A few of you have requested a belly bump shot since you really haven’t seen a clear shot of how things are progressing since I wrote about my weight gain goals and posted a few pictures from Week 12. Honestly, I feel really unhappy with how I look. I’ve been diligently documenting via photos each week because I know I’ll regret it if I don’t, but since I’ve been gaining a pound per week(!!!!!) I just don’t feel very excited when I think about sharing photos of myself in this awful in-between stage with so many people.
So I came up with a solution. I’d take an extra belly photo where I was sucking in absolutely as much as possible which gave me better posture, lengthened my torso, and gave me a bit of my waist back. That’s the photo I would share with you, and most of you would end up thinking I look really great!
Want to see what I really look like? Go ahead, click here.
I wish I could tell you there are twins in there, but I don’t think that’s the case. Instead I seem to be blessed with a body that thinks it is necessary to build up a disgusting significant amount of adipose tissue to “keep the baby padded and safe”. Or at least that’s what I tell That Husband on a daily basis.
I still plan on writing a few posts on the eating plan I switched to around the time I became pregnant, and I’m sure a few of you will speculate it’s the reason for my steady weight gain. I’ve been tracking sporadically with Fitday though, and my numbers are somewhere around 2100-2300, right where they should be (the BodyBugg puts my average calories burnt at somewhere around 1800-1900 daily, which means I should be eating 2100-2300 calories per day if I understand how things work). I’m grateful that using a midwife means significant time at each appointment spent focusing on nutrition and I hope she will be the catalyst for change that helps me reign in this out of control weight gain. Overweight women like myself should NOT gain 40 lbs during their pregnancy, and I’m on my way to gaining that plus more!
Tags: pregnancy
I think you look GORGEOUS in both photos! You’re happy, healthy, in love- and having a *baby*! Again, thanks for your honesty in all your posts- it’s so nice to read about the experience from a genuine person!
xoxo,
Lulu
Reply
According to my research, a pound a week is average for second and third trimester. As long as you are eating right, and eating good healthy foods, I don’t think you can really help it – women who don’t gain enough weight during their pregnancies put the baby’s health at risk, and remember that the numbers are just averages – some women gain a lot more. It sucks, but it’s true. It sounds like your midwife should be able to navigate the nutritional waters but don’t be surprised if she tells to to chill out and keep doing what you’re doing…
Reply
Perhaps the myths are true about gaining weight all over if it’s a girl! That’s what happened with me and though I gained a little more than 50 lbs total (and lost it all – yay!) I definitely feel like I ballooned out everywhere instead of just in the tummy.
Reply
Is it weird if I say I’m jealous of you? I’ve been so sick for the past two months that I’ve actually LOST 17 pounds. I still have a cute little baby tummy (because it’s my second, and that tends to happen a little faster), but I’ve been day-in-day-out MISERABLE. My doctor keeps saying I’ll be more comfortable if I can just put on a little weight, but I CAN’T. And medication doesn’t really help if you throw that up, too.
This is 100% different than my pregnancy with my son, so I’m willing to bet one of my legs that we’re having a girl this time.
So, for what it’s worth, this jealous preggo thinks you look great. Be blessed that your body is adapting well and doing just what it’s supposed to do, instead of rebelling like you’re incubating a vomit demon instead of a baby!
Reply
Jenna Reply:
November 3rd, 2009 at 10:28 am
You’re right, I am VERY lucky to never have thrown up, to not be fighting to keep my weight on (I agree, I’d rather gain weight and now I wasn’t having a preemie than vice/versa). I was just listening to a podcast where she mentioned a pill her doctor prescribed that costs $1000 for $20 pills! Yep, I didn’t type that wrong, $1000. Apparently you have to get special permission from your insurance to take it. She said it’s like a miracle drug though, so if things don’t look up you might consider asking your doc about it? I think she said it was called Zofen or something.
Reply
Katherine (a.k.a. Sparkles) Reply:
November 3rd, 2009 at 10:46 am
It’s Zofran. ;o) It is an anti-emetic.
Reply
Chelsea McGowan Reply:
November 3rd, 2009 at 10:56 am
Yep. Zofran. Tried it.
It’s what my grandfather was on when he had chemo. And it WAS ridiculously expensive.
And ya wanna know what? It didn’t work any better than the Phenergan did.
