My fat butt rant

[matey]

My regular pants fit in the morning, but by the afternoon, I have to change into sweats. I still feel stupid wearing maternity clothes. I just feel fat. Yes, my stomach is pooching out, but it makes me feel like that layer of fat on my belly is on display for the world. I've been wearing tanks or a belly band to keep the outer fat from excessively jiggling. Do I just need to suck it up and wear pregnant pants? I just feel like a cow! I hate this. I hate it!!!

[babycatcher12]

I hear you. I feel so blessed to be pg, but at the same time am finding it hard to deal with the changes I'm seeing, and so blooming early this time too! I'm cleaning out my closets and digging out all my maternity clothes. I've just decided to embrace it and who cares if it's really belly fat? I'm pregnant, now I can call it baby.
-Erin

[sweetiebird]

Oh, I am so with you. I always have a belly, so until I'm 'really' showing I just look tubby. But sometimes I hate the belly band thingy, cause it keeps shifting, etc.

Last time I wore maternity pants at around 12 weeks because my stomach couldn't handle ANYTHING that was too tight. I'm 14 weeks now and am getting to the point where I think it'll be necessary soon.

I say wear them with pride... you are pregnant after all

[MissMorgan]

I feel ya! I feel like I look super bad - like I just eat too much and not pregnant! But my maternity pants are SOO comfortable so I just don't care anymore about wearing them "early". I'm pregnant so I'm wearing them!!

[etsdtm99]

(DDC crashing from sept)

have you tried secret fit belly pants? they kind of hold in the jiggle a bit and make me feel like i look more pregnant and less chubby..and they are comfy! though they do fall down a bit at times like all maternity jeans.. i have two pairs that don't fit me (Larges) and may fit you that you could borrow, (at this point i don't think they'll fit me until its too hot for jeans) send me a msg on FB and i can bring them next time i see you..

i spent a couple weeks with my pants unbuttoned before i moved on to maternity jeans and sweatshirts.. just in the past few days i've given up on the sweatshirts and i've been wearing normal shirts and i'm learning to live with the belly.. i have this delusion that i may actually look pregnant and not fat.. though with the other two that didn't come til about 20 weeks..

[seattlemamma]

who cares if it's really belly fat? I'm pregnant, now I can call it baby.

I will post a picture of my fat belly if I find my camera cord? My Dh actually told me in the store today that if anyone asks, "Tell them you are in your second trimester...don't tell them how many weeks!" It sounds bad, but it was funny. He is tired of people asking if I am having twins or triplets. It was risky with the emotional roller coaster I have been on I could have broke down right there and I am not overly fat, but was over weight when I became pregnant. Ever since my second child...as soon as I become pregnant my body says, "Oh I know what to do!" and pops out. I have been wearing maternity pants since I was 5 weeks! I think my babies like lots of room to swim about, because I always have lots of amniotic fluid and large placentas. It could also be because I am short and the baby has nowhere else to go but out. In the good years I am 5'1" 120 lbs. This is my fifth and I started pregnancy at 148lbs. I was never able to lose it from my last.. Luckily I haven't gained any weight yet...

[meredyth0315]

seattlemamma This is me exactly, height, weight, 5th pg and all - were we separated at birth? I had someone ask me if I was 7 months. Somewhere between mortification & anger I just smiled and said politely "no, not quite there yet". What I wanted to do was give her the finger But what's so strange with this one is that I seem to be carrying high and my maternity jeans are too big. So I look like I'm at the home stretch & feel like I'm dressed sloppy since the clothes don't fit right. I'm always curious to see how the babes lie, too - 2 out of 3 have been transverse, just no room vertically

[seattlemamma]

Meredyth-That is too funny. It is nice to know someone out there can empathize with me.

[HaikuMommy]

Every week I find another article of clothing no longer fits. The list of clothes I can wear is getting smaller and smaller. Sigh... guess I need to shop for some maternity clothes.

[babycatcher12]

Seattlemama and Meredyth, I'm the same size and wt. I think it has something to do with our body type. (I'm on baby 4).
I'm finding that some of my maternity clothes don't fit quite the same this go round though. We'll see how that works out in the end.
I can't do the belly band because it slips down and shifts. I'm learning to embrace it sooner.

[isras1]

I have been blessed in that several friends and family members gave me some maternity clothes and I scored big on eBay and Craigslist. I was tired of seeing those boxes of clothes and of my wardrobe slowing dwindling in what I can wear... rubber band trick only works for so long.

So, I spent several hours cleaning out my closet, of clothes that are no longer fitting and seasonal clothes that will definitely not fit in due time. It was a bit strange. Being my first pregnancy, I found the purging a good opportunity to reflect on with how I was feeling about the changes I am seeing/feeling in my body, what it'll be like at 7 months pregnant and of postpartum physical changes. As babycatcher stated, "I'm learning to embrace it sooner", I guess that's what I was beginning to do today.

