I'm 17 weeks pregnant with my much-wanted and longed-for first child but my body confidence has just taken a huge knock.
I lost a lot of weight in the first trimester - three quarters of a stone - due to morning sickness and a tummy bug and have gradually put it back on so that now I'm back at pre-pregnancy weight which was 9 stone. I'm 5ft 4in and have always been incredibly fit, active and muscular. I've always been blessed with a flat stomach (I worked for it, mind you!) and have never gone above a size 8-10.
Until this week, I had been watching the slight concave of my lower abdomen with fascination, wondering when it would become a 'proper' bump. But a few nights ago, while jumping in the shower, I noticed huge fatty areas around the back of my hips. A day later, my thighs were fatter. On Saturday, while driving around, I could feel my tummy wobbling when hitting bumps in the road.
This has come as a huge shock to me, and I'm struggling to get my head round it.
This is going to sound ridiculous, but I honestly thought it was possible - even expected - to have one of those 'only baby' bumps like Nell McAndrew et al seem to sport.
I knew I would put weight on, but I never knew it would be fat as well as baby and placenta etc - or at least, never thought it would be this noticeable. As someone who's never had any wobbly bits anywhere before, I'm struggling to alter the years of societal influence that says 'you must be thin and fat-free at all times'.
Has anyone else found this a bit of a shock? How have you coped with it?