Feeling disgusted with yourself?!

Oh girl....so relatable! Honestly, I was disgusted with myself during my pregnancy and I’ve regretted that a lot since. My boyfriend always said "but you're pregnant" and then I'd yell "yes, but not my legs and butt" they grew just as much as my belly did. Not because I suddenly ate way more, but mostly because I had to stop exercising (due to my pelvis).

After giving birth, the first kilos dropped off quickly for me too, but then you start noticing other things....a saggy belly...stretch marks...softer breasts (my pelvic floor didn't recover)...I avoided the mirror. I also made the mistake of jumping back into fitting rooms too quickly..don't do it! Enjoy your maternity clothes for a bit longer

After 3 months, I started exercising again and things improved a bit. But I unexpectedly got pregnant with my second child again (I'm now 24 weeks) and I'm growing so fast! That's because it's so close together (according to the midwife)...I'm trying to care less about it this time, because it ruins so many beautiful moments. But I still find it hard. Especially when strangers say 'good luck with the birth later'....or when I'm trying on a bikini for my vacation...I don't mind the belly now, but the rest

So basically, you have a fellow sufferer haha, I don't have many tips for you. Except that it's really a pity to be disgusted with yourself. You just gave birth...give it a few weeks. Soon you'll be able to move more again, that helps too My only tip is: avoid fitting rooms for now, don't start trying on your own clothes too early (be realistic), don't wear too tight clothes (don't accentuate it, then you'll be less disgusted with it), make a plan for yourself (e.g., after so many weeks I'll go exercise well once a week...or twice...). It will really get better! Just not tomorrow already....

Hi

Thanks for your reply, it's nice to read how you dealt with it, it gives me some guidance
I haven't bought clothes yet because I'd like to get back to my old weight first
I always told myself that I only want to buy clothes because they're too big instead of too small.
I feel this so strongly now because I was always a bit heavier and before my pregnancy I finally had something... Yes now I can wear that dress or something
For now I only see those stretch marks, big belly in front
My husband finds it terrible that I look at my belly with such disgust, well
Maybe when I can start running again and such, the feeling that I'm doing something about it will help me

It can really turn around again. For me, it took 13 months no matter what I tried. My husband found it terrible that I was so insecure and negative about myself. In bed, the lights had to be off. I started wearing loose clothes, made comments, etc. At some point, we stopped having sex, and I kept pushing my husband further away. After a good conversation, I slowly started accepting myself again, turned the lights back on, got a nice new haircut, etc. And then the pounds just started falling off on their own. I still have some marks, but yeah, I don't stress about them anymore.

Glad you're finding it helpful, Bianca... I really understand your situation, I can relate. But as Flipje also said, we sometimes need to be a bit more realistic. Our bellies were stretched for months, and that doesn't just bounce back overnight... the stretch marks will actually become more visible at first, precisely because the belly isn't tight anymore... but that too will fade. It'll really be okay! Don't push too hard, just enjoy your baby... eat reasonably well and move as much as you can (like going for nice walks with the little one, for example).

I'm also suddenly seeing small stretch marks appearing on my belly in this second pregnancy (from the first one, I only had them on the sides)... I see them in the mirror, quickly look away, and try to ignore them. I'm moisturizing well, eating reasonably, moving as I can... what else can you do, right?

My motto right now is: next year everything will be different