I’m going to start by saying that since we are going to be chatting about body changes, I want to preface this blog post by saying that each one of our bodies are beautiful in their own way, and it is extraordinary how our bodies can carry and produce life in the way it does, and that all I am about to discuss is purely my personal experience. I’m hoping to find connection and peace in what many of us feel, and go through when pregnant.
♡
Getting pregnant becomes a lottery when it comes to your body, and how it will be molded by such a dramatic physical experience.
I have no idea if I’ll end up with stretch marks on my belly, no idea how my body will look like or feel like, I’m gaining weight which makes me feel slightly uncomfortable and not as confident, I cannot move my body in the same ways I could before (like sitting up from my bed).
But also, just the labor-aspect of it all really scares me and I’m sure I’m not the only one.
So, in this blog post, I wanted to talk a bit about how my body has changed in the last 12 weeks (first trimester) for those who may have just started their pregnancy journey, or look to one day, and how I am managing and coping with these changes (both those that are visibly noticed, and those that are more internally felt but not seen, also).
Stages of body changes during pregnancy in my first trimester:
week 1 to 4
At this stage, I very much didn’t know I was pregnant until week 3 to 4, but suspected from maybe week 2 because of certain symptoms like nausea (which I never have), and light-headedness.
Once my period didn’t arrive, that made me about 99.9% sure I was pregnant (to my disappointment).
If I had to sum-up the body changes pregnant week 1 to 4, I would say:
- no visible physical changes
I was the slimmest I had been in a few years (quite ironic), and ofcourse there is nothing wrong with not being slim, but my personal preference was exactly where I was at (which was shortly-lived).
week 4 to 8
Heading into the middle of my first trimester, is when I started to notice changes in my body that I had never felt or seen before:
- breasts got bigger
- breasts got harder
- cramping in ovaries
- pink discharge
- a bit more nausea
- ravenous hunger
If you do have cramping in ovaries (particularly one-sided) and pink or red discharge, I would highly advise getting checked as soon as possible. I’m not a doctor, but just anything that sounds or feels unusual to what you have heard of.
That’s exactly what I did, and I called a local medical number, which then referred me to a face-to-face on the same night!
As you can see here, we’ve got a bit more happening, but definitely still a lot more internal physical changes than anything else.
week 8 to 12
This one, right here, started to make me really feel like “oh this is real real”.
Of course, I say that with slight humor, but if you read-on my personal story here, a pregnancy is not what I ever wanted, and having to really accept and embrace the process is an ongoing journey that will probably never end since there will always be a next-new thing I wasn’t expecting or didn’t think about (since I never researched or gave pregnancy much thought before this).
- I started to feel and see the weight gain on my body (belly fat or bump? or a mix of both?, love handles getting bigger, fuller face)
- peeing a lot more
- waking up every night around 3 to 5am (apparently this is my body preparing me for the sleepless nights, yay)
- not being able to understand my appetite
As you can see, visually, it really is mostly being seen in the final stages of my first trimester the body changes during my pregnancy, with my body image and appearance.
For some women, they would be the proudest to be showing off their bump, but I’d have to admit that I’m quite far from that yet.
I’m just trying to embrace the acceptance of what I’m going through, first.
body changes to come
Now, I know I’m in for a RIDE when it comes to pregnancy and body changes, since the greatest difference in body size and shape occur from here onwards.
But I wanted to touch on all the fears myself (and many other women, I’m sure) feel, when it comes to our bodies and how it may change after the first trimester:
- unpredictable weight gain
- swollen feet and joints
- stretch marks on boobs and belly
This is without going into the physical pain that I can only imagine will be AFTER labor, when recovering; like peeing, walking, doing any kind of basic physical activity (at least initially). Not to talk about if you tear a lot during labor, and the stitches, and I just can’t even…. IT’S A LOT.
does it matter?
So, why did I want to touch on these physical aspects of such a beautiful blessing many people call a miracle (pregnancy)?
Because not all women are happy to be pregnant.
I’m not saying pregnancy isn’t a blessing, because it very much is so to create life, but I want to shed some more light on the realities of pregnancy + women who had unplanned and/or unwanted pregnancies who are more subject to the extremities that pregnancy can take on our body confidence, mental strength, emotional wellbeing, life satisfaction, and hope for the future.
