coping with weight gain during pregnancy: 4 months pregnant

chapters:

• a very common struggle!

• how much weight I gained?

• thoughts

• feelings

• how to cope

• healthy reminders

I'm about to share how much weight I have personally gained in 4 months of pregnancy, whether it is that deep to gain weight (specially whilst pregnant?), how to manage weight gain during pregnancy, and some reassuring reminders to keep us all at ease, whether weight gain during pregnancy bothers us or not much.

FYI, I will not be saying "don't eat" or "eat healthy" as a solution to coping with pregnancy weight gain. "coping" in this girl-talk will heavily rely on day-to-day actionables that I am doing, that has NOTHING TO DO WITH FOOD.

Before jumping in, I just want to say (kind of disclaimer) that weight gain, or fluctuation, even outside of pregnancy is completely normal and fine! But, if you're like me, then I mean no matter how much body positivity you support for yourself and others you still have your own preference for how you like your body to look and how your body is to make you feel your best!

a very common struggle!

When Googling, I ended up finding that MANY women actually feel the same and struggle with weight gain and body changes during pregnancy, with many searches along the likes of:

• coping with weight gain in pregnancy

• how to deal with weight gain in pregnancy

• Dealing with weight gain during pregnancy third trimester

• Dealing with weight gain during pregnancy NHS

• dealing with weight gain during pregnancy 4 months

And, even found many search results related to how women FEEL about their weight gain, which is anything but neutral:

• Feeling depressed about weight gain during pregnancy (negative feelings related to)

• gaining too much weight during pregnancy: how to stop (women wanting to do something about it)

• Why am I gaining weight so fast during pregnancy first trimester (questioning, wondering, feeling down)

Struggling with weight gain during pregnancy is a very common and normal thing to feel. So, let's talk about it.

how much weight I gained?

So, here is my personal breakdown of my weight gain (timestamped):

• starting weight: 60.5kg

• 6 weeks / 1.5 months: 61.5kg

• 11 weeks / 3 months: 64kg

• 16 weeks / 4 months: 67.5kg

As you can see, the overall weight gain for me is about 7kg (give or take).

From my searches, advised by the official NHS website (official healthcare system in the UK), the average weight gain that is considered "healthy" for a pregnant women is anywhere in the range from 10kg to 12.5kg.

No, but wait, it gets better...

"...putting on most of the weight after week 20."

thoughts

Well, to find out I have gained MOST of the weight that is recommended as "normal" (by NHS) BEFORE 20 WEEKS, makes me feel very uneasy.

I don't know if I am under a delusional impression, but I would ADORE to avoid as much weight gain as possible. (Of course, baby will grow, and my appetite is bigger to support the baby growth, but hence the "as much as possible").

If you have read my other blog posts, logging my unwanted pregnancy, and the emotional and physical journey I have had since, then you would have heard me speak about how much of an appetite increase I had in my first trimester, but that has thankfully stabilised since going into the second trimester!

So, perhaps the weight gain post-20 weeks is mostly baby-related, and hopefully not much fat-related, since it will be much harder to recover during post-partum, but regardless there is an element that is out of our control.

I will update you further down the line, in my pregnancy, about how much more weight I will have gained (since it is inevitable).

feelings

As mentioned, uneasy is the main feeling that comes to me.

• Uneasy

• Uncomfortable with the change in size and fat

• Unmotivated by the difficulty in styling cute outfits in a new, and changing body

There are many levels, but most of my feelings (related to pregnancy weight gain) are negative.

Even if I am fully aware that it is normal and necessary, it makes me feel (at times) unattractive, a bit like a sloth (when I don't know how to dress cute with a belly), and a bit discouraged with the following months.

Once again, I know many women would LOVE to be in this position and might not be able to (or multiple reasons) so this is not to sound insensitive, but simply being vulnerable from my pov!

how to cope

Being aware of your thoughts and feelings is key, which is why I shared mine with you girlies, instead of just shoving it under the rug and acting like it's nothing.

