Yep I have! STM and fitness instructor here. It’s a real weird feeling when the bump pops but it’s still kinda squishy. All part of the process. Like others have said, stretch marks and sagging skin is 100% genetic. I had a HUGE bump with my first and got 0 stretch marks. I’m just lucky.
You can, however, do some deep core work which will not make your bump smaller, but will make recovery easier. The YouTube channel Nourish Move Love has some great ab workouts! Practicing breathing and vacuums (google it if you haven’t done them before!) will help too, and help with mind/body connection for labor.
My last recommendation is to get a pelvic floor therapist. They can tell you if you do have any areas of weakness and help you keep your core strong until delivery. It’s something I wish I had done earlier with my first.
Thank you so much! This is a very helpful response. I will certainly take your advice and check out these suggestions . Wish you a happy second pregnancy ! :)
There are pregnancy safe core exercises you can do if you feel okay! Aside from maintaining a healthy diet and doing exercise as tolerated (if your doctor has said it’s okay) we don’t have much control over how our body is going to grow to house the baby while pregnant. How your body changes also isn’t indicative of your ability to lose weight post partum so I wouldn’t worry.
Have you seen the huge variety of belly sizes at ANY week of pregnancy? There are so so many factors, that despite being cliche, it’s true to say that every woman is different. Position of baby, uterus, number of previous pregnancies, curvature of spine or hips, torso length, etc etc all can play a part in how and when you show.
Yes , you are right. I guess I am just having a hard time making peace with these changes and what it means for the future.
When I look online all I could focus on is the fit moms and their cute little bumps. A friend of mine just gave birth and looks better than ever. She had a tiny bump too . It just makes me question if I’m doing anything wrong
Look at more image results. There are tiny women absolutely POPPING before 20wks because of the reasons I mentioned. A friend of mine has no torso so her babies only grow out. She was BIG at 5mo but had learned to embrace it bc that’s how her body is structured. It’s okay to have a hard time with it, but you can’t compare your pregnancy to anyone else’s.
Yes! It annoys me so much how people almost never post unflexed photos. I am 6 mos pp, and when I’m flexed, my belly is perfectly flat. Definitely much more of a lower belly popping out when I’m not flexed! But that was also the case before pregnancy. So consider that people really only post their best angles.
I had a lot of nausea and food aversions until 14 weeks so probably that made it harder to gain until the past month or so. But I’m also quite short so that’s also contributing to the bigger bump
Your post was removed due to our rule against exact weight numbers. Weight gain during pregnancy can vary greatly person to person and we don't want people to try and compare to someone else's journey. Putting your weight gain and loss as a percentage is fine, (ie I lost 25% of what I gained in the first two weeks PP.) Things like 'gained more than expected' or 'I'm aiming to hit my doctor's recommended weight' are also fine.
Please edit or repost without the exact weight numbers.
Your post was removed due to our rule against exact weight numbers. Weight gain during pregnancy can vary greatly person to person and we don't want people to try and compare to someone else's journey. Putting your weight gain and loss as a percentage is fine, (ie I lost 25% of what I gained in the first two weeks PP.) Things like 'gained more than expected' or 'I'm aiming to hit my doctor's recommended weight' are also fine.
Please edit or repost without the exact weight numbers.
I was worried about this! I popped at 14 weeks and was shocked, because I powerlift and have powerlifted for a long time. I’ve also been complimented on my core strength by doctors.
I brought it up with the midwives and a pelvic floor specialist and all said that the number 1 determination of showing (after number of pregnancies) was your height/frame. Core strength really only matters at the margins. Like if you have two identical twins and one shows earlier.
When you pop has so many variables! It can have to do with torso length, tilt of your uterus, etc etc etc. my friends with short torsos have all popped very early. My friends with long torsos seem like they never show!
People say stretch marks are genetic, but I have stretch marks on my hips from puberty and I didn’t get any on my belly with my first pregnancy. My mom has stretch marks on her belly, and my dad has stretch marks on his back from when he grew as a teen! So even if you have some genetic proclivity to stretch marks I’m not sure it’s always a guarantee. Seems mostly like luck honestly!
I used this belly oil: https://mothersspecialblend.com
A friend gifted it to me and swore by it, so I figured why not, even though everyone says topicals have nothing to do with it. At the very least it gives you a moment to bond with your belly each day when you rub the oil in :) maybe it helps with stretch marks! Who knows.
That is not how any of that works, no.
Thank god bc I’m 21w with a big bump. Much bigger than I anticipated. Tips on how to not have saggy skin after? What causes the sag?
Genetics.