[matey]

Originally Posted by etsdtm99

(DDC crashing from sept)

have you tried secret fit belly pants? they kind of hold in the jiggle a bit and make me feel like i look more pregnant and less chubby..and they are comfy! though they do fall down a bit at times like all maternity jeans.. i have two pairs that don't fit me (Larges) and may fit you that you could borrow, (at this point i don't think they'll fit me until its too hot for jeans) send me a msg on FB and i can bring them next time i see you..

i spent a couple weeks with my pants unbuttoned before i moved on to maternity jeans and sweatshirts.. just in the past few days i've given up on the sweatshirts and i've been wearing normal shirts and i'm learning to live with the belly.. i have this delusion that i may actually look pregnant and not fat.. though with the other two that didn't come til about 20 weeks..

Since I only have one pair of mat pants, it would be super cool if I could borrow your larges. That is what I seem to fit in to. I will message you.

I gave up on unbuttoned pants two days ago. Ths digging was driving me crazy. I having trouble letting go of the sweatshirt though. YTesterday two people saw me without the sweatshirt (in my house) and that was a big deal.

You do look pregnant, so you arent delusional You looked pregnant at like 7 weeks!

[mimosagirl]

Don't worry that you have some belly! It's good stuff. I'm 16 weeks and have a big belly too! Last week I felt pretty fat, but this week I'm embracing the belly aspect of it.

I was doing the rubber band thing until last week and finally went out to buy the belly band. Then I saw a pair of maternity jeans (the only ones left in that size). Since I want to save some money I decided to skip the belly band and just go for the jeans. I felt like it was way to early in the pregnancy for maternity clothes, but I am SO much more comfortable now. I'm glad I didn't wait any longer. I figured I'm always wearing the same jeans when I go out anyways...and now at home I can actually stay dressed most of the day instead of switching to sweats.

[MJB]

I'm 16.4 weeks and my jeans are uncomfortable when I sit. I am really hoping to get through it without maternity pants (come on, skirt weather!) but I'm not sure it's going to happen. I might have to live in sweatpants for the month of March.

[nmelanson]

I'm 16 3d and I gave in and bought mat clothes at about wk 11. My belly was so sensative and couldn't stand anything tight around it. With my first pregnancy I wore my (4 size smaller) jeans unbuttoned until nearly 20wks. Not this time! My belly is starting to look round and not just pudgy. I have been wearing tighter-around-the-belly shirts so that people would "know". I was feeling fat and frumpy in my regular clothers, but feel great in my mat clothes. I'm so glad you can find nice, normal looking mat styles now compared to when our mothers were pregnant. I love the pants - so comfy that I want to keep wearing them after (except I hope to whoop my butt into shape after this babe is born, so maybe they'll be too small!!!

[matey]

I think you mean too big??

I remember with ds I felt the same way about wanting to stay in them forever, but by the time I had my ds, I just wanted to throw all those maternity clothes away and never wear them again.

[AmyKT]

Embrace the maternity wear my friends! (if you can afford it; if not, Goodwill sometimes has some decent mat wear on the cheap). I went out this weekend and bought more stuff. I now have about 15 shirts (though half are short sleeved from last time) and 4 pants with the secret fit belly, and I have a number of capris and skirts from last time for summer. It feels so good. I was doing all right with unbuttoned, rubber banded regular pants until my thighs started expanding. Just not comfortable.

This is my last pregnancy, so maybe I shouldn't be spending a lot of money, but then again, it's my last pregnancy! So I want to feel good and enjoy it. Plus, I WOH, so I have to look somewhat put together at work.

A lot of stores have "winter" wear on sale because they are already stocking spring stuff. Winter wear apparently includes all regular length (not capri) pants, so there are some decent deals.

[naturalmomma1]

Originally Posted by nmelanson

I have been wearing tighter-around-the-belly shirts so that people would "know".

I've been doing the same. Though I'm still in that stage of being preoccupied about whether I look pregnant or just like I have a beer belly. LOL I think that to people who know I'm pregnant it looks pregnant, but to the general public I keep wondering what I look like. I always look forward to getting to that unmistakeably pregnant stage.

[bendmom]

Originally Posted by naturalmomma1

but to the general public I keep wondering what I look like. I always look forward to getting to that unmistakeably pregnant stage.

The best is when I tell people or tell a class of students I'm pregnant and they say they didn't even notice. I've always been a size 2-4, my thighs and butt are huge already and no longer fit in 30 in. waist pants, so I'm wondering if they just thought I'm getting fat and didn't want to say anything? This is my 3rd, and since i'm on the shorter side, my whole body expands, not just a cute round belly

[naturalmomma1]

Originally Posted by bendmom

The best is when I tell people or tell a class of students I'm pregnant and they say they didn't even notice.

Oh yes, I hate when that happens!!