However, the reality is that during this phase of our lives, we will gain weight and have a changing body due to pregnancy so let's try control what we can, which is:

1. How we react

2. Our mindset

3. How we present ourselve

Here are a few actionable ways I am practicing AND keeping in-mind to help me cope with weight gain during pregnancy:

1. HOW WE REACT: our reactions are very in-tune with what we do, but also how we FEEL. Allow yourself to feel all the emotions, but try to not let it consume you. By this, I mean, feel the emotion but then make sure once you have let it out, you tackle your logic (even if it takes a day, a week, a month) make sure you reassure yourself. Comfort yourself and remember the basics: deep breaths and regulate your nervous system, go for a walk, get out and breathe some fresh air, journal, speak to a loved one without judgment. I personally love: walking, going to a café, having a chat with my husband and family, getting out the house for some fresh air, and ALSO, ALLOWING MYSELF TO FORGET I AM PREGNANT to momentarily allow my mind to wander and be free from the constant worries we might experience during pregnancy and life (!).

2. OUR MINDSET: rewiring the way we think by remembering that our beauty or self-value is not attached to our weight or body appearance, encouraging uplifting self-talk whenever I look at myself with affirmations and being nice to myself ("I am beautiful", "I am strong"), being aware of any negative thoughts or feelings that come into my mind, so I can defy it as soon as I sense it (being in-tune with myself).

3. HOW WE PRESENT OURSELVES: (all of the girlie things!!!) finding inspo for cute bump-friendly outfits on Pinterest, creating boards of nice outfits that other pregnant women are using, finding low-maintenance and easy-to-put-on outfits/ staples that will always make you feel CUTE AF, have aesthetic hair accessories to make hairstyling effortless for the more tired days (headbands, hair-claw clips, cute regular clips!), accessorize all the way, and have stylish pyjama sets / loungewear (since you might be spending most of your time at home- I'm loving the classic red hearts maternity PJ set from H&M!).

Even if it's not all of the above, making sure you cover the basic hygiene or even some SPF, brushing your hair out can really have you feeling a lot more put-together and shows yourself that YOU ARE SHOWING UP FOR YOURSELF, even with the lowest of energy. Be your bestfriend, don't stop pouring into your own cup.

This is how I am coping with weight gain during pregnancy, and my way of taking control of my narrative in this phase of pregnancy!

Not all girlies will feel the motivation to engage in even trying to feel better about pregnancy weight gain, but that's OKAY. Let yourself feel, as I very much did for my first 2 months of pregnancy, and IF YOU WANT, these are tips for you to take-on if you ever feel to pick yourself up.

healthy reminders

I felt this section was NECESSARY to uplift ourselves as the strong women we are, and is exactly how I am making sure to comfort myself during the current (pregnant) nature.

I'm going to start with the most obvious one but I mean I have to!

• It is a GOOD THING to be gaining weight: to support baby growth, to support yourself even with the energy you need to support all the things that are going on inside your body.

• This won't last forever: you will only feel this way for a very short time-period, compared to the span of your entire lifetime, so reassure yourself that this is a passing phase.

• There ARE things you can do to make yourself feel better: and I mean this in the most non-pressure way, but to regain your sense of control back in such a challenging time; we all go through as women.

• You are not alone! Your mum went through it, your friend, your neighbor, strangers you come across everyday. It is completely valid to feel what you feel, and find comfort in either people in your physical life, or the online communities that exist (such as this one!) to seek connection and pick yourself up more in feeling as best as is possible; for you with weight gain during pregnancy.

So, that's it from me on this one girlies!

I wanted to keep it real, and not give any food-related advice or recommendations since we need to honour our bodies of our needs, and there is A WHOLE WORLD outside of food to navigate, when it comes to coping with weight gain during pregnancy.

I hope this chat has helped, or felt relatable to you, in some way!

And as always, before we go, our mantra…

Own your Womanhood. Own your Time.

♡

I’ll be logging updates throughout this whole journey as a mother-to-be, working to be an entrepreneur, but to also still preserve the girlhood within, to try and be her best self, and live her happiest life, so keep-up with me through the blog!

I release a new blog post every Friday at 1pm! (UK-time)

Let me know if you’re in a similar headspace (pregnant or not), being in our 20s is confusing, and taking control of our story is the only way we can take ownership of our happiness and live out our dream life.

I document my unwanted pregnancy journey at 25, taking control of my narrative, figuring out being a girl in my 20s, chasing my dream life, and conquering my boss babe dream of becoming a self-employed, entrepreneur / Blogger!