Feeling fat!

[Chellefoot85]

This may sound silly but I'm nearly 6 months pregnant and I just feel huge! Not just bump but my legs, arms etc. I was size 10 before being pregnant and with my first I worked full time in a very busy job so didn't gain much until I went on maternity leave. I'm also going to breast feed for at least 6 months so won't be able to look like my old self for ages ?? anyone else feel this way?

Is it baby weight or have you put on extra? If so, then yes you will of course feel fat!
There's no reason you can't feel yourself while breast feeding.

chelle I also feel humongous - I feel like along with my gorgeous bump, my arse and thighs are completely out of control!

I'm not sure there is a way to tell whether it is baby weight or extra as every pregnancy and every baby is different - my coping strategy is just not to weigh myself until the baby is born and I know what is baby, what is me and what is cake then I can get rid of the cake afterwards.

For me, pregnancy has not been a walk in the park by any means and I think women are feeling the pressure to be 'perfect' at all stages of life - pregnancy included. I'm trying to concentrate on the fact that I am growing a healthy baby and that is my current priority for my body. Getting back in my jeans can come later! It's only a short amount of time in the whole grand scheme of things and I'm sure you look fab.

It's not just you . I'm only 4.5 months but huge everywhere else except my bump. Arms, legs, face. Thankfully not hands or feet yet, but it will come! It's a combination of not being able to play my (high impact, high risk) sport after the first trimester, feeling nauseated for 16 weeks (hence eating little and often), and a massive amount of water retention that seems to come with pregnancy hypertension. It happened with my first pregnancy and I was a huge swollen ball.

But I lost 2.5 stone in the first week after birth (mostly in sweat ) and it continued to drop off with breastfeeding and low carb until I was 20lbs under my pre-pg weight within 12 months.

Lots of it goes on my thighs (already, ahem, sturdy), and bum - apparently these are good fat stores for breastfeeding, and we certainly didn't have any issues feeding.

But I feel very cumbersome and unfit and not at all like myself in pregnancy.