to think pregnancy doesn't automatically make you fat?

[CailinDana]

It doesn't make me fat. The baby comes out and I'm the same as I ever was, except with more stretch marks and looser tummy muscles.

I can't be the only one, yet it seems to be an accepted thing that you're going to have "baby weight" to lose after pregnancy.

AIBU to think that plenty of women just eat a normal amount while pregnant and don't have any weight to lose once the baby is born?

Haven't read all the replies but feel the need to simply say that OP you sound like a smug judgemental cow with your head up your tiny pert bottom. That is all.

Thanks bangers! :)

"(and don't get me started on jogging when pg). " there is nothing wrong with excercising during pregancy as long as you don't start anything new and listen to your body, being sensible. I carried on my sport till 26 weeks last time, and was at the gym till much later than that and swimming till the week before he was born - I did 100 lengths at 41+5.

I just scaled down the intensity, and was sensible.

I said don't get me started...I continued my normal activities and took care to rest between activities whilst pg first time. I'd seen some wonderful examples of healthy women doing all sorts of fun stuff at full term. I gave birth at 33 weeks and I'll never know what caused it. But I now have a completely different take on exercise and physical activity when pg. All those physical changes in out bodies are signs that we were never designed to be out running and raising our blood pressure - relaxin hormones make for unstable ankles, BHs increase, we're out of breath very quickly, we're hotter than non-pg women, resting metabolism and bp is higher, lower iron levels etc. When they measure the fetus, bp is raised after exercise, babies are born smaller (so exclaim the joggers with glee!??). I know plenty of women do this sort of thing and that's fine - it's their bodies and their mental make-up. But I do get upset by the (possibly unwitting) example it sets for all women to be more active during pg. Like we're all lazy cows who can't wait to have an excuse to fill our faces and sit on our arses for 9 months! .

I'm the opposite - I think the hormones do it to me - I put 2 stone on the first trimester - without changing my eating /exercise habits - both pg (1st pg ended in mc). I think it is horminally driven for me as I put 3 stone on in a year when I went on the pill - again with no change in eating or excercise. I do have pcos so this is possibly why the hormones have such an impact to me.

I was unlucky to get spd which meant I was doing less exercise during the last trimester.

Overall ended up 4 stone heavier.

I think it depends on your body.

Some do eat more etc but I don't think you can assume that thw baby weight is pure indulgence and laziness.

Ps a woman I used to know was stick thin - she told me she struggled to lose weight before having children but when she got pg she just shed the weight with no change to eating habits and afterwards found it hard to put on weight

Just to point out - at no point did I say women put on weight due to laziness or indulgence, and at no point did I say or imply that putting on weight was anything to be ashamed of.

You absolutely did imply that I'm afraid.

Ok bangers in that case I should say it wasn't my intention to imply that. I'm not going to apologise for it though because I don't think that for a second - the idea that anyone should be ashamed of what they weigh is beyond bonkers to me.

no in my case is was definitely crisps and Jubblies that added a full 2+ stone to my silly little frame

re. jogging in pregnancy - I'm currently reading a book about just that topic with many many studies referenced finding that exercising in pregnancy lowers blood pressure, is a way of avoiding and managing gestational diabetes, and a 2002 study in journal 'epidemiology' showed exercise during a healthy pregnancy can actually decrease the risk of pre-term birth.

obviously sense is called for, and listening to your body, but for those who run before pregnancy, continuing to run/jog at a reduced intensity is actually more healthy than stopping entirely.

Cailin if its that inconsequential to you why start a thread about it??!!

Because I wanted to bangers. The thread isn't about women being ashamed of weight gain, it's about the fact that not all women put on weight, which is a separate thing.

But those are the reasons why you have to be sensible about it, and listen to your body not to stop completely - I exercised thoughout my pregnancy, never got a single BH and had an 8lb7 oz baby at 42 weeks.

I was a size 8 before I got pregnant, I put on half a stone in the pregnancy all of which I deposited in the delivery room, and then imagine my delight when 1 hour after the birth I slid effortlessly into some brand new size 6 topshop super skinny jeans. And not a stretch mark to be seen. and I put a crop top on to take the baby home for good measure.

AIBU to think that plenty of women just eat a normal amount while pregnant and don't have any weight to lose once the baby is born?

Yanbu - equally some eat normally and put weight on.

Some eat less and gain

Some eat less and don't gain

Some eat less and lose weight
Some eat loads and lose weight

Some eat loads and don't gain

Some eat loads and put on weight.

Does that cover it?

Only read the OP, yanbu, of course plenty of women don't put on shedloads of weight.

I put on very little with ds1, straight back to normal clothes etc. I was 29. Ds2 I put on more, lost it quickly.

Ds3 I put on a lot in the first tri as I was feeling like shit, but I had good meds this time so I could actually eat and did so overly to stop the nausea.

I put on about 2 1/2 stone all in, and had such awful SPD that I could hardly move round the house let alone exercise, I frequently cried with the pain even sitting down for most of the day.

I'm 39 now. I don't know if it's that what made the difference but anyway it was really hellish and nasty, and I hated it. I literally couldn't move around.

So it depends. I felt I'd very little control over my weight and had better things to worry about frankly.

Ds3 is 4 weeks old, I'm a stone down, I've startedwalking as I CAN walk again now - also I didn't have a car the first two times so I'm sure that contributed.

I'd hate to stay 'fat' after having babies, but really, people are lucky or they aren't. Who is anyone else to judge.

and fwiw I'm 5ft7, weighed 8 1/2 stone before this last pregnancy...I'm not someone who is used to being overweight. Pregnancy can be a really big deal in terms of your fitness, health and activity levels - it's a massive issue for some women.

I was riding a motorcycle till 7 months with ds1. This time I could hardly get out of bed at that point.

Lots of women exercise during pg. Activity is good - no doubt about it (though diet is the single most effective way of controlling GD). However, I particularly made reference to joggers i.e. high impact activities. Even here, most women and babies do well - I'm not stupid enough to think jogging = preterm birth .

I don't think OP was implying anything particularly negative. I think she was trying to promote a debate. It is true that some people think pg = chance to get fat, see it as inevitable and blame their extra kilos on their pgs. It is a fustrating assumption some people make. I was pointing out the opposite end of the spectrum (keep thin and fit during pg) is also fustrating (and possibly more damaging?).

Pregnancy made me fatter - not fat. Just bigger than I was before. BF didn't help either, was constantly hungry and must of eaten about 8 million calories a day while BF.