Being a plus size mum is exactly the same as being a straight size mum, or at least it has been for me. Being a plus size mum-to-be wasn’t the greatest, but it had nothing to do with my physical experience, it was only because I experienced judgement at the hands of medical professionals. I was scrutinised, I was told to lose weight (baring in mind, I’d already lost a stone through nausea and sickness), and I was made to take the dreaded glucose test (I was absolutely fine).
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| 9 months Preggers |
My pregnancy was AWFUL, but it had nothing to do with my size. My size 6 friend had a ridiculously awful pregnancy too with bleeding, bloating and swelling to the point they thought she might have pre-eclampsia and was just so poorly with it all. Size makes no difference.
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| So fucking ready to have the baby. |
So why am I banging on about this? Well. A lady called Chanelle (I literally don’t know who she is) was on This Morning today, she was referring to herself as a ‘whale’ and said her weight was causing her to have the most awful pregnancy. While I appreciate a lot of women feel usually huge when they’re pregnant, this lady’s problems realistically, can’t be attributed to her size, and her publicly talking about it doesn’t help the prejudice pregnant plus size women are subjected to every day.
Now how do I know that her problems aren’t size related… well I don’t, I’m not a doctor or midwife, maybe I’m kidding myself? But what I can surmise from this lady’s interview is that she had huge confidence issues and hates being fat.
She mentioned that prior to falling pregnant she couldn’t go trampolining and run around after her son. And here lies the problem. I can honestly tell you that for the last seven years I have weighed around the 19 stone mark, and I have actively parented my little girl with vigour and enthusiasm. I have taken her trampolining and out-bounced her, while she’s stood on the sidelines with a stitch, I have run round soft play areas, swam for hours, taken her to family yoga and boogied away at countless discos.
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| Just mumming around |
Chanelle’s problem isn’t her size, its her confidence. She feels uncomfortable in her skin, and you know what I understand, I really do. It’s a horrible feeling. We all also have a natural balance point, a weight we feel comfortable at. I can honestly say this at this time, this is mine. Maybe hers is lighter? So my advice to this lady? If you’re not comfortable, lose weight, do it sensibly, do it steadily and do it quietly. The world doesn’t need another DVD or ‘celebrity’ fitness plan. Go away and be happy with your life. Stop trying to cling onto whatever bit of publicity you can get by portraying fat people as sad, dysfunctional messes. There are millions of us, having perfectly great pregnancies, being excellent, active, fun loving parents.
Posted in Becky Barnes Blog
Yes! Yes! Yes! I wrote about the fat shaming I experienced during both my (uncomplicated and otherwise healthy) plus size labours a while back. I'm also an active and involved mum who runs and jumps about with my kids. I get in the paddling pool and tuck my skirt in my knickers to paddle in the sea! You are so right – her issue is her confidence not her weight. Well said!!
Thank you lovely!! Hooray for plus size mums getting stuck in there!! Xxx
Yes! Yes! Yes! I wrote about the fat shaming I experienced during both my (uncomplicated and otherwise healthy) plus size labours a while back. I'm also an active and involved mum who runs and jumps about with my kids. I get in the paddling pool and tuck my skirt in my knickers to paddle in the sea! You are so right – her issue is her confidence not her weight. Well said!!