There are going to be times in your pregnancy that you will look at your body and say, "do I look pregnant or fat?" YOU ARE PREGNANT! It doesn't matter what your starting weight is, what your ending weight it. You are pregnant and beautiful and creating a life. Too many times I hear, "I don't have a pregnant belly." "I wish I had a typical pregnant belly like so and so." The great thing about pregnancy is that EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT. All of our bodies are different. We are different shapes and sizes and our uterus grown differently too. My sweet sister in law, had the biggest belly I have ever seen on a woman of such a small stature. She gained 55-70 pounds with all of her pregnancies. It didn't matter what she ate she gained it and she was ALL BELLY! I love her, and she looked miserable while pregnant, and she was! By the way she had 5 babies. Her belly was bigger than mine is at the end because of how she carried. And she started in the 125-130 range. That is why being pregnant is so amazing. We all carry differently and that is ok!
How do you learn love your Pregnant Body?
1) NO MORE NEGATIVE THOUGHTS
No more saying, "I don't look pregnant, I look fat!" Sweetie you are pregnant! Do I have a perfect little belly shape? Do I have fat that you can see? What about my stretch marks? Yep got those too. But for the first time in my life, I finally love what I see. I see me, strong, empowered, and making a baby! You flaunt that belly when and how you want. You wanna wear a bikini to the beach, wear it! I personally start wearing form fitting shirts around 12 weeks (since that is about the time we announce) And yeah, I have extra stuff on my belly but hey, I don't care. I am pregnant. FLAUNT YOUR BELLIES!
2) ACCEPT THAT YOUR BODY IS GOING TO BE CHANGING
I will say, that these are some of the scariest images I have ever posted of myself before, ON SOCIAL MEDIA no less. I have never bared my belly like this before (out of fear in the past). But I am proud of my body and what I am creating. I know that I don't have the perfect body. I know that a lot of people will find these pictures repulsive but you know what. I AM WORKING SO HARD TO BE HEALTHY, and it can be done for a plus size woman to be healthy while pregnant. And the fact that I am trying to stay healthy for me and the baby only makes it that much more amazing to me. Be you! Be true to yourself! And once you do that and recognize the beauty in yourself you will shine like the sun in the sky!
3) YOU CAN LOSE THE WEIGHT AGAIN!
Everyone always says it, you gained it you can lose it, but know that IT IS HARD WORK! I still hadn't lost all the weight from my last miscarriage when I got pregnant. I was down 20 pounds, yes, but I still had more I wanted to lose. It took a lot of hard work in controlling my eating by following a specific plan that made sense to me, the 21 Day Fix Program along with Shakeology. Want to know more about the 21 Day Fix? CLICK HERE! Plus adding in the right kind of daily exercise using the same program. I have NEVER lost the weight through breastfeeding alone and I exclusively breastfeed for 6 months. No supplementing with formula, and no pumping. All food for my babies came straight from my boobs. I am envious of women who do because it never happened for me. So know that you might not be able to lose the weight through breastfeeding. That it might take hard work and dedication to lose the weight, but IT CAN BE DONE!
4) ENJOY THE PROCESS
It is so exciting being pregnant, and the fact that this could be the last time I am pregnant is not lost on me. We don't know if we are going to have any more kids. We don't know if we can even have any more kids since I have a 50/50 chance anyways. So I am soaking up this experience. I am in no rush to have this baby, most because I remember what life is like with a newborn, but I also want to cherish this moment for as long as possible. I dreamed of being pregnant for years and years, and each time I have accepted that it could be my last chance. Take your weekly pictures. Read up on all the things happening to you each week, again, even if it is your third pregnancy. Just enjoy it! When they say, having a baby is a miracle, it really is. Again, I have been pregnant 6 times in the last 6 years, and this is my third pregnancy that has lasted this long. It is a miracle!
5) BE YOU!
Don't forget who you are in this whole process. It is easy to forget that you still like to be pampered or go on dates, or wear cute clothing. Go out and get some tops or a dress that reflect who you are so you aren't lost in the process. Your body is changing, doesn't mean that you have to hide who you are because your body is growing in the belly! BE YOU! LOVE YOU! Enjoy the process and know that in just a few short months, your beautiful baby will be in your arms and in your life forever! Congrats momma!
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