I’ve tried every old wive’s tale, too. At this point, I’ve just resigned myself to being sick this time, and I’m dealing with it as best I can.
I think the worst part is that it makes it hard to enjoy this pregnancy like I did the last one… hard to bask in the joy when you’re constantly green!
Reply
Katherine (a.k.a. Sparkles) Reply:
November 3rd, 2009 at 11:43 am
Aww. Chelsea hang in there! I know of some pregnant women who have been on a Zofran drip… basically you’re at home with a subcutaneous line feeding in a basal continuous rate of Zofran (kind of like an insulin pump that Diabetic people use)… so if you don’t respond to the sublingual one, had you considered/been offered the Zofran pump??? It may not have worked for you grandfather with cancer… (I worked with pediatric Hematology/Oncology kids… and yeah for some kids NO AMOUNT OF Zofran helped.) but maybe for a pregger mom-to-be like yourself… maybe it would help?
What ‘Old-Wives’ tale tricks did you try? I would be interested in knowing! I heard ginger cookies, ginger tea helps… But I don’t know of anything else. So you might teach me a thing or two!
Reply
Chelsea McGowan Reply:
November 3rd, 2009 at 12:00 pm
Well, hopefully one of these will work for someone else!
If nothing gets better for me, I’ll definitely ask my doctor about the Zofran drip.
As for wives tales, we tried ginger, but that honestly made me worse. Ginger cookies, ginger tea, ginger pills, ginger candy… nothing worked.
I’ve tried eating crackers before my feet ever touch the floor… that didn’t work, either.
The only thing that SORT of helped, but not for long, were the sea-sickness bracelets you can buy at the drugstore. They don’t do anything for me at home, but when I’m in the car driving to a wedding, they keep motion sickness from exacerbating the situation.
The strange thing is that all I’ve craved, and the only thing I can keep down, is salad from this ONE Italian restaurant in town! Weird, huh?
Reply
Anna Reply:
November 3rd, 2009 at 12:08 pm
Chelsea,
I know how you feel!!! My problem is that I have an extremely high metabolism, and in order to feel any bit better, I had to do the dry diet, constantly shoveling food in my face…. and I LOST weight. My little growing punk is insatiable…. just trying not to worry too much since I’m just out of my 1st trimester.
I sure do hope you begin feeling better.
Anna
Reply
Evelyn Reply:
November 3rd, 2009 at 8:49 pm
Chelsea,
I feel your pain! I was constantly sick for the first 17 weeks and then the nausea & toilet hugging subsided *a little* until it finally left for good around 24 weeks. I too lost about/at least 15 lbs. One friend suggested protein and I found that to really help–not cure, but help. Peanut butter (pbj, or with celery, etc.), refried beans (bean & cheese burritos, tostadas, bean dip, etc.), mild flavored bean soups (you don’t want to hurl spicy stuff–I promise!!!), etc. It just occurred to me that you could probably even do hummus too. Yum.
Spend some time looking at baby pictures. When you’re feeling really down it’ll be a great reminder that it’s all worth it! =D
Reply
Melissa Reply:
November 3rd, 2009 at 11:01 pm
I’m sure you probably already know this, but I thought I would post anyway. Zofran is a chemo drug, but it only works if you take it regularly without missing any doses. As it is a preventative drug and not something that will take away nausea once you already have it. So by taking it daily/hourly (whatever your dosing instructions are) it will work. My girlfriend has some severe issues with her pregnancy and she takes it, but it only works for her on day 2 or 3 if taken regularly, because of the nature of the drug!
I just thought I would drop a line for those that aren’t aware of how it works.
Reply
Katherine (a.k.a. Sparkles) Reply:
November 4th, 2009 at 12:58 am
Zofran is not a Chemo drug, it is a 5-HT3 Receptor Antagonist- that is used for relieving nausea related to chemo side effects- and is generally used most often in that population. It is a class B drug. There are four different classifications of medications: Class B is what Zofran falls under: animal studies show no risk or adverse fetal effects but controlled human 1st trimester studies not avail/do not confirm. No evidence of 2nd or 3rd trimester risk. Whereas Class C can have some risk to the mother or fetus… CLASS D includes ALL Chemotherapeutic drugs. Class X is known to cause fetal defects.
