HDBD 2/8

kalesix3

Sorry everyone I nearly dropped the ball again this week! I need to set a reminder not to forget these threads! 

kalesix3

23w3d 🍓

francesgs

I had to get dressed today and go into the office for a couple meetings.. so here is a work bathroom bump selfie 😝

21+3.. my stomach feels like it’s going to split open.

kalesix3

@francesgs omg yes! So large over here too, how long can my belly button hang on at this point lol 

francesgs

@kalesix3 I know! My stomach is stretching so much that it’s uncomfortable now and we have so much longer to gooo 😭

thescarletmom

Also feeling... large over here. 22+2 and feel massive, I don't know how I'm going to get bigger! This might be the first time I get stretch marks from a pregnancy, or have my belly button pop (they've always just gone completely flat in the past). 

thescarletmom

potato3000

@thescarletmom I have a very deep belly button that's never popped but came close to flat last time and I'm definitely progressively larger each pregnancy so far. I had zero stretch marks the first time and two tiny little ones spread up from the top of my belly button (like bunny ears or alien antennas) the second time so we'll see how this one goes!  

potato3000

23w6d 💚

kalesix3

@thescarletmom @potato3000 my belly button refuses to pop 😂 I've always had a super weird barely there belly button situation, so everytime I'm like pop dang it 😅 but nope, it just stretches wide open into this crater that's uncomfortable 😣 I got one new stretch mark last pregnancy, I'm really interested to see what happens this time, I have more bodyfat this time around and I have a bigger belly even though I'm carrying a much smaller baby this go around so it's anybody's guess 👀 
@francesgs this is the worst my belly has ever started itching from all the stretching and growing, I'm not thaaaat much bigger than with my son but apparently any bigger is my body's comfortable limit 🙈 I got some tallow body butter that I love more than any of the belly oils I've tried, it's been helping a ton especially in this dry winter weather. 

hitcj4687

Better late than never! Lol 22+5

kalesix3

@hitcj4687 your outfit looks so amazing and comfortable! What leggings are those if you want to share? 
I've been annoyed lately with my new blanqis and Blanqi dupes so I finally ordered another pair of the free people ones even though they're not maternity and tight on my belly 🤦🏻‍♀️ 

hitcj4687

@kalesix3 theyre just off amazon! They're like buttery soft and light. I love them. Tank top is from goodwill lmao. 

kalesix3

@hitcj4687 okay I'm going to check Amazon! I need non irritating leggings in my life asap 😂

potato3000

I've been living in Enerful leggings from Amazon! Mine came in a 2-pack for $70CAD

kalesix3

@potato3000 thank you! Let me look those up!! I used to love Blanqi so much but they changed their sizing on the new ones so even thought the fabric is really soft they're tight on my thighs and baggy on my belly and whenever I have to keep adjusting or tugging at clothes I feel crazy overstimulated and mad lol. 😅

potato3000

@kalesix3 I hear you. I ordered maternity jeans that "fit" but they're a little too short and don't stay up and I hate them and don't know why I didn't return them. My non-maternity leggings were just getting uncomfortable and I didn't really want them stretched to where I can't wear them anymore postpartum so tried the Enerful Amazon ones.

So far, I'm finding them after a month to still hold their shape and position well throughout the day. They're a higher spandex blend so not as buttery soft as my usual go-to's but definitely comfortable and they have a phone pocket and full maternity panel which are musts for me and they're long enough (I'm 5'10"). So, for the price and something I'll only wear for 4 more months, I'm very happy I bought them! haha

kalesix3

@potato3000 oh no jeans like that are the worst! I'm so bad at procrastinating on getting maternity pants and it's silly because I know id be so much happier to just do it 😅 plus if I put in an Amazon order I can get some lil joey diapers so I need to remember to do that today! 

thescarletmom

Feel like the bump has just gotten waaay smaller out of nowhere 

thescarletmom

hitcj4687

My bump is still so squishy where some leggings just cut in and I just look like I have a fatter stomach vs looking pregnant. It's driving me nuts. 

kalesix3

@thescarletmom it does look different, I can't help but wonder if baby didn't move into a crazy place and is just enjoying that the past few days. I hope the midwife gets back to you asap 🤞🏻

@hitcj4687 mine is way more squishy than last time, I wore a skirt I loved with my son recently and I had a twinge of disappointment that it didn't look as cute as I remembered, these things matter!! 

