“But I Don’t ‘Look’ Pregnant…”

“But I don’t ‘look’ pregnant.”

Oof. This is a very common topic I hear in my work with pregnant people, especially with people who have struggled with their bodies throughout their lives.

The first trimester can be such a difficult time.

Other than experiencing food aversions, extreme exhaustion, and nausea, it is also a time where the risk of miscarriage is highest and people feel like their future is still unclear.

Another reason the first trimester is often hard for people is because, while they ‘feel’ pregnant, they do ‘not look’ pregnant.

For those who have had a difficult relationship with their body, this can feel especially activating. Comments I hear from people include:

• “I worry people will think I let myself go.”

• “What if people think I just got fat?”

• “People will think I have lost all my self-control.”

• “What if people judge me?”

While I want to tell my clients that others may not be thinking about them in the ways they fear, it doesn’t help that, in our society, people feel free to make comments about pregnant and postpartum bodies. 

Fearing what people think of our changing body in pregnancy is often rooted in something deeper - our core fears. 

Maybe it is because you feel you are unloveable if you are not perfect. Or maybe it is because you feel unworthy in a different body size. 

If you do, you are not alone. And you do not have to do recovery on your own. Please connect with a therapist and/or dietitian (who specialize in working with eating disorders!) to support you on this journey.

And click here to sign up for my upcoming course - Nurtured and Embodied: Find Peace With Food & Body (During Pregnancy, Postpartum, and Beyond)!