The woman's body is wonderful, capable of creating life and doing incredible things. And although in general the way of working is the same for most, the truth is that each one has a totally different body from that of another woman, from its complexion to its metabolism. When pregnancy comes, each woman lives in a unique way, and even the same woman can have very different pregnancies from each other.
In an era in which we talk about diversity and inclusion, there is something rarely seen in the media: pregnant women who are plus size. This is how the project arises "Plus-Size, Pregnant & Proud".
Pregnancy in the media and social networks
Some time ago we talked about an investigation that found that many women feel affected because of the representations of pregnancy and postpartum that are shown in the media and social networks, because they are too unreal.
The results of that research showed that 46% of women agreed that exposure to images that are not realistic caused a series of negative emotions, such as feeling insecure about their bodies, expressing depressive feelings, feeling frustration and discouragement when they haven't been able to recover their figure after having children as fast as celebrities do
The project: "Plus-size, pregnant & proud"
In the media it is very common to see thin or slender bodies of pregnant women, which do not match the figure of most women (almost half of pregnant women in Spain are overweight or obese), which it causes those feelings of insecurity or low self-esteem of those discussed in the aforementioned investigation.
When we talk about overweight or obesity in pregnancy, all those articles and studies that have been done about the complications and risks that this may have for both the woman and the baby quickly come to mind. This is certainly not very hopeful for women who are plus size and expect a baby.
That is why CafeMom invited women of different sizes and who are considered plus size (from size 14 in the United States, which is equivalent to 46 in Europe) so that they will show how their bellies look and tell a little about their pregnancies.
I consider it important to mention that the main objective of this campaign is to make all those women who are plus size and pregnant, do not feel excluded or hidden, as well as stressing that Every belly, whether small or big, is beautiful.
What women think plus size of their pregnancy bellies
For this project, six pregnant women participated, some already had more children while others will become mothers for the first time. We share some of their stories and what they think about their body now that they are pregnant.
Kate
Credit: Leah Cooper / CafeMom Before her first pregnancy, Kate had a hard time conceiving and suffered several miscarriages. Doctors always blamed her overweight, until she was finally diagnosed with a medical condition, which was the one that actually caused all these problems. Emotionally, she was greatly affected by everything the doctors said about her overweight.
Now he is waiting for his second baby and begins to reconcile with his body:
"This time I am accepting it because it is something that is going to happen. It is a baby that is growing, so it will be a belly that will be growing. In previous pregnancies, I was not happy to see the increase and growth. I was nervous about that and thought 'My God, what if I gain a hundred pounds?' But a baby is a miracle, it's nothing more than that. And it doesn't matter if you are size 2 or 12 or 24, it never matters. You are carrying a miracle".
Sara
Credit: Leah Cooper / CafeMom Sara is in her third pregnancy and has always felt calm about her body and her pregnancies, however, hopes that the lack of information, representations and support for pregnant women will be something that changes in the future:
"Plus size women are invisible in general. It is simply something that is not common to see. Or when it is, it is associated with a kind of sadness. As if we are somehow damaged by being overweight and that we are always unhappy and that we are always trying to lose weight, which is not true. It would be nice to see images of happy women in a wide variety of sizes ".
Lauren
Credit: Leah Cooper / CafeMom For Lauren, the fact that all her friends who already had children were thin caused her panic. Although she was never judged, the fact of not seeing other women who looked like her represented in a positive way made her feel that success stories and happiness should be scarce.
Now that she is 24 weeks old in her first pregnancy and there have been few complications, she is confident that doing her best for her and her baby is all that matters:
"My body is part of me and informs a lot about my identity, but it is not me. It does not mean that she is condemned to be a negligent mother. It does not mean that I am destined only to have a broken heart. Now at this moment, it is what it is, and I accept that, and finally I can live the precious moments of my pregnancy".
A healthy pregnancy for all
The best we can do regardless of our weight when we get pregnant is Eat healthy and exercise regularly, in order to have a healthy pregnancy and baby.
It is important to remember that it is not advisable to lose weight during pregnancy and that it is possible to carry a healthy pregnancy when you are overweight. As each body is different, you should consult your doctor so that he examines your particular situation and give you the best recommendations for your needs.
Photos | Leah Cooper / Café Mom (reproduced with permission)
In Babies and more | Nine ways to carry a healthy pregnancy if you are overweight, how is it possible that there is only one month difference between these two pregnant women? The pregnancy and postpartum that we see in the media "are too unreal" and affect the confidence of mothers