thescarletmom

@kalesix3 I'm wondering if maybe, just maybe, it's because my placenta moved in the last 3 weeks and baby settled into a new spot? I've noticed she's been kicking in new spots but didn't want to get my hopes up. And my bump previously was kind of like, top heavy? If that makes sense? Like it stuck out more on the top than on the bottom, and it looked kind of lopsided from a "typical bump". I brought it up to my midwife after my anatomy scan and she said it probably had to do with my placenta being so low and baby laying transverse (because it's more comfy). So maybe things evening out just make me feel like I look smaller? I don't know, still don't want to get my hopes up.

kalesix3

@thescarletmom I bet that's exactly what happened!!! She probably doesn't need to be transverse anymore so she's changed positions and it's changed the way your bump looks! My daughter was transverse a ton and my bump would change when she stopped doing that and flipped head down! I didn't notice it was smaller, just different but I was super far along so there was probably no helping the gigantic bump at that point! 
But yeah I'd say if the kicks are in a totally different spot I bet a cookie that she moved!

thescarletmom

@kalesix3 I texted my midwife and she asked if I wanted an ultrasound for comfort 🩶 but said that it's totally normal for the shape and look to change, especially when baby settles down in your pelvis, so I'm going to try and hope that's what's going on!

hitcj4687

@kalesix3 I put a tighter maternity dress on and I almost cried when I looked at myself in the mirror. It was not a good look and I was feeling very sorry for myself! I sound so shallow sometimes, but what can I say

@thescarletmom I think you're right, the placenta likely moved and baby is in a new spot! I think an ultrasound for comfort would be a great idea! 

thescarletmom

@hitcj4687 I have absolutely put on flowy clothes/maternity clothes, expecting them to look cute on my bump, and if they aren't as flattering as I was thinking in my head I've definitely shed a few tears about it. It stings! Especially because for me personally, I always feel the most confident in my body while pregnant? Even late in the game when I'm huge and round, I feel great about my body usually, which I know isnt the case for everyone. But if I look in the mirror and I look "fat" instead of pregnant, it's a gut check. And I started this pregnancy at my "heaviest", by about 15 lbs, and was having some intense body image issues in the months right before so I've had way more painful mirror moments this time. Which sucks because your body changing in your 20s is so normal, I'm not the 19 and 22 year old I was with the boys, and that's not a bad thing! I haven't thought twice about the way my husband's body has changed the last few years, because it's supposed to do that. It's different for me though 😂

I'm going to see when I can get into one of the imaging places she suggested 🩶

kalesix3

@thescarletmom I hope they can get you in stat! It will help so much with the what ifs probably. Keep us updated! 
And I have that in common too, I've only had a few slightly disappointing situations with clothes but mostly I feel the most like me when I'm pregnant, I just love my body so much more so when something does disappoint me it feels worse because I'm not usually like that at all! 

@hitcj4687 yess exactly it can just be so sad, I don't think it's shallow in the least, it's hard to remember something making you feel beautiful and have a different experience this time around, or to think something will look beautiful and feel the opposite, those feelings are totally valid ❤️‍🩹 you're beautiful no matter how your bump looks, we all are! 

thoseboysmama

@thescarletmom when I had my placenta prevea (scare) this did happen to me. I noticed it was a different shape. So I bet yours moved and you are in the clear. If you can still feel babe raising a ruckus, I'm sure you're fine. Never hurts to check. Mama intuition is a force to be listened to. I am guessing this is good news for you though! 🤞

hitcj4687

@thescarletmom yes exactly! I know after carrying children and just getting older, it's normal for our bodies to change. After I got my thyroid removed, I struggled heavily with weight as my metabolism just totally slowed. I've worked very hard to be in shape and confident and I struggle some days with my bump not being perfectly round and solid if that makes sense! It makes me feel more "fat" than pregnant. 

@kalesix3 it's always helpful to have your feelings validated, so thank you! Everyone's response is always "you're pregnant! You're supposed to be bigger!" And I KNOOWWW but it doesn't help when I struggle with the way I look lol. I have days that I feel cute and pregnant and others that I'm like, oh gross 😂😂😂

I am currently in my husband's basketball shorts and baggy tshirt and I am about to eat a bacon cheeseburger 😂

kalesix3

@hitcj4687 everyone thinks a "pregnant goddess" is this rare perfectly in shape vision of flowy dress loveliness but I think everyone is most beautiful showing up exactly like they are, I bet you're rocking your husband's shorts 😅 

hitcj4687

@kalesix3 girl so true. I need more of your mantras in my life 

lizbeth_is

This was this weekend! Currently 24w2d but my baby is measuring bigger. As you can probably see lol 🤦‍♀️

lizbeth_is

kalesix3

@lizbeth_is due date twins!!