Zofran has been used in those who get chemo, have radiation therapy, any kind of nausea related to GI issues (appendicitis, receiving pain meds such as narcotics) or secondary to meds taken for surgical purposes.
But yes, I would concur it works if you take it at regular intervals. One dose will not permanently alleviate symptoms. I Sorry to be blunt- Zofran is not even close to the category chemotherapeutic drugs are under. It is NOT a chemo drug. It is not even relatable by any means of the imagination.
Reply
Katherine (a.k.a. Sparkles) Reply:
November 4th, 2009 at 1:11 am
Pardon me! I meant to say Category B- not class… (too many term papers, presentations, and readings swirling around in my brain… burning the midnight oil on my end).
Reply
Linda Reply:
November 11th, 2009 at 12:29 am
One of the biggest things that scares me about getting pregnant is all the throwing up, I haven’t thrown up for years and I hate it, so I hope to be as lucky as you one day!
Reply
JessicaMayBe Reply:
November 4th, 2009 at 1:59 pm
Okay… I’ve never been pregnant and I don’t even know if this would be okay during pregnancy… But have you tried antihistamines like Chlorpheniramine? I believe it’s a category B med. The reason I thought of it is that you said that the sea sickness bracelet helped a bit…
I’m sure it won’t help the general nausea, but whenever I go on a cruise or on any boat, I take 1/2 a chlortab (clorpheniramine) and it just slows down my reflexes enough that I don’t really feel the effects of motion sickness. It can make you sleepy though, so if you try it, try it a few times before you drive on it.
It sounds silly, and it may be. But it’s super cheap, and if it helps you not throw up as much, that’s cool!
Reply
Glad to hear you’re planning on writing about your new nutrition plans! Each time you’ve mentioned them in passing I get more curious about the changes you’ve made.
You’re about as far along as two of my friends and I feel a little more connected with them after reading about your experience.
Reply
Jenna, even the “real” photo looks great…don’t stress too much. I am at 38 lbs, and have 3 weeks left although I was normal weight to start with. Also, some people just gain more weight when they are pregnant, not matter how much they watch their diet. As long as your midwife/medical care provider doesn’t have any concern then you are good. My last appointment my doc informed me that I gained 3.5 lbs in 2 weeks-yikes!!!
Reply
I really think its awesome how much effort you’ve been putting into your health and the health of your baby. I’m really looking forward to seeing what nutrition plan you’ve figured out for pregnancy. I’m sure it’s fabulous.
Also – you have such a beautiful, glowing, photogenic face/presence. Even in supposedly less than flattering photos you are so gorgeous.
Reply
Aww!! So cute! I think you look great!
Reply
You look amazing in both pictures. Your smile does all of the talking!
Reply
You’re too cute in both pictures!
I can’t believe you’re almost halfway there!
Reply
You look great!
Reply
You look so happy in your pictures!
Reply
I know you are concerned about weight gain and gestational diabetes… but you LOOK great! Happy and healthy. Looking forward to your nutrition posts.
Reply
I don’t know much about baby bumps, but I do know that you’re glowing! You look great!
Reply
Kristin Reply:
November 3rd, 2009 at 4:29 pm
I agree with Ali C. The glow outshines anything else.
)
Reply
I am sorry that you are haing such a rough time with your feelings about how you look. I know what it is like to struggle with weight and I know what it’s like to not be happy with how I am looking.
It’s all for the best (baby)….but that doesn’t mean it’s any less hard to not be happy with your body.
We all think you look cute and happy ofcourse!
Reply
I understand your concerns, but don’t get down on the way you look right now…you are glowing and so cute! I’m excited to hear more about your nutrition plans (even if they aren’t working they way you’d like).
Reply
You look great!
I was looking at these at work, and my friend saw and said the same thing! What a great momento to have.
Reply
I just watched the slideshow on Flickr and I would say at week 16 you suddenly look… pregnant! (Looked back at my own record and found the same thing.)
Personally I didn’t feel like I looked “properly pregnant” (whatever that means) until 20 weeks. This in between time is horrid, and all you see in yourself is the flab. But the beautiful bump IS emerging. Love your bump, your baby and your amazing body, take care of yourself and try not to worry about it.
