22 Weeks, Second Post (Anonymous)

Original entry here.

Age: 22
First Pregnancy

My last post was at 16 weeks. I’ve been reading the other stories on here and decided to post again. For those who read my last post, I’ve been battling an eating disorder since I was 10; my issue with weight gain has followed me throughout this pregnancy. Specifically, when my doctor says he’d be a “little concerned” if I hadn’t gained any more weight by my 22-wk appointment (scheduled this week), my first thought is “OK, a challenge!”

And I’ve spent the last six weeks doing everything I can to stay at the 163lbs I was at my last appointment. I tried to be healthy while still avoiding any additional weight gain… although I know that sounds like an oxymoron. I weighed myself today and I’m 166 at 5′ 7″ I’m doing my best to have a fit and active pregnancy; I walk every day, try to eat healthy, and very rarely have sugar– I’m still struggling with being okay with an extra pound or two, though. Maybe that extra pound is in my bra now– I went from a small B to a C. Yikes.

To be honest, I think I’d be more okay with the weight gain if I looked more pregnant. I spent too much pre-pregnancy time working my abs though, lol. Interesting point of view, huh? I wonder when I’ll “POP” and start looking obviously pregnant (since next week I enter my sixth month). Right now I still feel like I look thick, not pregnant. Here’s hoping that changes soon! Thanks for the support everyone!

First pic: 2 months pre-pregnancy stomach (145lbs)
Second pic: 18 weeks pregnant
Third pic: 21.5 weeks pregnant (covered)
Fourth pic: 21.5 weeks pregnant (belly bared)

Updated here and here.

12 thoughts on “22 Weeks, Second Post (Anonymous)

  • Saturday, August 7, 2010 at 9:15 am
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    I’m a little confused. Your doctor said he’d be concerned if you didn’t gain weight, so you’re doing everything you can NOT to? Did I miss something?

    Pregnancy is the one time in your life that you NEED to gain weight. If that is hard to get your head around, remind yourself that it’s for your baby and not for you. If your weight gain is reasonable (23-30 pounds) then it should come back off pretty easily. A few extra pounds are better than an unhealthy baby, right?

    And “Thick” isn’t how I’d describe you at all–you’re still so skinny! Try wearing shirts that gather (or are tightest) just under the bust–they tend to accentuate any bump that you have!

  • Saturday, August 7, 2010 at 9:42 am
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    Oh Honey I was the same way as you!! Just search my name “Georgia” my posts should come up. I posted one when I was still pregnant too. and have posted a few more as well. Im still waited for my before and after pics, after working out the past three months. If you ever need someone to talk to about worries and stuff feel free to email me! Mrsmullan09@yahoo.com.
    Hang in there, looks like you are gaining slowly which is good. You look great.

  • Saturday, August 7, 2010 at 12:22 pm
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    I struggled too, with gaining weight but not looking visibly pregnant. It was driving me crazy!! I’d tell people I was 20 weeks or whatever, and they look at me like I was insane and ask where the heck I was keeping the baby. I “popped” around 25 weeks. Suddenly, I looked PREGNANT! And now at 29 weeks, I’m still small for how far along I am, but there’s no mistaking this belly for just getting fat. Try to be patient. It’ll come :)

  • Saturday, August 7, 2010 at 1:22 pm
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    woah i think you look good :) a small 21 weeks but its a pretty bump :) good luck and i hope you stay healthy and not worry so much about your body

  • Saturday, August 7, 2010 at 6:45 pm
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    Don’t worry honey, you’ll POP soon enough lol. Usually you become noticeably pregnant when you enter your 8th month… :) You look great though, and I understand completely about your eating disorder, I had my own battle when I was only 10 years old… It took time but now I am healthy and I know you can overcome this :)

  • Sunday, August 8, 2010 at 1:53 pm
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    Look at you! You have the sweetest little bump at 22 weeks! Congratulations! I hope you have a wonderful pregnancy! :)

  • Monday, August 9, 2010 at 7:03 pm
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    I realize how impatient you are to start looking undeniably pregnant. It will happen soon though… for most people it happens around 26 weeks or so.

    You need to get mentally & physically healthy for both your sake and that of your unborn child. If you are not gaining at least 25 to 35 lbs during your pregnancy, both you and your baby are at risk. Just Google eating disorders and pregnancy and you’ll find all the information you could ever want to know. Is it really worth risking the life of your baby to achieve a target weight you select arbitrarily?