@hitcj4687 anytime 🥰🥰🥰

thescarletmom

@thoseboysmama that helps me sooo much to hear from someone who experienced similar 🩶 I looked in the mirror on Friday, because we had a dinner to go to with family so I was specifically "dressing the bump" with my maternity things that are most flattering, and I felt shocked at how TINY I looked suddenly in comparison to the last time I wore the same clothes. 

@kalesix3 I don't think I've literally ever looked at a pregnant woman's body and not thought to myself "wow she's killing it" no matter if she's in sweatshirts or the beautiful flowing maternity gowns. I think my own personal awe at the wonder that is growing and creating life, at times against all odds, really makes you realize how beautiful every version of it is. 

@hitcj4687 I feel like being in your mid-late 20s is a body image nightmare in the first place, just because (at least I) always expected that my body would look roughly the same forever? I was one of those "naturally skinny" (whatever that means) young people and was told how lucky and easy it must be for me to have a "perfect" body, and I hit like 23/24 and I was soft in places I had never been before. And not to be like "nobody talks about this" but damn nobody talks about this. I can logically know "my body is a good body, and it doesn't have to look a certain way to be worthy" ESPECIALLY my body that has fought hard to give me each of my babies, and emotionally it is still taxing to avoid mirrors and have a closet full of clothes I can't wear anymore because they just don't look the same. 

hitcj4687

@thescarletmom I could not have said it better!! I used to rock the hell out of some clothes that will likely never fit right again. At the end of the day, I try to accept that my husband loves me just as I am, my son loves me even if I am squishy some places I didn't used to be. I have done incredible things and this body has carried me through thyroid cancer and a pregnancy that ended in a c-section. I am woman and I am beautiful ❤❤

thoseboysmama

Having babies really does put your personal body image into view. Whether it's a healthy one or not. And it may be with one pregnancy and not the other. I was never the skinny girl. I was never fat. I have what I call horse legs. They are beasty. I can out squat most men. 💪 but I loathe them when I'm clothes shopping as I'm not this petite tiny girl. I'm 5'3. So I'm short but I have lots of muscle mass. I build buildings and do roofing. I have arms that would put most men to shame. I can't wear some shirts because of my strong back and shoulders. I played sports as a kid and into young adulthood and then stopped and I lost a source of confidence in my body. A part of my body's identity. I never had the skinny legs or the dainty arms. But I learned to absolutely love that about myself. One friend told me, I bet you're glad the Kardashians are the thing now. 😂 my husband calls me baby big booty. 

And maybe my friend is right, that if I was in the 80s or 90s with my body type i'd have a bad body image of myself. Who knows? 

I have a smaller waist with child bearing hips (as my aunts always said) and am in no way fat, but I am not the store mannequin. I can never find an outfit that fits me quite right, but I can run miles without fatigue. (Not at the moment.) I guess what I'm saying is that being able to birth a human (however that comes to play medicated, unmedicated, vaginal, cesarean) your body is an unbelievable vessel of strength. You continue to sustain the life post birth with milk and/or care. It's a mesmerizing time to be a woman. In many ways my child bearing years reshaped my love of my body. I found the strength of it again. The appreciation I have for my body will always outweigh any shame I have in it. Everytime I look at my handsome lads I think man, I did that!!! My husband throughout the day will thank me for those boys. I know what an amazing feat I have accomplished. As have you ladies. So please always keep that in mind. Squishy spots, stretch marks, saggy skin, that we all have in some form after babies and all. Your body is a wonder and how lucky we are for these working vessels. Short, tall, thin, curvy, whatever it may be. It is magnificent. Take pride in it. 

lizbeth_is

@kalesix3 I'm just having 1 lol but it's my 3rd and I make big babies so I look really big 😄🤦‍♀️

kalesix3

@lizbeth_is oh I know!! I just meant your due date and mine are the same! I grow bigger babies and carry huge too but I love my bump so I don't mind! You're and your bump look amazing!!