Plus-Size Mom Check-In (5/9)

serabjorn

A place for plus-size moms to talk about anything and everything!

What is your estimated due date and how far along are you?

How are you feeling? What are your symptoms? Any anxiety?

How are you doing with activity and nutrition?

What are your questions, comments, and/or concerns?

serabjorn

(Trigger warning--loss mentioned below)

What is your estimated due date and how far along are you?
My estimated due date is 11/17/2018, which equates to 12w4d; however, at my 5/2/2018 ultrasound baby was measuring ~13w with an estimated due date of 11/7/2018--but I won't know until my 5/23/2018 appointment whether my OB is going to change my estimated due date or not.  I am a first-time mom, pregnant with my rainbow baby after having a miscarriage last November.  Excited that hopefully this November will be much, much better than last.

How are you feeling? What are your symptoms? Any anxiety?
Physically: I have felt sick and exhausted since I was about 5w.   My lower back has always given me some problems but is really aggravated now.  Also, the area above my knees is super sore and it's painful to stand up.
Mentally: I am doing pretty good, except being emotional from hormones and frustrated from being in pain.  I stopped taking my anxiety medicine per my doctor's recommendation when I found out that I was pregnant (at ~4w).  So far, my anxiety has been surprisingly low. I have only had one anxiety attack but that was due to having a bad experience/trigger in the same ultrasound room I was in when I had a previous miscarriage (I have since changed doctors and the facility).  I cry over a lot of things, but I can tell it's fueled by hormones and not by anxiety.  Despite all of that I am super excited to be pregnant and that all signs point to healthy so far for our little one.

How are you doing with activity and nutrition?
I have been kind of awful with both, due to feeling sick and exhausted.  However, I have noticed that when I do make the effort to walk and eat better (less and more frequently, mainly), I gain more energy and feel less sick (but the pain is still there).  I am trying to keep up with 30+ minutes of daily continuous exercise, and taking my doggo on walks with hubby after work has been the most enjoyable way of doing so.

What are your questions, comments, and/or concerns?
Comments/Concerns: I'm excited to get a dialog going with other plus-size moms.  I am a first-time mom and I am the biggest I have ever been (5'7", ~240 lbs, size 18).  My one bit of a regret is not trying to get down to a little more manageable weight (for me) before I got pregnant, because it's a struggle sometimes for me to move around, particularly getting in and out of the bathtub with how my knees are feeling.  Otherwise, being my size hasn't bothered me, and I have a wonderfully supportive hubby, family, friends, and new OB--the latter who has reassured me that I can have a healthy pregnancy and baby given my weight.
Questions: For seasoned plus-size moms, when did you really start to show?  Do you have any tips for first-time plus-size moms?

Thank you so much in advance!

middleschoolmommy

@serabjorn I was around 18-20 weeks before I looked pregnant with DS. We are about the same size, though I usually wear a 20.

What is your estimated due date and how far along are you?

11/18. I'm 12+ weeks

How are you feeling? What are your symptoms? Any anxiety?

I think the nausea might be stopping *fx'd* I'm still really tired and carpal tunnel is starting to act up. Anxiety seems to be disappearing. I'm pretty sure I've felt flutters the last  days in a row. I felt the flutters with DS at 14 weeks. 

How are you doing with activity and nutrition?

I'm sucking it up big time. We have been eating out so much with having house guests 2 weeks in a row and me being tired. I'll get some good exercise in tomorrow as I "actively monitor " standardized testing. I get to walk around and stare at children for 4 hours. 

What are your questions, comments, and/or concerns?
Just glad first trimester, and the school year, is almost over! Not excited about third trimester lining up with the beginning of the school year, but at least Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks will cushion my time off. 

themrscole

@serabjorn with my first first, i think i started to show around 20-22 weeks, but i really “popped” (or so my work collegues that “didnt know I was pregnant” said) at 30 weeks. I guess they just thought I was getting super fat

edit: i wrote a whole response to the prompt but the app didn’t post it, so I’ll come back later and rewrite it, sorry ladies

wamam027

What is your estimated due date and how far along are you? 11/2, 15 weeks tomorrow 

How are you feeling? What are your symptoms? Any anxiety? Nausea has let up about 80% and I seem to have slightly more energy so all is well. 

How are you doing with activity and nutrition?
Activity is majorly slacking. We have a giant backyard and with DH deployed I'm responsible for mowing so I suppose that's the extent of my being active. I'm out there mowing 5 days a week for about 1 to 2 hours each day. Nutrition has sucked. I was eating out way too much until my food poisoning episode yesterday, definitely reigning that in. 

