worried about weight gain/body image after 2nd baby

[Butterflyy20]

so with my first to put it shortly i was very slim and confident and i gained a couple of stone and felt incredibly insecure, i only gained this in the last few weeks! it's taken me a year to feel better and lose a lot of weight (still not as skinny as before but didn't expect to) and i am more than happy to be pregnant this time but i plan to be more active watch my food etc, will it help at all to not gain as much weight or lose it quickly after? i know it's shallow thing to say but it effected my mental health so much i'm almost worried to go back to that state! tia

Hey Op. sorry to I hear you’re not feeling body positive right now.

I would say that each pregnancy is different. I gained loads with my first, lost a ton with my second.

Eat healthy, but don’t diet. If you’re concerned, switch up biscuits for carrots and nuts etc. Keep up your exercise if you feel okay to. Don’t stress about added weight through pregnancy. It’s your bodies way of keeping baby healthy throughout.

If you’re planning to bf or express, know that it’s a great way to lose weight afterwards. (In fact, that’s what kept me going after each baby, and I’m down to pre baby weight a year on without dieting).

Either way, give your body time to do it’s thing. Yes, you’ll gain weight, have stretch marks, possibly a wobbly tummy after, but focus on the wonderful little being you are creating, not you’re weight.

Remember, you’re an Amazon!! Big, beautiful, strong! Screw society’s body shaming antics and embrace your post baby body!

I think its understandable to feel this way! I've always been very silm, never really had to worry about my figure and we travel a lot to tropical destinations so I spend a lot of time in bikinis etc! The effects of pregnancy on my body is definitely a concern of mine but I'm mostly just hoping for the best and trying to stay as active as possible!

I've found myself googling post partum body updates on YouTube at night to see how other women look after childbirth which probably isn't a very healthy habit! Anyhow, just wanted to let you know that you're not alone!

Just wanted to add that weight gain doesn't really worry me as much as the thought of loose skin!

I think there are two things to think about...

1. staying active and eating well. This will help your body to stay healthy - and absolutely, your body gains weight (including fat!) during pregnancy, but that's totally normal and your body preparing you to breastfeed etc. Try not to stress about what that weight gain is, but just keep exercising and eating well and you know that your body is doing it's thing.
2. acceptance that we don't look like we did at 21! I find social media so hard sometimes as I see pictures from 10 years and think "god, if only I had legs like that now!" etc. But expecting my 34 year old body to look like it did before children is quite unrealistic. I found a better approach after my first was again, to focus on exercise and nutrition. I was like "well, I may weigh 8lb more than I did before I had children and my tummy might jiggle a bit, but do you know what? It's strong enough that I can still run a marathon..." That was quite a big lesson in learning to love my body for what it can do for me, rather than what it looks like.

It's not to say you won't get back to your pre baby weight and love your body, but try not to live by instagram transformations - it will only set you up to feel like you're failing xx

thanks everyone! i will have to learn to love myself and what i've created 2 beautiful children