Fat Girl Bumpology 101

It’s no secret that I am a large girl. Amazonian in fact. If you can’t tell by my pictures, I’m fat. I’ve always fought my weight since the onset of puberty (now we know why, thank you PCOS). What you may not be able to tell is that I am also 6 foot tall. So the word large is not at all a foreign word to me. To be an overweight woman, I do carry my weight well (I’ve even had Dr.’s tell me that so I’m not delusional here people.)

I think there are of course stigma’s and myths associated with being an overweight pregnant woman though. First, anyone and everyone who has read What to expect When you are Expecting has probably had it ingrained in their heads that it is a malicious thing to do to a future child to get pregnant while overweight by even a pound. That book is hateful. Second, if you do get pregnant, you are surely going to have complications and Gestational Diabetes and Pre-E etc. So what about those girls that “didn’t know they were pregnant?” Well let’s talk about those because that ties into this whole myth thing.

Obviously, as a larger woman you are told not to gain much weight while pregnant. Your body will not starve the baby if you aren’t eating for two but will use some of your fat deposits for energy. SCORE! So based on this information and MTV you automatically go into pregnancy thinking you will never show, never have a bump and if you are lucky at 32 weeks or so, your fat will round out and you will for a few weeks look like you are pregnant before giving birth to a baby elephant (or having the baby fall out on your shoe, take your pick). NOT TRUE.

I chose to get pregnant while overweight for many reasons. 1) I am 32 years old with PCOS and struggled for 3 years to get pregnant with meds. 2) My dr. deemed my body healthy and capable to carry a child with little problem. 3) My physicals came back normal. I did however, struggle to be as healthy as possible which included quitting smoking and losing 44 pounds. I was absolutely confident that I could maintain my weight and be healthy during pregnancy.

BWAHAHAHAHAHA. Lies, lies and more lies. I have seen a specialist and I am at a higher risk for GD and Pre-E but just as much so because of PCOS than because of my weight. Put the two together and wa-la, greater risk. I have tried to maintain my weight diligently and did great…until this week.

As soon as second tri hit, it was like a light bulb went off in my body and BAM, instant pooch. Here’s what happens when a fat girl “pops” (though I highly doubt it can be considered a pop but for lack of better terms, lets go with it). Ready?

Your fat pokes out. You can’t tell you are pregnant unless you know someone intimately. Sure enough though, that pooch, roll, gut, whatever you want to call it, is rounding out, getting hard and STICKING OUT THERE but not in a cute bumpish sort of way. More like a “I just ate 20 cheeseburgers from Mickey D’s sort of way.”

I could possibly take a picture but I’m not sure there is a way to take it without losing some of my ego and/or grossing anyone out with a picture of my fat encased in jeans. I have a feeling that my idea that I could go to almost 30 weeks without maternity clothes was probably a pipe dream at best. I’m not sad I am showing after all, but it is kind of disconcerting as a woman who has always watched her weight to see a two pound scale difference but what appears to be a 15 lb difference in my clothes. I am in my FAT GIRL jeans overnight! You know, those jeans I kept from when I was 44 lbs heavier as a reminder of what I was? Yea, I’m wearing those today. They are still falling off my arse and bagging at the hips, but not very loose in the stomach. My regular jeans still fit but are way too uncomfortable when sitting. I went for comfort.

So to all my fat girls out there, be warned. Your bodies don’t do what we think they are going to do and I can imagine if I’m showing now, this could get really awkward here in 20 weeks. I’m imagining Shamu tossing on a beach while children laugh and point.

To all you skinny huzzies, don’t snicker behind your computer screens, because your bodies can do funky things too and I hate you. Just kidding. I don’t. I would love to have a beautiful bump and not look like a beached well. Bravo for you for keeping fit and trim!