What are your questions, comments, and/or concerns? I started this pregnancy pretty darn heavy and 27 lbs heavier than I started with DD. I gained 65lbs with her and started off heavy then as well. Now DH thinks 65lb weight gain is normal and hes been asking how much I'm gaining. Two days ago the answer was 0 and today the answer is -5lbs due to food poisoning yesterday. Hes flipping out thinking this means I'm not eating and basically starving myself and this baby even though I know that's not true. So basically this is just a rant about dh lol

wamam027

@serabjorn I started my pregnancy with DD weighing 208lbs and I'm 5'6". I started looking pregnant rather than just super fluffy closer to 30 weeks so I'm not holding my breath looking for a bump this time either until around then, especially since I weigh in at 230 this time around. 

Eveinshock

I have a 1 year old and am 15 wks so my belly is huge.  Unfortunately I just look extra fat. 

I've brought this problem up before but........I NEED CLOTHES. I have nothing to fit the season. I have found nothing anywhere that I like that is plus maternity.  I feel like I could do loose flowy plus size sun dresses and not worry about the maternity part of it but I think that will just make me look fatter the whole pregnancy. the maternity clothes accentuate the bump which is good when your bump looks less bump and more lump. 
I keep hoping someone will mention some secret place I haven't thought of. 

lurvleybunchococonuts

@Eveinshock Might be helpful, maybe not but so far for maternity wear everything I've gotten has been for a 2nd hand store (Savers), I've looked at Goodwill but they only had awful small selections all in itty bitty sizes.  Although, it's not like Savers has a big one section, it's hit or miss and piece here, a piece there.  So far I've gotten a pair of jeans (which I don't LOVE stupid skinny jean trend but they work), a pair of lounge pants, a pair of leggings, and a pair of lightweight grey pants.  Oh, also a shirt.  I also know of people that have had good luck on FB marketplace but personally have no experience.  For tops I've been layering a tanktop under t-shirts I steal from MH (personally the $3 spandex/cotton mix one from Walmart work the best for me)  cause I can stretch the tank to cover the top of my butt/thighs and is longer and then the t-shirt is a little shorter so it creates an illusion of a longer torso and less emphasis on the lump.  As for a specific store... most of the pants I've gotten are all are Motherhood Maternity brand, so I imagine at least online they must have a decent plus sized maternity section?  You might just have to try some online shopping with places with a decent return policy?  Good luck.    

lurvleybunchococonuts

What is your estimated due date and how far along are you?
11/18, 12w4d

How are you feeling? What are your symptoms? Any anxiety?
Okay, less nausea although I still have a retched bile puke early each morning immediately after waking up.  A little anxious but not baby related.  Still super tired, and food aversions.  Food is slooooowly getting better, but like... still nothing sound good a lot of the time.

How are you doing with activity and nutrition?
HA!  Does barely survive work before passing out at home count as "activity" and whatever food I can stomach without puking count as "nutrition"? 

What are your questions, comments, and/or concerns?
Plus size nursing bras... where do people get them? I have HUUUUUGGEE bewbs, obvi not planning on getting any nursing ones any time soon but like... where do you get them?  When do you get them?  Do you wait until baby is here?  HOW DOES THIS ALL WORK?  

serabjorn

@Eveinshock Amazon has been my best friend when it comes to clothes.  I am about size 18, and I live in these:

Top #1 (XXXL): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07623NZRN/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Top #2 (XXL): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074TBGBKS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 (slightly shorter, but I love the style)
Dress (XXL): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01AXPRUAY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1 (can be worn without leggings but I wear them with leggings)
Leggings (3X): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01FUMN3WE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 (so amazing... and I actually pull them up all the way to just under my bra--hubby makes fun of me but they stay up and there is no pressure on my belly)

^^^The leggings are AMAZING for $13 a pair.  I have probably 8 pairs of them now!

Eveinshock

@lurvleybunchococonuts I found a Savers not far from here. I will have to try it out on Sunday. I never heard of it before. 
@serabjorn I will have to do a little more amazon hunting. I will prob buy 1 of those leggings to try out. The long sleeve dress and shirts I feel like I won't get as much use out of since its already getting pretty hot here. I'm also 5'9 and I hate anything above the knee so I have the dress length issue as a major hurdle when looking for summer dresses. 

serabjorn

@Eveinshock since the leggings (at least the black ones) are the tiniest bit sheer, I usually wear them with a longer shirt or dress.  I can understand about the heat; I am not sure if they make short-sleeve versions but I like to cover up my arms (and it stays in the mid 70's here during summer).  Good luck!

Eveinshock

update: I bought 2 of these in XL on and love them. Thought they might be a little tight but they are perfect and plenty of room to grow. 
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B072PQZ9XH/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1