Pʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ is different for everyone, and baby ʙᴜᴍᴘs come in many sʜᴀᴘᴇs and sɪᴢᴇs. Mum-of-two Alicia, from Melbourne, Australia, has shared her Pʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ journey online. Her Pʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ journey is a little tougher than many, as she shows off her ɢɪɴᴏʀᴍᴏᴜs ʙᴇʟʟʏ and she still has ten weeks to go.
Alicia said:” I found out I was ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ when I was six weeks along. I’d just sᴛᴏᴘᴘᴇᴅ ʙʀᴇᴀsᴛ Fᴇᴇᴅɪɴɢ my son and we feel ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ sᴛʀᴀɪɢʜᴛ ᴀᴡᴀʏ. I didn’t experience any sɪᴄᴋɴᴇss, but I was always hungry. The last couple of months were the ʜᴀʀᴅᴇsᴛ because I experienced a lot of ᴘᴇʟᴠɪᴄ ᴘᴀɪɴs and the last month or so it was very ʜᴀʀᴅ to walk and be out and about.” Even at 12 weeks, when many women aren’t even showing yet, Alicia’s ʙᴜʀɢᴇᴏɴɪɴɢ ʙᴜᴍᴘ was very visible through clothes. She said her sᴍᴀʟʟ sᴛᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ would probably make her ʙᴜᴍᴘ ʟᴏᴏᴋ ʙɪɢɢᴇʀ. And now at 29 weeks ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ with a baby girl, she revealed she as gained 41lbs and that she ‘ just ᴄᴀʀʀɪᴇs ʙɪɢ.’
She said :” I’m 29 weeks ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ and I am up 19 kilos, which is like 41 pounds.” As her Pʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ ᴘʀᴏɢʀᴇssᴇᴅ, she wanted to relish it and ᴇᴍʙʀᴀᴄᴇ her ᴄʜᴀɴɢɪɴɢ ʙᴏᴅʏ. When she posted pictures of her Pʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ online. She felt ᴄᴏɴsᴛᴀɴᴛ sᴄʀᴜᴛɪɴʏ for the sʜᴀᴘᴇs and sɪᴢᴇs of her sᴛᴏᴍᴀᴄʜ. But the ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴇɴᴛs ᴡᴏʀsᴇɴᴇᴅ as time went on. Alicia said : ” When my third ᴛʀɪᴍᴇsᴛᴇʀ started, I started to receive more and more comments about my ɢʀᴏᴡɪɴɢ baby ʙᴜᴍᴘ. People would also say ʜᴜʀᴛFᴜʟ things like ‘why is her ʙᴜᴍᴘ so ʙɪɢ? I ʙᴇᴛᴛᴇʀ not get like this’ and that it was the ʙɪɢɢᴇsᴛ ʙᴜᴍᴘ ᴛʜᴇʏ’ᴅ ᴇᴠᴇʀ sᴇᴇɴ. When people tell you that you ʟᴏᴏᴋ ɢʀᴏss ᴏʀ sᴜɢɢᴇsᴛ you’re not leading a ʜᴇᴀʟᴛʜʏ ʟɪFᴇsᴛʏʟᴇ ᴅᴜʀɪɴɢ your Pʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ, it can be ʜᴜʀᴛFᴜʟ. I think people have an idea in their head about how a ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ woman should look, sometimes based off their own experiences.
So when they see a woman who’s ᴄᴀʀʀʏɪɴɢ ʟᴀʀɢᴇʀ or sᴍᴀʟʟᴇʀ, they feel the need to ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴇɴᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ɢɪᴠᴇ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ᴛᴡᴏ ᴄᴇɴᴛs. She said:” I love sharing my ᴊᴏᴜʀɴᴇʏ online because I express my feelings in my posts”. She hopes her positive posts on Instagram will inspire ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ women to ᴇᴍʙʀᴀᴄᴇ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ʙᴏᴅɪᴇs. And sending reminders that everyone ᴄᴀʀʀɪᴇs differently and there are many factors that determine how you carry, such as weight, height, your ᴘᴀʀᴛɴᴇʀ’s ɢᴇɴᴇᴛɪᴄs, Fʟᴜɪᴅ, ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ ᴄᴏɴᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴs. ‘No matter what size you are, Pʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ isn’t easy.’
