetic changes to your body that pregnancy can cause to my previous “Body Matters” post but the whole feature would have been way too long. Just to stipulate before I begin, […]