How do you feel about your changed figure?

[Sarah13]

I have mixed feelings about the rapid changes in my body. Some days I'm disgusted when I look in the mirror and other days I'm amazed at how special pregnancy is and what my body is doing to nurture this baby. I still haven't had a single stranger mention my bump so always wonder if I just look like I ate all the pies!

it's so hard not to think about after baby is here when I'll have saggy boobs and belly and fat thighs, I try not to think about it, but know it will be hard to get back in shape at my age compared to when I was 20!

Am I the only one who is starting to hate what the see in the mirror, I can't even look at my boobs without wanting to be sick, I'll def be hiding them when I breast feed and now the thighs and bum are starting to collect fat despite me going to the gym 5 times a week. Dont get me wrong Im happy to be pregnant and dont mind my bump, its the rest i hate!

I also feel really guilty for moaning as there are so many girls on here desperate to be pregnant and would happily swap their pre-pregnancy figures to have a baby, I just didn't expect it would bother me as much as it does.

 

[Coco pops]

Hello! I am a good size 14 anyway and have big boobs but I am hating my huge boobies with massive blue veins running through them! they look disgusting! like you I do not mind my bump, thats my babies home but I am struggling with the rest! I also exercise for damage limitation but whatever I am doing obviously isn't enough!

 

[Hemera]

i've always had a bit of a chunky bum and legs so not all that fussed about them getting a tiny bit larger, but its my arms that gross me out. I'm used to having relatively strong arms and now they are all flabby and swollen. my boobs have these massive almost black nipples on them. I love my bump but am dreading when the babies out and I'm just left with loose skin and fat.

Its not that I'm particually unhappy with my body though; its doing a wonderful job! I just don't feel sexy or attractive at all.

 

[EmmBee123]

I had a "bit of extra padding" before falling pregnant. Haven't gained much weight, about 10lbs so far (mostly bump and boobs), but still finding the changes overwhelming. Boobs are awful, huge veiny things, which are leaky, am getting past that by thinking that it's what will feed Pickle when he/she arrives. Tummy is massive and got 5 massive stretchmarks (annoyingly on the top of my bump), but kind of got used to it. Nothing much else has changed. Thing I don't like is that my increased size is stopping me doing things (can barely shave my legs, can't see my feet let alone paint my toenails, hate wearing flats all the time but heels are agony)

Glad to be going through it because I love pickle so much and can't wait to be a mummy, wouldn't swap it for the world, but body seems to have changed so much so quickly.

 

[Georgie0]

i'm the same; i feel so awful then i feel guilty about it. I was never small, but used to be toned and fit. Now its all just mush! I hate the feeling of not being able to do a huge amount as i'm normally super active.

 

[Sassysugar]

I love my bump and boobies are ok atm, but absolutely hate looking in the mirror at my arms and chin as feel as though I am putting weight on there. Keep asking hubby if I have put loads of weight on, he says no, but I just don't see what he sees........

 

[Hayley1608]

your not the only one feeling like this sweet.

i used to have quite serious issues regarding my body image... only about 5 years ago and tbh it never really goes away. for the first time in my life before getting pregnant i was reasonably happy with my body and its taken alot for me to get used to the changes. I love my bump now... i think its beautiful and amazes me that im carrying my daughter around with me all day every day... i just worry about afterwards... when its just my body again. I have A LOT of stretch marks and i can just picture my belly turning into a flabby mess covered in stretch marks which will never go away

I'm also quite an insecure person so i dont think i will believe anybody including dh even if he does tell me it wont matter what my tummy is like afterwards.

doesn't mean we love our beautiful babies any less

xxx

 

[knopk@]

I love the bump cause I love my baby but i dont like what its doing to my body. I used to have a very defined waist and always had larger hips but i didnt mind cause i liked it, now I feel flabby and I can see where the fat has accumulated (mostly thighs and bum) and I am just petrified of stories about gaining even more weight when breastfeeding (cause you want to eat so much).

I am scared I wont have my body back and that I will end up with stretchmarks etc. Sounds selfish, I know, but I want to be happy about my body.

Looks like I had a mini rant, lol

 

[roxane 1985]

i must admit i actually love my figure now, improbably just under 10 stone now as i struggle to put on weight normally 8 stone which upsets me so looking like a woman makes me feel great just hope i ca keep the weight on as it dropped off last time making me look like a skeleton again

thankfully i actually have no stretch marks or any deep veins but im quite tanned so it would be hard to see anyway i think

 

[Sarah13]

I'm glad Im not the only one feeling a bit unhappy about my changing body. Guess the changes happen so quickly it's hard to get your head round it and feels like I have no control anymore. Funny how we all like the bump as it's the baby in there it's the rest of it that's gone soft, wish arms, legs, bum etc would just stay the same! Must admit I'm not helping myself as all I do is eat just now, but I don't seem to have much self control these days!

 

[Sassysugar]

I can't stop eating chocolate, I keep making crispy buns, had 5 yesterday.....

