Body confidence

NinaLCC · August 2016

How are you ladies doing with your growing belly (and body)? I just realized today that oddly I have been very confident with my body and not caring what I'm wearing and just want the belly to show! I haven't had this body confidence in years. I feel like I can be big and enjoy it and wear whatever I want. A friend of mine asked if I'm worried about stretch marks and "ruining my body", because that is what she is afraid of about pregnancy (she is not pregnant or currently trying). My reply was that stretch marks happen, I use cream, but they are also proof that I have carried this baby proudly

hjmorgan-2 · August 2016

I was a very self-conscious up until this last week. Now that my tummy is rounding out and I'm actually looking pregnant and not just chubby.... lol It's getting pretty fun to plan my outfit for the day, to find something that accentuates the bump and not hide it. <3<3

As far as 'ruining' my body, I am doing my best to eat right, exercise, I rub my belly and whole front area every night with cocobutter/vitamin-e oil. If I still have some extra weight afterwards and stretch marks--that was just meant to happen. We can't prevent everything. As long as I know I did my best to keep myself healthy and my baby healthy I'll be happy.

And I know I have an advantage with this to an point. My mother is not a big person, but she's has 7 kids and there are stretch marks, extra skin, etc. But I've grown up hearing my Dad tell her "You don't have to have the body of a 20-year old. I LOVE that you have the body of a 'woman' who has blessed me with 7 beautiful children!" So I've learned to 'embrace' the scars. As long as I'm healthy I'll be happy!

ThePax89 · August 2016

With my first pregnancy, I was in love with my body. I felt like I looked amazing.

With this one, I'm not as elated with my looks. I LOVE my belly, but my thighs and butt have gotten jiggly. My pre-pregnancy weight with this pregnancy was 25 lbs lower than with my first, so I'm assuming that is why I notice the weight gain more.

amaren-2 · August 2016

I've always been very confident in my body. The transition period was/is very hard for me. I don't look pregnant, but I don't look as fit as I was. Now that I have a small belly, I am starting to embrace it, but I feel like I have to yell 'this is baby, not beer!'

emy730 · August 2016

This pregnancy has been different than my first. I was in all right shape with my daughter, and I felt really confident and beautiful most of the time.

I still feel pretty confident with this one, but I had really begun getting my body back when I found out I was pregnant with #2, so it's taken a little bit of adjustment this time around. I'm definitely getting to the point of really loving how I look though.

Carly79 · August 2016

I am definitely embracing my belly and did with my first as well. With my first I felt like pregnancy made me look pretty but this time around it's hard. I feel like this pregnancy is sucky every ounce of pretty out of my body. Still pretty confident and definitely loving the belly and dressing the belly but just wish I didn't feel like everything else was so bad. I'm very prone to stretch marks (stupid genetics) so I'm ok with it and figure it is what it is.

adorebella · August 2016

I'm feeling great about my body these days. I'm annoyed with how I'm limited sometimes (like it's hard to roll over or get up off the floor) but I think I look great.

As far as bodies being "ruined" after, there's no such thing. After Owen I had stretch marks from my armpits to my knees (and technically still do but they're faded) and I did a boudoir photo shoot 18 months later and looked really hot doing it. Your body will change but doesn't always have to be seen as a bad change.

Dinozaur · August 2016

I was feeling kind of down about my sudden giant stomach pooch in 1st trimester when everything I was reading/hearing was like, "FTMs won't start showing until 18-20 weeks!" And I'm sitting there at 8 weeks with friends saying, "Oh wow, you already have a baby bump!" I thought maybe I was making eating choices that were just way too unhealthy or something. However, I feel great now, have for many weeks. I apparently just bloat more than a lot of FTMs at the beginning, and now that I know it's still perfectly healthy and normal, I'm making it a point to tell my current TTC friend (and anyone else later on) that whenever she starts to grow, whether it's week 6 or week 20, it's still totally fine and those stupid apps or statistics or whatever can't predict how one specific person will handle pregnancy. I now wear the occasional fitted shirt or dress to show off the bump and it feels fantastic.

litzi-2 · August 2016

I have body confidence issues all the time. And I know being pregnancy will only make that worse. I'm at a stage where my middle is thicker and wider. Not at all round. Nothing fits or looks right. Especially workout clothes or really anything tight. It gives me motivation to continue to eat well and exercise, at least.

bab&tjp · August 2016

I have very limited body confidence! I am over weight as it is so gaining weight and belly growing so far just looks like I am getting fatter. I am hoping my belly starts to round out soon.

stumptownmama · August 2016

I've never been very confident in my looks or body. I think it comes from being tall in a family with short, petite women. And all my friends are tiny things. I'm not even that tall but I've always stuck out, and growing in width during pregnancy just makes me feel like a giant. My belly popped sooner this time but the way I grow babies makes my midsection more thick instead of cute and round. I just feel large and it bums me out.

wispymel · August 2016

I didn't care very much how my body looked before getting pregnant, but I did worry then about stretch marks and whatnot after I get pregnant. I don't give a hoot right now. Sometimes I even walk around feeling like the sultan's wife showing off her belly lol. Just for a few seconds.

wispymel · August 2016

I am tiny and I am already huge though and I am scared I may fall walking in snow come December.

