Are the words I heard come out of a car
as I strolled along to my midwife appointment this week. There was no one else
on the street at the time, so I can only assume the lads in the car were
talking about me and my beautiful nearly eight month pregnant buttocks.
After feeling fairly happy I had still managed to squeeze said bottom into my
Topshop Leigh size 10 maternity jeans that morning, I felt a little bit
deflated to say the least (side note – the jeans are old and incredibly
stretchy so the sizing is by no means realistic, but you have to take the perks
you where you can get them at this stage of pregnancy.)
And it got me thinking, why is it that
women (and men too but perhaps not so much) are always being judged by their
appearance and why did those lads comments mean so much. Even at eight
months pregnant, when I should just be pleased as punch to be growing a
little mini me, I still feel an intense pressure to look and dress a certain
way. Look at poor Kim Kardashian. I am not her biggest fan but the
way she was scrutinised by the press and general public when she was pregnant
was blatant bullying. Granted, I was just walking along the street
minding my own business, and Kim’s business is obviously to be in the spotlight
24/7, but who cares if your bum becomes that much bigger when you’re pregnant
and your thighs that bit wobblier. Does it warrant being subjected to
unkind comments regardless? More to the point, why should anyone have to
put up with unpleasant remarks about their size – men, women, pregnant or
otherwise.
Saying that, I am currently obsessed by
pregnant celebrities. I will scour the celebrity news sites daily hoping
I’ll catch a glimpse of Mila Kunis and her rounded belly. But to be honest,
I am also looking for verification that there are other women who are a similar
size to me, so am I just as bad? I recently had a scary stint is
hospital due to a racing heart rate and yet one of the most unpleasant bits of
my stay was when the doctors weighed me and revealed my weight after I had
deliberately stayed off the scales for the last seven months. I weighed
13 stone 3 pounds, and who cares? No one, but regardless I am still
spending far too much time thinking about the ways in which I will lose my baby
weight and get back into my real size 10 skinnies. I am not one for fad
diets and I am planning on breast feeding again if I can, so my plan can only
include gradual and healthy weight loss, but surely this shouldn’t be a concern
before I’ve even had the baby!
So I am saying this for myself and any
other ladies in a similar position. Let’s give ourselves a break.
None of our friends or family care if when pregnant we pile on the pounds, as
long both baby and mummy are healthy. Don’t beat yourself up for reaching
for that third, fourth or even fifth biscuit, pregnancy can be hard enough
without chastising ourselves for any indulgences.
So if you find yourself questioning
whether you should be reaching for your comfiest pair of joggers for the third
day in a row, just do it! I know I will.
Gemma x
Yes, I agree. There's a lot of pressure to keep slim-ish when pregnant and then lose it immediately afterwards. However, we are all different sizes and shapes and so it's impossible to all be the same! You sound like you look fantastic! But you are right, don't let anyone's comments get to you. My bump was so big at the end of my twin pregnancy that I couldn't walk and it took me almost two years to lose all the weight, however I didn't care!!!!!! Now I feel fit and better again but will never be the same slim person that I was pre-pregnancy. Great post x x
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