November 1014 - thread 5 - the rainbow collective romping (and limping) into 2nd trimester!

[weeonion]

hi folks - thought we should have a new thread!

I've got a very low down bump that's quite obvious, but I have a small frame and don't normally carry weight on my stomach.
Winter - apparently prune juice followed by a glass of water is the thing to go for. I am yet to find this magical juice in any of the supermarkets i frequent - maybe it's not available in Wales?

Hello girlies!

You all talk so much, was struggling to keep up and now seen we are on a brand new thread! At least there's only 2 pages to read through on this one!
Hope everyone is doing OK, very excited to show my 12 week 1 day scan of my little miracle, contently sucking it's thumb in the scan today. So due date is back to what I thought at the beginning 25th November! xx

I've got quite a round low down bump too, that I feel is very obvious, but that could be all in my head. I'm a petite 5'4", normally with a flat stomach. People on the tube do a double take, then convince themselves it's nothing and look away. I haven't put my Baby on Board badge on yet as I feel a bit of a fraud compared to those further along.

Just managed to spend £50 in primark, must be a record! Bought sleepsuits, shortsleeve bodysuits and longsleeve too. All 0-3 month gender neutral or white. Eeeeeeek!!!!!!!! Also bought some cheap summer clothes that will fit a bump in but not maternity. Hidden the baby stuff from DH, why would that be? It's not like he doesn't know about the baby or I spent a lot on them.

Winter - try Lactulose, it's like magic.

I'm home! Thanks for all the support while I was feeling dreggy in hospital. Fortunately it wasn't appendicitis, official diagnosis of hyperemesis, and if another well-meaning person says "Oooh! Did you know Kate Middleton had that?" I might take drastic steps like heaving a long sigh.

I have some really good pills and instructions to keep drinking water. And a HUGE bruise where I've had a cannula in, because it took them so long to dig up a vein out of my shrivelled dehydrated arms on Monday night!

I've just spent £40 quid in primark on big knickers, and pyjama bottoms (and a beach dress for next years holiday) and nighties for my hospital bag, but will also wear them when the bump gets bigger. The nighties have buttons so should be ok for breastfeeding. I'm going with worse case scenario and assuming I'll be in for a few days after a c section (like last time) so will need a few pairs.

Not buying anything for baby or looking in the loft until after the 20 week scan, but concentrating on sorting the hospital bag at the moment.

Marking my place - 13+5 today. Scan went well last Friday which was a relief and EDD moved to 14th November, just waiting for the blood results now. So pleased to hear that everyone seems to be doing ok and that those who haven't been so good are picking up.

I can really sympathise with those of you who are feeling like the weight is piling on. I am really struggling with my changing appearance because for once I can't do anything about it. No dieting and no strenuous exercise which is what I'd normally revert to if I felt things were going the wrong way. I got out of the bath last night, caught sight of myself in the mirror and promptly burst into tears. I feel so unattractive and unsexy. I am so delighted to be pregnant, and I'm not for a second being ungrateful, but I have always struggled with my body image and feeling completely unable to do anything about it is very difficult and quite alien.

Those of you who have been pregnant before did you feel like this and did it get better? I am hoping that when my bump properly forms it will slim out the rest of me by pulling everything round a bit (thus slimming out my profile!) and hopefully reducing the bloat...or is that wishful thinking?! Sorry to sound so moany, I'm just really struggling with the changes. Blasted pregnancy hormones aren't helping either!

thisis I am feeling a bit like that too. Was the fittest /slimmest I've ever been (well in adulthood!) before our ivf cycle but that and then early pregnancy put paid to my cycling/running/swimming routine and the healthy eating and I have put on about 8lbs already. DH says I've got a bump but I know it's just podge- I can feel the bump and it's still low down and under my jeans.
I did a long 8m hike on thurs which I didn't struggle with too much, so I am planning to start doing a bit more exercise, well, walking and swimming probably. Hoping that a decent routine will help check the weight gain a little. Food wise I'm trying to eat cereal, yoghurt, fruit when hungry between meals, instead of reaching for the biscuits and crisps which sometimes works - but then I have been lucky with not having any nausea so perhaps it's been easier for me.

I do think we'll feel better once there's more of an obvious bump!!

Maybe use this as an exercise in valuing different things about your body? I think women are encouraged SO hard (far too hard) to value their bodies only for how slim and attractive they are - not for what we can do. Marketed heavily to us by rapacious diet and cosmetics industry.

I have never had the 'right' body shape (I'm pear shaped) and I've always particularly disliked my thighs, which are so trad. English that they may as well be a Cecil Spring Rice hymn, pale and lumpy in that peculiar way that only English girls' thighs seem to be. But they DO get me up mountains. And I've liked them more since a friend said to me "those thighs are your engines! Love them like a chav loves his Astra!" I think of that when I have a negative-body-image moment.

We beat ourselves up way too much in our quest for the 'right' body when the 'right' body is the one we have and the one that enables us to do stuff. Could my thighs & bum be prettier - yes - but it's not really pretty that's important, it's how well they work. And there is nothing like pregnancy for seeing our bodies working, even if while we do it our bodies are doing all the things that we're taught to be terrified of, getting fat and lumpy and misshapen.

/feministhippyrant

If I have a daughter I will need to put my inner feminist hippy into full effect to avoid setting a bad example. My mum is a recently retired primary teacher and she had four year olds who refused to tuck their t-shirts into their gym shorts for PE because "it made them look fat." There is no way I want my four year old thinking about her body image when she should be playing.