AriB08 · August 2016

I have been blowing my husband's phone up with selfies after I get ready every day because I love how my full breasts and round belly look! He seems to just love seeing me carrying his baby, too, and tells me I look beautiful which makes me melt. I will say I'm not crazy about the increased cellulite on my thighs but it's not a huge deal. Pregnancy is a change for me, as although I've always been thick in the butt and thighs my belly was mostly flat and I had abs and muscle definition from my aerial silks training. I thought I'd miss them more, but right now I'm just excited to see this growing evidence of new life taking shape in MY body. It just blows my mind!

kayldawn · August 2016

I am a pretty tiny person and pre-pregnancy I was 110 pounds, really fit and very conscious of my body. About 5 years ago I changed my eating habits and started running and ended up losing 30 pounds. I have been able to stay at a consistent weight ever since (and would get super stressed when the number would even kind of fluctuate upwards!) Because of this I was really worried that putting on weight during this pregnancy would be hard for me, because I haven't seen the number go up in such a long time!

However, I am actually LOVING my pregnant body! All the weight I have gained so far has gone straight to my belly, and even though my belly is big and round and no longer flat, I almost feel better about myself now than I did before! Also, as someone who is usually pretty flat chested, it's nice to have something there for once! I actually bought a bra with absolutely no padding in it a couple weeks ago.... (for the first time in my life!!!!!) JUST THE BEST!!!

achancyginger · August 2016

I only am embarrassed of my belly if it happens to stick out from under my shirt. After I had my son, I was embarrassed of my stretch marks but- pick your battles.

newyearsbaby5 · August 2016

Bringing this thread back. I'm 22 weeks and am in the beer belly stage and this sucks. I am normally very fit and I just look fat right now. I know I'm pregnant, but I can't stop thinking I am fat and it's because I'm not working out enough or eating right. My husband is the sweetest and tells me I'm tiny (lies, my mom even said I am in the "fat stage"--thanks, mom. But she's right and I know it's a bump stage.) For those of you whose bump already popped, how long did this stage last?

ETA: I just found this link and it's too real: https://www.scarymommy.com/real-stages-of-baby-belly-bump/

amaren-2 · August 2016

@newyearsbaby5 I could have written this myself two weeks ago. from 14-18.5 weeks I just looked, and felt fat. I popped just a few weeks ago and now DH assures me it is belly shaped. I don't know, sometimes i look in the mirror and see baby belly, other times I see fat very difficult to be confident.

newyearsbaby5 · August 2016

Thanks, @AmRe214! I'm two weeks into this chubby stomach stage, so hopefully that means i'm getting closer to the end of it. I'm sorry that you are going through the same stages (I know they're normal, though!), but I'm glad to know I'm not alone.

surlyjaneausten · August 2016

@newyearsbaby5 I feel exactly the same way. I'm 20 weeks tomorrow and I don't think I look pregnant, just really wide. I'm sure it's normal but I just feel really self conscious. Glad I'm not alone!

TexasGal24 · August 2016

It's a mixed bag for me. I had really bad body issues starting in my teenage years and within the last 5 or so years I started to "take my body back". For the last two years, I've been on a positive body image kick and made huge changes in my life to finally accept myself (yay for being able to look into the mirror and smile). So after all this time and energy of learning to love my body, I did just that, I really liked my body and then boom, I get pregnant.

I still love my body when I look in the mirror but where I have the most difficulty now, is in the bedroom.

I literally sobbed and sobbed last night because DH wanted to be intimate (for the first time in a while now). I feel like such a stranger in my body now especially in the bedroom. Things don't work like they "should", certain things are SUPER off limits bc my body is like "nope, I don't care if I used to like this now I HATE IT!". DH is so sweet and loving and always tells me how beautiful I am and that he loves my preggy figure. I used to feel sexy wearing a cute outfit or lingerie but now, it's just hard to feel sexy when getting up from the couch requires a 5-point turn.