    Not all weight gain during pregnancy is fat either… ~20-25 lbs make up the weight of your baby, the muscle in your growing uterus, the placenta, your breasts, etc. and maybe ~10 lbs of fat stores that your body draws on to nurse your newborn. Sometimes a woman also retains a lot of water near the end of pregnancy and can appear to gain substantially more. I gained ~50 lbs during pregnancy and I think ~20 lbs of that was water weight… I immediately lost about 10 lbs when I left the hospital and another 25 over the next 2 weeks (the water weight I think). Within another month or 2, 10 more lbs slipped away and by ~6 months I was back to my pre-preg weight.

    Please listen to your doctor and get yourself healthy.

  • Tuesday, August 10, 2010 at 7:18 pm
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    @Sheila, I agree with everything you said except that you actually don’t need to gain at least 25 pounds. I gained 22 and 21 pounds with my pregnancies and babies and I were both healthy:) Everyone is different.

  • Friday, August 13, 2010 at 9:11 pm
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    Hello, you are one beautiful woman! So,I was similar to you in the almost non-existant bump thing until I was somewhere in my sixth month… at that point, and for the next month, I totally exploded!! I was lucky that I was rubbing Mother’s Special Blend oil all over my belly and boobs every day, or I think I would have suffered some major stretchmarks!!

    By the time I was 7 1/2 months pregnant, people were asking me if I was having twins!! I was all belly… and I think the late “pop” was because of some pretty strong abs, like you (yes, I saw that six pack in the photo of when you were “overweight”). I didn’t get much bigger than the 7.5mo size, at least I think, but at the very very end I definately put on the water weight, where my feet really showed it, lol.

    So, like you was eating healthy and excercising and losing some weight just before finding out that I was pregnant. I made sure to continue eating fairly healthy (but who can resist a little icecream, I was pregnant, after all!) but with the constant yucky feeling for the first three months, I stopped working out (which for the next one, I would love to continue yoga or something!), and I gained 35 pounds all in all. I will have you know that three days after giving birth, 20 of them were gone (the beautiful little girl being 8 1/2 of them)! There was LOTS of water in my belly, crazy when that water broke!! Ten weeks later, and I had lost all but five pounds of my baby weight and I felt fabulous. I do agree with an earlier post that this was likely due to the massive amounts of milk I was manufacturing for that little girl!! Breastfeeding is the best weight loss regimen I know!! :)

    Now, 14 months PP, I weigh the same I did pre-pregnancy, but I don’t have any excercise regimen save chasing around a tot and continued breastfeeding. And I pretty much eat whatever, still healthy-ish but I am not counting calories.

    Really, the only thing that hasn’t returned to normal is my belly button. I used to have this cute little vertical slit belly button, now it is this big gaping O that is really hard to get used to.

    You can gain a healthy amount of weight, whether that be 20 or so pounds or 40 pounds, and you will be able to get them back off. With you continuing go excercise, sounds like you are going to have a very smooth labor and delivery, and those who excercise tend to bounce back very quickly. Continue to do that, eat healthy, and STOP stepping on the scale unless you are at the doctors. And don’t look then!! ;) You won’t regret it when that healthy little baby is placed in your arms, and you watch that sweet little face sleep for the first time. The pounds will slip right off, and when you get back on a scale at least two weeks later, it will say the exact same thing it does now… that you are beautiful and at a perfect weight. And now, you have gone through one of the hardest things a body can go through and created a miracle :)

  • Thursday, August 19, 2010 at 11:06 am
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    I have more pics up at HellHounds4Marz.blogspot.com
    I’m almost at 27 weeks, and DAMN did my stomach explode!!! I’ll post here again soon, y’all– thanks for the support (I’m kinda ashamed of how much I need it)

  • Sunday, August 29, 2010 at 6:48 pm
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    you will show soon, i was the same way, i wore a certain pair of prepregnacy jeans throughout my entire pregnancy. i was about 25 weeks before you didnt think i was just chubby and was pregnant

  • Wednesday, November 3, 2010 at 11:26 pm
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    @ sheila
    I appreciate your concern; I’ve been struggling with this for 13 years. It is a daily battle not to purge everything I put in my mouth. I am very proud of the progress I’ve made and how I continue to stay healthy for my son. It wears down on me mentally, though… not having any control over my body is a nightmare (not seeing my feet, being unable to run anymore– having SPD makes even rolling over in bed so painful it brings tears to my eyes).
    I’m still measuring small; the doctors are very happy with where I am right now, though. I’m due in 17 more days and no one believes me when I tell them that, lol. I’m doing my best to be patient and allow my body to tell me what to do.

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