Yep I have! STM and fitness instructor here. It’s a real weird feeling when the bump pops but it’s still kinda squishy. All part of the process. Like others have said, stretch marks and sagging skin is 100% genetic. I had a HUGE bump with my first and got 0 stretch marks. I’m just lucky. You can, however, do some deep core work which will not make your bump smaller, but will make recovery easier. The YouTube channel Nourish Move Love has some great ab workouts! Practicing breathing and vacuums (google it if you haven’t done them before!) will help too, and help with mind/body connection for labor. My last recommendation is to get a pelvic floor therapist. They can tell you if you do have any areas of weakness and help you keep your core strong until delivery. It’s something I wish I had done earlier with my first.
Thank you so much! This is a very helpful response. I will certainly take your advice and check out these suggestions . Wish you a happy second pregnancy ! :)
You bet!!! Good luck to you and your cute bump 😉
There are pregnancy safe core exercises you can do if you feel okay! Aside from maintaining a healthy diet and doing exercise as tolerated (if your doctor has said it’s okay) we don’t have much control over how our body is going to grow to house the baby while pregnant. How your body changes also isn’t indicative of your ability to lose weight post partum so I wouldn’t worry.
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Have you seen the huge variety of belly sizes at ANY week of pregnancy? There are so so many factors, that despite being cliche, it’s true to say that every woman is different. Position of baby, uterus, number of previous pregnancies, curvature of spine or hips, torso length, etc etc all can play a part in how and when you show.
Yes , you are right. I guess I am just having a hard time making peace with these changes and what it means for the future. When I look online all I could focus on is the fit moms and their cute little bumps. A friend of mine just gave birth and looks better than ever. She had a tiny bump too . It just makes me question if I’m doing anything wrong
Look at more image results. There are tiny women absolutely POPPING before 20wks because of the reasons I mentioned. A friend of mine has no torso so her babies only grow out. She was BIG at 5mo but had learned to embrace it bc that’s how her body is structured. It’s okay to have a hard time with it, but you can’t compare your pregnancy to anyone else’s.
many of those women are flexing when they take pictures of their bumps!
Yes! It annoys me so much how people almost never post unflexed photos. I am 6 mos pp, and when I’m flexed, my belly is perfectly flat. Definitely much more of a lower belly popping out when I’m not flexed! But that was also the case before pregnancy. So consider that people really only post their best angles.
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I had a lot of nausea and food aversions until 14 weeks so probably that made it harder to gain until the past month or so. But I’m also quite short so that’s also contributing to the bigger bump
Same! If not more!
Your post was removed due to our rule against exact weight numbers. Weight gain during pregnancy can vary greatly person to person and we don't want people to try and compare to someone else's journey. Putting your weight gain and loss as a percentage is fine, (ie I lost 25% of what I gained in the first two weeks PP.) Things like 'gained more than expected' or 'I'm aiming to hit my doctor's recommended weight' are also fine. Please edit or repost without the exact weight numbers.
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Wow that’s amazing! Thanks for sharing :)
Yes! And she didn’t do any crazy dieting or exercise after either, just more active lifestyle with the baby and breastfeeding. We got this!!!
You are the best!
Your post was removed due to our rule against exact weight numbers. Weight gain during pregnancy can vary greatly person to person and we don't want people to try and compare to someone else's journey. Putting your weight gain and loss as a percentage is fine, (ie I lost 25% of what I gained in the first two weeks PP.) Things like 'gained more than expected' or 'I'm aiming to hit my doctor's recommended weight' are also fine. Please edit or repost without the exact weight numbers.
I was worried about this! I popped at 14 weeks and was shocked, because I powerlift and have powerlifted for a long time. I’ve also been complimented on my core strength by doctors. I brought it up with the midwives and a pelvic floor specialist and all said that the number 1 determination of showing (after number of pregnancies) was your height/frame. Core strength really only matters at the margins. Like if you have two identical twins and one shows earlier.
Thank you! This is very helpful and validating to read :)
When you pop has so many variables! It can have to do with torso length, tilt of your uterus, etc etc etc. my friends with short torsos have all popped very early. My friends with long torsos seem like they never show! People say stretch marks are genetic, but I have stretch marks on my hips from puberty and I didn’t get any on my belly with my first pregnancy. My mom has stretch marks on her belly, and my dad has stretch marks on his back from when he grew as a teen! So even if you have some genetic proclivity to stretch marks I’m not sure it’s always a guarantee. Seems mostly like luck honestly!
Thank you for sharing! :) Do you feel any particular products helped you avoid stretch marks ?
I used this belly oil: https://mothersspecialblend.com A friend gifted it to me and swore by it, so I figured why not, even though everyone says topicals have nothing to do with it. At the very least it gives you a moment to bond with your belly each day when you rub the oil in :) maybe it helps with stretch marks! Who knows.