My hormones are freaking raging right now and have been for the last few days/week. I'm totally aware that these feelings of being unsexy are just hormonally related but they are really hard to shake when they hit.

christac1010 · August 2016

@TexasGal24 I could have written your post myself! I'm so thankful my husband is supportive and thinks I look sexy. I just don't feel sexy at all! Standing in my underwear in front of my bedroom mirror is such a weird experience. I definitely look pregnant and I feel like a straight up badass for growing a human. But at the same time, I feel like I don't even know my own body. There are so many weird marks and things that look off. It's really hard - harder than I imagined. And on top of looks, nothing down there is working like it should - including heavy bleeding last time that landed me in the emergency room (apparently I have a fragile blood vessel right on the end of my cervix). I try to remind myself everyday how awesome this experience is and I'm thankful everyday to be pregnant. Sometimes the pep talk is just a little longer and a little harder.

canavara · August 2016

I don't really feel "sexy" in the sense that I've always associated the word. I do feel empowered though, and that in itself has redefined "sexy" for me or at the very least, given me an alternative perspective on the matter that feels a bit more evolved. I was very athletic pre-pregnancy (religious Crossfit attendee) but have scaled back on that, and now I feel like being attractive is more of a well-rounded physical + emotional thing than just physical.

I'm trying really hard to not over-analyze body imperfections on a day to day level. I guess because I look back at pictures of myself when I was younger, 25... 26... 27... and remember thinking back then, "I wish I could change these things about my looks" and now I just look at pictures of myself then and am like, "What was I thinking, I looked great!" so hopefully staying positive and refusing to look at all the little things will make the memory more positive and when LO is here and one day sees that I looked happy in pictures, it'll be a positive thing for him as well.

loveinak · August 2016

I lost 60lbs over the last two years and have struggled with some dysmorphia since. The first tri was hard for me, but I'm feeling better now that my stomach is actually looking "pregnant" rather than bloated. I held almost all of my weight in my mid-section before the weight loss and felt so sad knowing people thought I was just putting the weight back on. It was a relief to tell people!
I actually feel pretty good about my image right now but find I am overcritical of any new perceived weight gain (mostly in my face and arms).

AlabamaRedhead · August 2016

I had a guy hit on me at the gas station the other day, saying I looked so dang cute. Now, he didn't have a tooth in his head and was probably stoned or a serial killer, but I smiled, said thank you and took the compliment and feel great! Still got it! lol

susykat77 · August 2016

I feel great but I am struggling seeing the scale rise... I lost some weight right before getting pregnant (not by choice - due to medical condition) And my midwife said that I need to gain that back plus 25lbs. So that puts me at 9lbs up (after gaining the lost weight) at 18+5. I know this is in the normal weight gain range but I still feel bad about myself every time I step on the scale. Anybody else feeling the same way?

ceclarlinetlo · August 2016

@susykat77 I definitely struggle feeling that way - when I look in the mirror I think I look pretty cute most days now that the belly is obvious but I just hate getting weighed. I worked so hard to lose 20 pounds before starting ttc - it took me a year - and to see if come back and then some is hard - especially knowing it's going to be harder to excercise and eat the way I have to to maintain my ideal weight when I will have a newborn.

AshleySparkle720 · August 2016

I don't have a ton of confidence while pregnant because I just feel huge. Last weekend I was walking around downtown and this guy leaned out of his window and yelled "sexy lady!" Which gave me a little boost for sure. Dh is starting to get better about complimenting me when he notices I'm not feeling great about myself.

newyearsbaby5 · August 2016

You guys! I just got my first baby bump comment from a stranger. I was at CVS and a lady said "cute baby bump" and of course then I said "really!? I don't just look fat!?" She then continued to laugh and cough on me because we were in the cold/flu aisle (I was buying Benadryl for my preg-insomnia--OB said to take it and get some sleep), but little victory and I'll take it. At 22 weeks I might finally have a baby bump!! That stranger made my day.

BAJDesigns · August 2016

I have been really happy with my emerging baby bump, but struggle with the fallout from my morning sickness. I lost all the fat and muscle tone of my body. My arms and legs always were strong and toned and now seem puny. And I have lost my entire behind. I know I will be able to build them back up, but I think I struggle because it wasn't something I prepared for mentally. Like, a bloated face or stretch marks yes. Looking sickly AND with a pregnant belly, not so much. BUT I will say when I have a good day with nausea and that 2nd tri libido boost kicks in, I feel pretty sexy anyways! Thanks for something crazy hormones!

zdmd_14 · August 2016

ThePax89 said:

With my first pregnancy, I was in love with my body. I felt like I looked amazing.

With this one, I'm not as elated with my looks. I LOVE my belly, but my thighs and butt have gotten jiggly. My pre-pregnancy weight with this pregnancy was 25 lbs lower than with my first, so I'm assuming that is why I notice the weight gain more.

This--the jiggly-ness is not my favorite change.
My husband is totally a butt guy so I know he really means it as a compliment but he keeps referring to how large my butt has gotten. I have to keep telling him that it's really not helpful.

Other than that I feel ok for the moment. My boobs are not nearly as perky as they were with my first two pregnancies & nursing, but I was 20/21 then....haha.

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