Is it just me or ...

[shouldntbeonhereagain]

Does anyone else find the constant pressure to be a super fit / toned flexible
and gorgeous pregnant person a bit demoralising? I am 21 weeks with number 4 and do know the benefits of keeping active during pregnancy, but it feels a bit extreme to be doing workouts / weight training etc. I know it’s individual and many women can cope (especially if they have exercised before pregnancy). That’s fine for them, but my issue is with the bombardment of imagery of ‘perfect’ pregnancy bodies. It seems like even in pregnancy (surely a time to celebrate women’s bodies and their strength) the same old body image pressure nonsense is creeping in dressed up as health and fitness. Rant over .. but if i see one more minuscule millennial bump in lycra I will scream!

I get you. Try not to let it get you down. If your lifestyle doesn't involve you being super fit and toned to begin with, pregnancy isn't the place to start. Go for walks, swimming when you can etc and eat as healthily as possible (easier said than done, thanks food aversions) and you'll be just fine.

I have spinal arthritis (24 going on 80) and so exercise has always been difficult for me. I will never be the Lycra clad Instagram mum but I will do my best for me and baby!

Chin up, you got this

I like the This Girl Can campaign for showing a more inclusive attitude to activity.

www.thisgirlcan.co.uk/

@Andersonx3 what kind of arthritis do you have? I'm suffering big time during this pregnancy, I have ankylosing spondylitis. Walking everyday helps my pain & stiffness but with the fatigue from early pregnancy that just isn't possible at present!

@starflake I also have AS! Has yours improved with pregnancy??

In my last pregnancy I put on a huge amount of weight and had loads of swelling so was huge.
This time I said I wouldn't let the same thing happen again and I would stick at the gym.. but then morning sickness came along and I thought f* that and just stopped . Luckily I've still managed my weight better this time but all my hard work from the gym prior to pregnancy is well and truly gone!
Even my dh laughs at all the mums to be and new mums in the baby catalogues, looking amazing and no extra weight on them. It's really not a realistic option for so many of us

@Andersonx3 no unfortunately not, but I stopped my humira, back on it now & have noticed a difference already the last few days! I was completely pain & symptom free before pregnancy. This is my 4th, for the other 3 I wasn't diagnosed yet, 2 out of the 3 pregnancies were ok but hard labours, the pregnancy I struggled with & had lots of AS pain I had an easy labour! How are you holding up? I'm always amazed when I come across someone with AS also 😂

PM me @Andersonx3 if you like, so we don't take over OP thread

I think adverts in general paint the most inspiring/positive/healthy/beautiful images of everything but it bothers most people who don't aspire to that or feel its unrelatable to them. In pregnancy lots of women put pressure on themselves to be perfect with it and I can see why it grates, but someone who is naturally active/fit/healthy/gorgeous won't appreciate the opposite representation either so they can't win I guess. I'd be more offended if they made all pregnant women out to be inactive, over weight, zero effort, slobs and I'm no super model with pregnancy myself (no lycra here, 😂) . If media makes you feel rubbish don't indulge in it, the representation you speak of will be unrealistic for lots of women but I don't think they deserve to be hidden.x

For me it's the expectation to be super happy and excited all the time that is really grating. I am very grateful to be pregnant and will obviously be even more so if I manage to have a healthy baby but that doesn't stop me feeling sick, tired and generally like shit.

I take your point about advertising. I can deal with the beauty industry because everyone sensible knows it is nonsense. But the difference between this kind of ‘pregnancy perfection’ advertising and ordinary ‘selling’, is the assumption that if only a woman would work hard physically at exercise /diet etc during pregnancy, she will be doing the best she can for her baby. The best in health terms does not always equate with a single representation of muscular toned skinny etc. It is a sort of commodification of a biological process.

@starflake oh sorry you're having a rough time! Hopefully the Humira will take most of the pain for you! I'm doing great! Pregnancy has really taken most of the pain away - so happy! It begins to hurt toward the end of the work day but nothing like it used to, and I'm managing to get out of bed on my own much more than I could before!