Reply
You look great in al of the photos! I love belly pics. It sounds like you are right on track with the weight gain
Reply
I love that you let us see your “real” photos (which were still really cute, btw). I know I am so far away from being pregnant and I may not follow my own advice when it’s actually my turn, but I hope you don’t stress out too much about gaining weight while pregnant. You’re supposed to gain weight so you can nourish that little half-Polish pumpkin! If you were inhaling Little Debbie snack cakes every half hour, I think we’d be concerned. But it sounds like you are eating whole foods and allowing yourself an occasional treat; you will be great!
Reply
I’m with Cate S, week 16 comes around and now there is no padding with baby bump hidden – its a pregnant belly! OMG you are too cute! I know how it feels to not be happy with your weight or how you look, but I’m with everyone else who post above – you do look beautiful and glowing!! Try and tuck all these good thoughts away for the moments when you feel especially blah – check this post again!
Reply
You know, I think you actually look “more pregnant” in your “real” pic
Cute!
Reply
I think you look beautiful and so happy in these pictures. Yay baby!
Reply
Hehe…you are so funny sucking in Jenna!
You look great! Let it all hang out I say. Pregnancy is one time where we can do this and feel good about it
Reply
Trust me, I know how it feels to struggle with accepting a healthy and natural additional weight gain when we live in a society that bombards us with a constant call to be thin. … There’s a new book out on pregnancy and body issues that might be worth a read — “Does This Pregnancy Make Me Look Fat?” I took part in the survey that was part of the authors’ research, but haven’t had a chance to give it a read yet. If I manage it anytime soon, will let you know how it looks!
Reply
I agree with the others – I love that you showed us your “real” pictures… and you ARE glowing in them! Its so great to see you so happy! Thanks for sharing.
Reply
You’re crazy, Jenna. Everything is fine. You look prettier and more normal in your “real” photo than in the sucked in one. You’re gorgeous. Eat healthy, and let your body gain the weight it wants/needs to. Your intuition (and midwife) will tell you if something is wrong in your diet plan.
Thanks for the update! I’ve been waiting for one!
Reply
i think you look wonderfully beautiful in both pictures
http://www.operationbeautiful.com
Reply
OMG I think you look amazing. And hello. Your hair is to DIE FOR. Seriously. I might get pregnant immediately for such lustrous locks (husband is horrified!!)
Reply
I agree with everyone else – I’m really curious to see what you’ve been cooking up… literally!
Thanks for sharing.
Weird comment – I know – but care to share the info on your… ahem… support up top? I am 21 wks along and my cups floweth over. Your bra looks super supportive!
Reply
Jenna. It doesn’t matter if a woman initially loses or gains, we generally all feel like whales. It’s hard not to feel like a fattie when you can’t fully justify maternity clothes and most people can’t tell whether your pregnant or eating too many bagels, but just know that you are not alone!!! Those feelings are a side effect of your “condition” and not a Jenna-defect. ;D
You do look great, and if you need any reminders or pick-me-ups you’ve got a lot of comments here you can refer to!
Reply
I think that most pregnant women hate their bodies at this “in between” stage, but that just means that you’re a normal pregnant woman! Don’t be too hard on yourself. So long as you’re eating and exercising well the extra weight can all come off later. My mother sometimes gained up to 50ish lbs during a pregnancy but by the time my youngest sister was 18 months my mother was back to her wedding weight.
Most importantly though
keep posting pictures. They are great!
Reply
I second the comments on the inbetween stage uncomfortable-ness. I’ve never been pregnant, but all of my close friends and family have unanimously said that the worst time is when they just kind of look like they gained weight, or have thickened up- they all, surprisingly, felt better when they got *bigger* because that’s when they got the noticeable round pregnant bump
Hang in there, you’ll be there soon enough, and in the meantime you look great!
Reply
I think you look lovely!
Reply
Your baby bump is BEAUTIFUL! And I have to say, I prefer the “how I really look” version to the one where you are sucking in
Reply
I think you look freaking beautiful! Ah, pregnancy. You’re wearing it well.
Reply
You’re gorgeous, darling! Just gorgeous.
Reply
You are soooo cute!! I wouldn’t worry too much about weight gain, although it’s smart to keep it in the back of your mind. Just don’t be too hard on yourself! It’s your first pregnancy & everyone gains weight differently.
Reply
You look so fresh, Jenna darling! Oh, when is my turn to be a pregnant woman…
Reply
You are GLOWING!!!!
Reply