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Feeling fat during pregnancy!
Even though putting on weight during pregnancy is a completely normal part of having a baby, women often feel fat and unattractive during pregnancy.
Unfortunately, our image driven society has ensured that most women have grown up with body image issues: worrying constantly about whether or not they look fat.
Many women have led life-long battles with their own bodies –worrying about food choices, dieting and weight gain on a daily basis. And these types of food and body issues are hard to let go of, even when pregnant.
I think that most of us would have to agree that at one time or another we have thought to ourselves “I wish my stomach was flatter or my thighs were slimmer” or the famous old line “Does my bum look fat in this?”
Gaining weight and putting on maternal fat during pregnancy is not always easy to deal with. After a life time of dieting and watching what you eat, it can be both frightening and frustrating seeing your body swell, your shape change and your waistline disappear. Having no control over your weight gain or the changes in your body for the first time in your life can be downright depressing.
However, as difficult as it is, it is important to stay focused and remember that you are not getting fat – you are growing a baby. You need to forget about what your body looks like, and focus more on what your body can do. When you really think about it, creating life is a pretty amazing thing, and worth shopping trolley arms.
In order to help quell your fears about turning into a giant whale, try to keep your pregnancy weight gain on track by concentrating on eating and drinking what is best for you and your baby, and this means eating nutritious and healthy foods, avoiding junk and taking your vitamins.
Whilst all women put on different amounts of weight during their pregnancy, there is a weekly average, and if you try to keep within this range, then you should not have too much weight or excess fat to lose after the baby is born. Visit my page of pregnancy weight gain for more information.
Whilst it is important to watch what you eat, it is also really important not to diet during your pregnancy as this can lead to complications in your pregnancy and with your baby’s health.
And remember that whilst you may have the odd week where you do not put on weight, stay the same, or put on 2 kilos in a few days, if this happens for two to three weeks in a row, then you should have a check up with your Doctor to ensure that everything is OK.
For me: I like most girls started obsessing about my weight from the age of 13, and spent most of my adult life thinking about everything that went into my mouth. One of my biggest fears when I fell pregnant was putting on too much weight. And even worse not losing it again afterwards!
Whilst it is difficult not to pig out and ‘treat’ yourself when you are feeling so big, tired and miserable, it is also important to remember the old saying ‘a moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips’. On the days that I had huge cravings, felt down in the dumps or felt I deserved a treat then I tried to focus on how miserable I would feel after the baby was born if I put on too much and didn’t lose the baby weight. My mantra was “pre baby body back, pre baby body back”.
And even though I knew it was normal to put on 15 kilos during a pregnancy I still stressed about every kilo that I put on, and had months where I just simply felt fat, old and miserable. I think it is natural for women to feel unattractive and fat during pregnancy, and if you feel this way you are definitely not alone. I think all women feel fat during their pregnancy at some point. The only thing I can suggest is that you find other ways to make your body feel good, like getting a massage, a facial or visiting the hairdresser. There is nothing like a good blow-dry to make you feel five years younger and five kilos lighter.
Feeling fat when pregnant: What other mums to be had to say:
I am only five foot – two and usually a size 8, so when I had already put on 11 kilos by the seventh month of my pregnancy, I felt huge, fat and uncomfortable. My husband told me how much he loved my new womanly body, but I just felt plain fat and very unattractive. Amanda – Greenslopes, QLD
I expected to feel beautiful during my pregnancy. I had always heard about the glow and thought other pregnant women looked great, but the reality was for me, was that I felt fat, ugly and depressed. Whenever I got ready to go out anywhere I would look in the mirror and all I would see was a blimp not a yummy mummy. Debra – Engadine, NSW
I am at the in-between stage at the moment. I don’t quite look pregnant yet, I just look fat. I feel like wearing a t-shirt that says “I’m not fat... I am expecting a baby”. Giselle – Blacktown, NSW
It is so nice to read some of the other mum-to-be’s comments. I thought it was just me. Not only am I feeling fat, but I so desperately want to bleach my hair, my roots look just terrible. And the acne... Just Yuk! I am just not feeling the glow at all. Leisa – Carlton, VIC
I expected to feel beautiful during my pregnancy. I had always heard about the glow and thought other pregnant women looked great, but the reality was for me, was that I felt fat, ugly and depressed. Whenever I got ready to go out anywhere I would look in the mirror and all I would see was a blimp not a yummy mummy. Debra – Engadine, NSW
I am at the in-
It is so nice to read some of the other mum-
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