Change in body image

Huge as I got was nothing compared to how, after having each, my tummy was soooo jiggly and puckered up/wrinkly for a while!

So far I'm doing okay with the changes although I really just look a bit fat at this stage.  DH says he thinks it's beautiful (thank god). 

I miss my boobs.

I went up to 44DD feeding Roisin and Struan.

But gravity has now taken its toll. 

It was so bad you could poke a finger in my calf and a white indention would stay there for a wee while.  My calves were like cricket bats and painful.

Being pregnant with Roisin ruined my right hand.

I got dreadful carpal tunnel from the fluid build up.

Then, after having Struan, the pain became awful again.

I have rheumatoid arthritis in that thumb now (didnn't help that my dad's side has arthritis running through it like a blue streak).

The things we deal with for our kids, eh?

I miss my boobs.

I went up to 44DD feeding Roisin and Struan.

But gravity has now taken its toll. 

Gravity is an evil b*tch.  All I can say is thank God(s) for boob lifts!

It beats the ol' feeling and looking chubby stage.

Or, worse, the barfing in the middle of the day without a bump as an excuse.

My first Thanksgiving here, I was pregnant with Aillidh and horribly nauseated all day, but determined to inject a little Americana into the day, so I went for lunch at the McDonald's in Prince's Street, Edinburgh.

On the way back to work, though, I just couldn't keep it down, and wound up wretching into the carrier bag I'd taken to putting in a pocket, right next to a bin that I just didn't quiet make it to.

Cue a couple of old biddies tutting under their breath about the state of the world, when grown women were so drunk in the middle of the day they were being sick in the middle of town.

And the worst was that I couldn't answer them back for being sick!

Awww, sounds a bit like my thanksgiving this year. I had my midwife booking in appointment and while she took my bloods I barfed into a bucket next to me    Then when she was trying to explain to me about what I could and couldn't eat, I kept running out of the room to be sick in the loo. A 1 hour appointment took about 2.

I miss my boobs.

I went up to 44DD feeding Roisin and Struan.

But gravity has now taken its toll. 

This is the one thing I'm not looking forward to. I'm a 36DD pre-pregnancy and I don't want them any bigger. I'm actually hoping that they'll reduce in size after I've finished breast feeding.  It'd be nice to be small enough that I can buy my bras from any store rather than only a few I know will stock my size.

Awww, sounds a bit like my thanksgiving this year. I had my midwife booking in appointment and while she took my bloods I barked into a bucket next to me    Then when she was trying to explain to me about what I could and couldn't eat, I kept running out of the room to be sick in the loo. A 1 hour appointment took about 2.

Oh, I had no problems avoiding all the foods forbidden in pregnancy and alcohol.  Not hard when you live on Carr's crackers and ginger tea! 

It was dire when I had Roisin, though, because I still had to cook for Aillidh and the smell, oh, the smell of just about anything turned my stomach.

I found that perfumes I used to like I still can't abide the smell of.

And perfumes I used to be able to wear I no longer can and vice versa.

Also, my feet went up a half size for good and my ring size on all fingers went up a whole size.

After having Struan, well, it's been over a year and my hair is far thicker and oilier.

The boobs permanently deflated.

Oh, okay I'm glad I'm not imagining my stiff joints!  It's only the mornings when I first wake up, but my fingers all feel like an 80 year old woman's.  And recently my teeth have also started hurting in the morning! (like after you have your braces tightened)

All this damp combined with the heating has made it difficult to get my shoes on sometimes.  Sucks.  I only put my rings on if I'm going out, as it's quite an ordel to get them on/off.

This is the one thing I'm not looking forward to. I'm a 36DD pre-pregnancy and I don't want them any bigger. I'm actually hoping that they'll reduce in size after I've finished breast feeding.  It'd be nice to be small enough that I can buy my bras from any store rather than only a few I know will stock my size.

Hear hear!  I was in normal size ranges pre-pregnancy (but still - much too big for my tiny frame), and the gain in mass during pregnancy has kept my upper back & shoulders (of all places) in right misery.  I've already made it clear to my husband that I will be seeking surgical reduction in the future if the kiddo(s) (since we intend to have at least one more) don't do it for me.

All this damp combined with the heating has made it difficult to get my shoes on sometimes.  Sucks.  I only put my rings on if I'm going out, as it's quite an ordel to get them on/off.

I had to wear my wedding ring on a chain round my neck.

Then I had to buy another one because my fingers grew and never went back to the size they were when we married.

I had to wear my wedding ring on a chain round my neck.

Then I had to buy another one because my fingers grew and never went back to the size they were when we married.

Couldn't you just get the old ring resized?

Oh, I had no problems avoiding all the foods forbidden in pregnancy and alcohol.  Not hard when you live on Carr's crackers and ginger tea! 

It was dire when I had Roisin, though, because I still had to cook for Aillidh and the smell, oh, the smell of just about anything turned my stomach.

I found that perfumes I used to like I still can't abide the smell of.

And perfumes I used to be able to wear I no longer can and vice versa.

We're two of the same! I dont know why she was explaining to me the foods to avoid, because i've just been avoiding all foods... haha. I've lost about 10lbs so far this pregnancy despite the fact my boobs have doubled in size and my tummy is starting to grow.  Also, I've stopped wearing perfume for the time being because they all make my stomach turn. 

Couldn't you just get the old ring resized?

Platinum. 

Cheaper to pick up a 9kt gold one in a pawn shop as we've never been that flush again.

All my others are 14kt.  I'll have to have them resized whenever we get back to the US.

Im at the stage at the moment where Im showing just a little bit and not everyone knows I am pregnant, so to some I probably just look like ive put some weight on around my tummy. I've always been quite tall and thin, so im actually getting self conscious about the little tummy i've got at the moment.  I can't WAIT to get a proper bump, so that people don't just think im getting chubby. 

Same, I want the bump so people dont think Im just letting myself go 

I don't know, I am sort of struggling with body image right now. I think partly it's because I feel like I'm way too big for how far along I am (24 weeks) -- maybe I'm not, but I feel really big. Also, I'm having a hard time finding decent maternity clothes, and I feel like a lot of what I wear makes me look even more ginormous than I am. And the breasts! I've always been fairly small-chested, and it's very disconcerting to have a huge rack for the first time in my life.

My husband loves my new shape, thank god, and I feel really petty or superficial somehow for worrying about it. But I've spent the last twenty years trying to stay in shape, cutting back when I gained a few pounds, and I'm finding it hard to turn that off. It's not like I worry about it all the time or anything, but I'd like to turn it off completely.

That said, it's really only been in the last few weeks that I "popped" so probably I will get used to it soon. And I'm REALLY looking forward to eating my way through the holidays without worrying about having to lose the weight after, or finding a party dress that disguises my belly!

I know I shouldn't really care so much about how I look, but I did like my pre-pregnancy body and saying goodbye to it is a bit hard. I know it will never be the same again. I also know it's totally worth it so I'm just trying not to think about it too much