- Some women didn’t even want children, in the first place, like myself
(more on this in my other blog post here)
BUT ALSO
- Some women might be living the dream and always wanted to be a mother
and STILL go through these doubts and fears of the unexpected.
I know many women might not place much importance on body changes and appearance during, or after, pregnancy, since it can be seen as a trade-off for the beautiful life you are creating within.
However, I just had to share for all the girlies like me, that YOU ARE NOT ALONE.
My self-confidence isn’t entirely founded on my body image, but it sure does help to make me feel more empowered, more active, sexier, and more beautiful in the way I present myself to the world.
And with all the emotional and mental burdens pregnancy can place on us for the various degrees of fears we can have (about almost anything), these body changes can make it a lot harder to manage and cope.
how to manage
Having that said, I’d like to share how I am managing the body changes during pregnancy, and how I plan to cope with these associated fears (to show how I am trying to take control of my own narrative!).
- Trying to eat as much nutritious food as possible
MY INTENTION: to stay healthy and avoid as much weight gain as I can.
(Once again, I know this is not everyone‘s priority or concern, but is purely my personal experience that I am sharing).
I love healthy food so it’s not too hard for me, but I mean FUN healthy foods like the yummy, well-seasoned, good-portion kind.
Yeah sure, on weekends, I’m very relaxed (as I was before pregnancy), but during the week, I try to be mindful of the types of food I am eating. I try to stock up on fruits, vegetables and making sure my meals are balanced.
I still have a chocolate snack or two, but I try to avoid feeling the need to binge.
I don’t cut out any foods, like carbs, since I need a balanced nutrition, for both me, and now baby.
- Using cocoa butter cream on belly and breasts, post-shower
MY INTENTION: to avoid stretch marks.
(Even though if it’s going to happen, it will regardless, I believe, but helps make myself feel better?)
I know that stretch marks can be influenced by genetics, but I want to avoid it as much as possible.
I, personally, got stretch marks during puberty, which makes me feel like I might be vulnerable to it but then again I’ve always had some tummy fat so maybe that might help prevent? I mean, I’m not even too sure how this works, and it might be purely down to chance, but I’m trying what I can.
I scavenged through Tiktok to see what others recommend, and I saw a lot about combining a cream and oil, which I might do after more research but I wanted to start putting something on as soon as possible, so I’m using cocoa butter cream for now.
- Finding fashionable bump-friendly outfits ahead of time
MY INTENTION: to be feeling myself with cute outfits during body changes, such as when the bump starts bumping.
I should have mentioned, that I am still at the stage where I can easily fit into the same clothes. It’s just after I have a meal, the bloat is REAL and it starts feeling a bit tight by midday.
Knowing my body will change, and one thing being for certain, my belly will become a bump progressively, it is natural that I will need to change some outfits or buy some new clothes.
For this, I’m finding helpful looking at inspo from Instagram; seeing what other aesthetic mums in their 20s are wearing with their bumps, and creating a saved board on Instagram to scroll through.
The last thing I want is to have a bump, and NOT having a cute outfit to wear. That will just set me up for sadness (typical “i’m just a girl” relatable issues, am I right?).
A great idea, even, would be to create a vision board to really get an aesthetic going so I can make sure I carry on feeling myself throughout the body changes during pregnancy; I think it’s a fun, crafty way to feel hopeful in yourself, and avoid negative feelings towards these inevitable body changes. (This one I might still try, and if I do, I’ll show you!).
…
That’s the 3 ways I’m going to try and manage the body changes during pregnancy, from 12 weeks onwards. Very simple, but with a very clear intention behind each one to have me feeling as best empowered and beautiful as I can, inside and out.
I’ll be keeping you up-to-date with my pregnancy journey, as a girly in her 20s who never wanted kids, but also as a girly who will not give up her entrepreneurial dreams for motherhood. After all, I’m just a girl trying to figure it all out, but I hope you’ve been able to seek connection in anything I may have shared here, and be sure to check out my other blog posts here.
Also, I release a blog post every Friday at 2pm (UK time) so be sure to stay tuned, and join me for my journey of conquering my dreams no matter what life throws at me.