[Article updated on 19/09/2023]
Pregnancy and its 9 months of intense upheaval… When we have never had this experience and we come across a pregnant woman in the street we say to ourselves “oh that round belly is pretty” while being very far from imagining all the emotions and sensations that these women can go through.
Before reading on
I’m not an expert in this field, but I am passionate about nutrition and health.
The articles you’ll find on my site are the result of in-depth research that I’d like to share with you. However, I would like to stress that I am not a health professional and that my advice should in no way replace that of a qualified physician. I’m here to guide you, but it’s important that you consult a professional for specific questions or medical concerns. Your well-being is important. So be sure to consult the appropriate experts and take the best possible care of yourself.
We idealize these few months, the woman must adore this rounding body, live the most beautiful period of her life, only dream of her future child, get dressed every morning with joy to show everyone her new shapes …
Today I would like through this article to discover a subject that is still too taboo: the fears and anxieties around this changing body. Do we really love him? And the pregnancy pounds that weigh on your morale? The judgment and pressure of society and professionals on women’s bodies during this period?
I share my experience with you in order to lift the veil on a very real side of what pregnant women experience during these “9 dream months” in order to relieve those who think or believe they are doing wrong.
Pregnancy pounds: this weight idealized by society
I will start by addressing a delicate and taboo subject: the medical mistreatment that pregnant women suffer around pregnancy weight.
I’ll tell you my experience: at 4 months pregnant I had apparently gained “too many” kilos compared to the reference curve displayed on my gynecologist’s computer. She then kindly pointed out to me: “ah but that’s too much Madam… However, you are a Dietitian, you should know… I’m not going to explain to you the splitting of meals and then it’s 1kg/month that must be taken”! The guilt and judgment received head-on when my partner and I had just seen our little girl move and live in my belly on the ultrasound was very hard to take morally! When I left this consultation I was crying, yet my blood tests were perfect… And our daughter too! Strange, no?
At 7 months of pregnancy, same remark about my weight gained, by a midwife from the maternity ward during a birth plan appointment with again this sentence full of judgment “yet you are a Dietitian…”. As a healthcare professional it was not “normal” to have gained 11kg at 7 months pregnant. Oops ?!
How many women experience and experience such remarks during these 9 months? Women who are made to feel guilty about the number without questioning all the other areas that revolve around pregnancy.
I would like to point out that during my pregnancy:
- I have no gestational diabetes;
- Our baby was in great shape;
- I was in great shape, zero deficiencies, zero pain, I slept well, in a good mood,…;
- I had a lot of water retention with the summer heatwave (living in the south of France);
- All the lights were green for a natural, physiological birth.
But all this information… no one questioned us about it… Neither the gynecologist, nor the midwife in the maternity ward… These are, however, essential factors for a good pregnancy.
What a shame that we don’t question pregnant women about their morale… They are just a number that must meet the standards and dare we say it, a business that brings in a lot of money for the health system…
Today, with social media not helping, pregnant women have to play top models. Dressed in fitting clothes, the kilos only gained in the stomach, a smile on their lips, no sign of fatigue,…
Let’s not forget that every woman is UNIQUE! What counts during these 9 months is physical well-being (yes of course) and mental well-being too… Let’s drop the number, right?!
If today the pregnant woman must be slender, have a round belly, well-held breasts, a tanned complexion, perfectly adapted clothes, well I suggest that we dare to present reality, real life…
Rather, let us support women in digesting this body that changes so quickly, let us support the fears and anxieties around the small life that will soon turn couples and families upside down.
The body that evolves so quickly… How to get used to it?
A woman who becomes pregnant sees her body change very quickly: the belly grows, the pounds accumulate, perhaps water retention for some, stretch marks, cellulite which sets in…
Each woman must discover this body, try to learn to love it, caress it knowing what is hidden inside…
Let’s not forget that 9 months is very fast, a woman has barely started to get used to her new shapes when her body changes again… No longer recognizing herself in the mirror!
The hips are widened, we feel less toned… “Is this new body mine? ”, this is a legitimate question to ask!
So much evolution and change in the space of a few months… It’s breathtaking!
Every woman must discover, learn to know/love this body…
Some tips for loving this transforming body
Go to your bathroom and: massage yourself with cream or oils, scrub yourself, take the time to look at yourself in the mirror and love this body and its experience… I even add a session of osteopathy at the end of pregnancy which can be welcome (or acupuncture, end of pregnancy massage, etc. There are so many possible treatments).
Why not a session at the hairdresser, the beautician or a moment of shopping!?
Take the time to cook good meals, satisfy the food desires of a pregnant woman, connect to your food sensations (hunger, non-hunger) and take the time to enjoy your meals (we know this only too well, once the baby arrives, meal tasting becomes a concept for a few months).
I also invite women to thank this body for what it allows them to experience and above all to take care of it… It greatly needs it for the challenges to come and quite simply to feel good!
9 months of pregnancy goes by quickly, yes, but it’s an opportunity to treat yourself to something you may never have had the opportunity to do until now: time for yourself!
I invite you to be generous with yourself, as if you were your best friend and you only wanted to give yourself the best because this period can be difficult for many. To prevent this, plan moments of pleasure just for you… This is what will help you to experience this incredible period even better, to love this baby in the making even more and to be in tune with yourself!