Tuesday, February 5, 2013

mean, catty rant

I'm going to be really catty and mean for a second.


[deep breath]


I've been seeing this pin around on pintrest and I can't help but grimace and roll my eyes whenever I see it.

'cause, well, I hate this girl.

Ok, I don't HATE hate her...but kinda I do.

She's had one, ONE pregnancy and she thinks she can go around and tell the world how to stay cute and little all through pregnancy (just like her!), which, of course will help you lose the weight fast postpartum.  Because, of course, she only gained 20 pounds with her (single!) pregnancy.

oh puh-lease.

Now, I do give her kudos that she knows what's she doing nutrition and exercise-wise.  She's written a book, been on TV, yada, yada, but she still rubs me wrong.  There's nothing wrong with her advice, per se, she's just so darn preachy and all self-righteous about it.  She is just listing 10 obvious health and body facts about pregnancy (embrace your changing body, eat every 2-3 hours, prepare healthy meals, etc) and acting like that can make the difference between a 20 pound (just like her!) and a 45 pound weight gain during pregnancy.

Which isn't even the worst of it!  The worst is she shows all these pictures of herself and her cute little belly and implying that you can somehow keep a cute little belly (just like her!) by making sure not to eat for two (does anyone really think they can eat for two anymore while pregnant? really?).

I'm sorry, but that's just not reality!  I've had multiple pregnancies with different activity levels and eating habit during all of them and I have gained 35-45 pounds with every single one, regardless!  I've talked to lots and lots of different women about their pregnancies and some women are naturally small gainers and some women pack on more pounds.  Pregnancy is just like that!

Also, your weight gain doesn't always dictate your belly size. Sometimes you just get big and sometimes you just stay smaller, regardless of weight-gain.  Some women will just always be big while pregnant and some women will always be on the small side.  It has so much to do with how you carry, your height, your torso length, where you gain your weight at (boobs, belly, hips, etc) while pregnant.  You can't just peg it on good eating habits and low weight-gain alone.

Which leads me to my last irritant...I take issue with her implications because (sorry if this doesn't make sense to you never-before-preggers and non-other-people-studiers)...she's a boob gainer.  There, I said it.  She says herself that her chest got a lot bigger during pregnancy and it's obvious in the first picture she posts that she's fairly busty during that point in her pregnancy (5-6 mo along).  It's just my personal observation (which you can feel free to disagree with), but a lot of time (but not always) if a girl's bust gets a heck-of-a lot bigger during pregnancy, she carries just a bit smaller on her tummy.  I don't know why, it's just something I've noticed during my many years of mommyhood (not to mention I'm a young mormon mom...so believe me when I say I've seen/known a lot of pregnant girls).  So, when she implies that you can look like her all through your pregnancy, I get really irked.  Not only is it soooo not true, but it is all the more likely to make some other poor girl really doubt her own body (which goes against the very first piece of advice listed (in big, bold letters) to Embrace Your Body!) which helps absolutely NO ONE during pregnancy.

blah. blah. blah.

This is me sticking my tongue out at you, Miss Michelle.

Ok, I think I'm done.

rant over.

13 comments:

Sheffer's said...

Love your rants!! I've gained differently with each kid. I've had a low pregnancy, a "boob" pregnancy and a huge out front pregnancy. It just depends. But my boobs always get huge. Of course I'm not small to begin with in that area. ;) I hate those posts. I 'unfollow' Pinterest boards that have pins about how "so and so stays skinny all the time" or how to exercise so you too can have a crazy six pack like a woman who never eats cookies and has no children. :) You are a beautiful pregnant mama.

Caldwell Family said...

Thank you! I so agree with you. It drives me nuts when people say I can effect my own weight gain, but let me tell ya, I've had 3 pregnancies and I've reached the same weight at the end of each pregnancy, no matter what I do. My body always looks bloated, I always gain lots, and that's just my body. I've actually had a nurse tell me once to "lay off" the sugar. Not that it made any difference other than I was grumpy. But I've also heard this: Each woman's body needs to gain it's own weight. Our bodies know what we need and it'll get there, whether we like it or not. So yeah. I agree. :)

Esther said...

well said!

Kristin Hanson said...

oo, I just realized what it is that really bothers me about this gal and those like her: a completely selfish attitude towards pregnancy. Instead of focusing on growing the baby inside, these ladies are focused solely on getting "their" body back, keeping fit, or looking cute. Really, pregnancy is about becoming a mother, not about fitting into a hooters version of cute. Motherhood is a selfless job, one that requires almost a tunnel like focus on someone other than yourself. Let go, enjoy the journey of becoming a mom, and embrace whatever your body does to become one. It's the most important job I've ever had and worth every lb gained, every ugly day, and every moment spent worrying about the chunk of my heart running around outside of my body.

Unknown said...

The woman in the weight loss blog looks ridiculous. Seriously. Hot pink shorts. Black heels and tank top. Her butt is sticking out and her boobs are over flowing. W. Does she think she is kidding?

Unknown said...

The woman in the weight loss blog looks ridiculous. Seriously. Hot pink shorts. Black heels and tank top. Her butt is sticking out and her boobs are over flowing. W. Does she think she is kidding?

Adrienne said...

don't know who you're talking about but I totally agree. i gain 40lbs with every kid but lose 30 right away. and i've got stretch marks from my knees to my chest. if i knew a way to stop that from happening, i would. but i've come to the realization, it doesn't matter. and i can't control it. so who is she to say she can. especially with only one pregnancy. some people are so entertaining!

PatShala said...

Love it! You are right on sista!

Jenni said...

I wish I could gain 40 lbs during a pregnancy. ;)

The Dooley Family said...

Hahaha you're awesome!! I totally agree!

Aubrey said...

I'm right there with ya - I've already gained 25 pounds. Sigh. I just ignore all that stuff, but I am getting tired of all the "appropriate weight gains" and "fit pregnancy" type articles and people showing off their not normal pregnancies.

rebecca @ older and wisor said...

I am *SO* glad I'm done with all that pregnancy stuff, but I can testify that I gained EXACTLY 41 pounds which each pregnancy {except for the 2nd, since I had 21 pounds leftover from that last pregnancy 8 months prior...but I gained - wait for it - 20 pounds, putting the total at what? Yep. 41.}

Whether I gorged or starved myself, or somewhere in between, 41 is my magic number. Yes, it kinds sucks, but once you begin having babies, the dreams of ever being a bikini model have to be laid to rest. My body wasn't created to be worshiped, it was to WORK.

Athena said...

This is it totally that gets me about every article I keep reading about how to get back into shape but also "embrace my new body." It's like a big pressure to get back "your" body when you really just have to face the fact that it's not going to be just YOUR body for awhile! I feel like girls like this promote self hatred in pregnant and new moms.