I had heard that breastfeeding makes you lose weight more quickly?? That it can help shrink your uterus? Not heard that you can put weight on with it (I hope not)

 

[knopk@]

Well, they say you burn 500 kcall a day breastfeeding but most women who I know who have breastfed said you eat a lot, too. So you wont necessarily lose weight although of course some women do. But the same rule applies regarding calorie intake/burning. And given how hungry I am during pg and how little I can do to stop myself eating, its a bit depressing.

My mum said though that you will feel really thirsty, not necessarily hungry. We will see I guess.

 

[Sarah13]

The weight fell off me last time I breast fed and it does help your tummy go down, I was just really thirsty. Friends I know put the weight on when they stopped feeding as they didn't adjust their diets accordingly.

 

[Jayceesmumma]

I'm pretty disgusted by everything but my bump.. I love my bump just hate my fat arms legs arse and boobs I love having bigger boobs but know they will be saggy after.. I was lucky the last two times but I don't think I'll be so lucky this time! My sister is due any day now and has only gone up one cup size.. 34c-34d I've gone from 34b to busting out of a 36e! Can't afford to keep buying bras mum always takes the piss out of my ever growing butt.. I've put on two and a half stone so far and I've not been eating loads or crap.. My knees and ankles have almost disappeared with fat
My OH tells me im beautiful every day though and says I'm more attractive as I carry his child.. But I worry when the baby is out I'll just be left with a fat saggy mess.. He's 21 (4yrs younger than me) and the ladies adore him.. I do worry about that
My ex used to call me 'repulsive' while preg I'll never forget that word.. And if my bump ever touched him he would say 'get that f*cking lump off me!!' so I'm very happy that my OH loves my pregnant body.. It's a shame I can't!

 

[ft90]

You're definitely not alone! I hate my body at the moment! I love my bump, don't get me wrong, and I don't have too many stretch marks, but I have gained so much weight. I used to weight about 10 stone pre pregnancy, and when I last got weighed around 30 weeks I had gone up to 14 and a half stone! Everyone keeps telling me it's all baby, and that my arms and legs look the same, but when I look in the mirror, that's not what I see!

I plan to BF, so hopefully I'll be able to lose weight quite quickly. My cousin said she lost 2 stone in two weeks, so fingers crossed... And I'm only 21, so I should be able to bounce back if I stay active.

I feel so guilty for hating what I look like, as I know so many ladies long to be in my position, but it's so hard to adjust. And as excited as I am to hold my LO for the first time, I dread to think what I'm going to look like after the birth!

xx

 

[Jayceesmumma]

BF defo helps, it makes ur uterus contract and get smaller quicker.. I wouldn't over do it tho it can take up to a year to lose baby weight so don't put pressure on yourself to be back in shape so soon, just walk often and eat healthily and you'll gradually lose the weight

 

[LaurenMM]

Def not alone hun. Like most of us one min I'm pretty happy with the way I look at the moment, if I'm wearing the right outfit I can almost feel happy and confident ... till im getting changed and I catch sight of my huge bum and thighs from the waist upwards I'm happy, about 2 years ago I was always about 8st 7lbs - 9st and a size 8/10, then I met OH and got all 'comfortable' and put on a bit of weight so before I pregnant I could still fit in size 8-10 tops and 10-12 trousers (I've always had a full bum and curvy thighs for some reason?) I haven't weighed myself since I've been pregnant and I dont want to. Upper body is fine, I still look quite small (apart from bump obv) but my lower body I HATE it. Just made it my goal to get my body how I'd like after the baby's born. But at the same time I think this is a pregnant womans body - get used to it lol. I guess it doesn't help sometimes my OH is very slim and toned (not exactly skinny but skinny compared to me - he cannot put on weight!) so sometimes I feel like a whale compared to him xx

 

[Sarah13]

Can't believe how nasty your ex was jayceesmamma! Glad your new OH loves your body, it makes a difference that they love the growing bump, my hubby is always reassuring me but it's hard when he's away. I totally understand the worries about after, we'll just have to deal with our altered figures when we know the extent of the damage I guess! Im of the thinking it takes 9 months to put the weight on so will take the same to come off, apart from the quick stone you lose giving birth! I'll maybe need a boob job at this rate though after!

 

[Jayceesmumma]

That's not even the start of the way he was towards me whilst pregnant

We will just have to do our best and our OHs will have to appreciate what we've done and sacrificed to give them their child! I reckon I'll need a boob job too my boobs r hugs already! I guess I have two choices, keep some weight on to fill out or drop the weight and risk the sag

 

[ft90]

Sarah13 - I know exactly what you mean, when my OH is home, he's always telling me how he loves watching me getting bigger because he knows its because our little boy is growing. But he's been away 3 weeks now and I'm starting to feel disgusting with nobody to reassure me!

I want to have a boob job as well I think. I was going to wait a couple of years until we've finished with babies, but that all depends on what kind of shape they're in after this LO!

xx