I'm 15+3 and my stomach now sticks out further than my boobs in profile. And I've got 36DD's! (Though now suspect I'm a 38C)

I am feeling HUGE as if you didn't know I was pregnant I'm sure you'd just think me quite fat. Its very high up, and has been since Wk 9, but I'm quite tall and amazonian which means it still looks like podge despite my girth.

I'm consoling myself with it not being much longer till things get very "bump"y.

By the way Winter, prune juice prune juice prune juice!!!

Annarose this is why I hate seeing people at work who don't know at the moment as I just look fat, not pregnant! Can't find anything decent to wear either that is loose enough without looking frumpy!

Glad I found you all- I wondered where everyone had gone!

I'm also sticking out further than my boobs which are 34 f or ff now eek! I hope they don't grow anymore!

I'm feeling the opposite, I am loving not having to worry about my weight (as I always have) and enjoying having an 'acceptable' fuller figure. its great to have an excuse!

I also went to Primark and spent about £30, I got myself a hat as im paranoid about sunstroke and a top that will fit my bump for a while. I got dp a top and dsd a few bits :) I want to buy the first baby bits but I can't find anything gender neutral that I want yet, only boy or girl clothes :p

thisis I know exact what you mean, and felt the same with ds (first time) and feel the same now. It does get better though once you have a clear bump as it makes everything else look normal again.

posy I agree about body image but am a massive hypocrite as I have altered myself, (from being a design - obsessed eejit extending it to my own appearance rather than trying to fit in with societal norms I think, but who knows? ) and am still glad I did. The trouble is if I have a dc who wants to follow suit it rather weakens any argument I might have with them about following a similar path, except to tell them wait 8 years, and be damn sure of your reasons... and of course beings a hypocrite I'd rather they were happy as is than fiddle with themselves!

I've started taking pictures of my bump though not much there as it is mainly bloat! Currently 12 weeks

By the way I find Primark brilliant right now. Their tops are incredibly long and the "silky" work tops with buttons down the front tend to be very wide at the waist so very forgiving/disguising.

Posy - thatmafe me so sad. Just where exactly does a 4 yr old get the idea that they cant do / wear something in case they look fat!!! It doesn't come out of their own heads - its put there.
I hate to hear mums / grans/ aunts/ adults talk about weight, diets, appearance etc in front of kids, especially girls. One sure way to set them up to not only feel bad about themselves but to stand as judges of others around them.
I have struggled with my body all my life, a few eating disorders along the way and have been everything from sz 8 to sz24 / 26. DD has never heard,me criticise my body or be negative about it. I tell her it is one of my most amazing tools which allows me to do incredible things but that is all it is. She has seen me naked alot and i don't hide away any stretch marks, rolls, sags, toned,muscles. If i cant be proud of it - what can of hypocrite would i be. That's not to say that sometimes i hate it and yearn for something different but hey ho - this is what i got and have to make the most of it.

I didn't love all about my pg body but it was pretty amazing. I changed everywhere - not just bump. My arms, chest, legs,bum,thighs and when i was about 30 weeks on - i loved it. I also took a picture each week profile and frontal and put them all together. Its a fab record.

I think of my SIL who recently went private to get an elective CS at 36 weeks so she would avoid the potential of the last 4 weeks weight gain but also to have an extra 4 weeks to lose baby weight to go ski-ing. She chose not to bf this time so she could have a nursery nurse in with baby to allow her to get back exercising with personal trainer to have lost all her baby weight within 2 months. Her appearance is totally her priority (she had a stylist waiting to get her make up and hair done post CS for those all impt first pics for twitter, instagram and FB).

Oh and posy - your legs sound like excellent machines! ;-)

Hi - haven't logged on for a while and loads seems to have happened! Had my 12 week scan on Monday and I was absolutely bricking it beforehand (older (38), 1st time Mum-to-be) but sonographer was quite happy with everything she saw and it was just AWESOME to see it there and moving around Now just waiting for the results of the DS test.

Have started to tell friends and family who are all dead excited / surprised / shocked....also had loads of offers of hand-me-down baby clothes which we're more than happy to accept, so all's good here.

Thing I've noticed is that my energy levels are going up a bit now (for the 1st time in weeks - yippee!) but, to put it bluntly (sorry!), my breasts are undergoing another growth spurt..when will they stop!!!???

Hear hear posy!

Hi All, I'm new here. 14 weeks today with my first pregnancy. Had my dating scan on Monday and all is going well. Look forward to getting to know you all better

winter I've got fibrogel and syrup of figs, both over the counter medicines that have seemed to do the trick.

My bump is high, I'd think it was just crumpet eating bloat but its hard and starts right under my boobs! Someone who didn't know me would think I was fat but I couldn't hide it from friends or colleagues now... But I guess I am 15 weeks so it about the right time.

I'm over my weight gain moan. New problem. Bum pain. Not in the ACTUAL bum but my cheeks, feels like aching muscles but much much worse and keeps going into spasm, trying to get docs appt because I can hardly walk at times. What is this??? How do I make it stop?

Posy how you getting on?

Btw what I thought was movement probably wasn't as I haven't felt it since, but I have felt a weird pressurey feeling which I think is where the baby is lying :)

Hi everyone, just marking my place on the new thread.

Posy - glad you're feeling better now. Rest up

My bump is very low down but also have a spare tyre from too much eating over the past 15 weeks and still suffering the bloat too. 15+1 now.

Energy levels have also improved finally!

As soon as I saw DH I told him about the baby clothes, just too exciting! Got some out of packets and cooed at them. They seem so small. #stating the bloody obvious