Is this normal to already have tight clothes???

[alison13]

I am only 8 1/2 weeks pregnant, and my clothes are tight already! I am so bummed! Is that normal? I have had quite a bit of nausea, I actually thought I might be losing weight, but obviously not! Is it bad to try to limit how much food you eat during pregnancy? And, if I'm listening to my body(eating when I'm hungry), shouldn't it regulate how much weight I gain without me having to watch calories, etc.?

I hate feeling fat. I know I have to gain weight, but it just goes against every fiber of my being! Yuck! Since this is my first, I'm scared I won't be able to lose the weight later. I've always had a little pooch in my tummy area, and I'm concerned I'm never going to be able to conquer it now.

How did everyone else deal with this?

Alison

[melimcn]

Ha! With both of my pregnancies, my clothes were tight at 6 weeks! I started wearing maternity clothes at that point both times around becuase I could not stand feeling like I was "bulging over". So yes, it's normal! Some people can get away with wearing normal clothes well into their pregnancies. Others "show" or "expand" much faster. Depends on your build.

I'm small (5'2"), so there's not a lot of space for the extra to go.

The "fat phase" sucks, but there's not much you can do about it. And just remember that it's not because of your diet (unless you're eating fast food 3x/day...). Your body is responding as it needs to. With my first, I gained 7 lbs in my first trimester. With this one, I've gained 6. Some women only gain a 1lb or 2 in that time.
Overall with the 1st, I only gained 25lbs. And with this second one, I'm in my 16th week, and I'm at 7lbs total so far. So try not to panic.

Try to go easier on yourself, it's mostly out of your control. Get your workouts in as much as you can, and things will settle in in another month or two.

[LisaMarie]

Congrats on the pregnancy! I felt 'fluffy' early on with both of my pregnancies. I remember stressing during both of my pregnancies over my fast weight gain--I was up around 8lbs by the end of the first trimester. I had a lot of morning sickness and eating carbs (and eating often) was the only thing that helped. Keep up your workouts as much as possible---but don't be surprised or discouraged if you are too tired or sick during your first trimester...do what you can.

[melanalyus]

I normally gained 10lbs in my first trimesters. I tried my best not to wear maternity clothes until 20 week mark....wearing yoga type pants and stretchy elasticbands.

[alison13]

Thanks so much for your encouragement everyone! I have been eating alot of carbs come to think of it-because they feel so much better on my tummy. And I noticed if I keep them coming, i don't get as nauseated all the time.

My sister-in-law just gave me her maternity clothes she doesn't need anymore-it felt so weird picking them up and thinking I will fit into those at some point! She also bought me the book "Belly Laughs" by Jenny McCarthy....a little crass, but hilarious!

Thanks everyone!

Alison

[Liann]

Allison - I also think it's pretty normal to be kind of "bloated" / "water retaining" etc... right at the beginning. When I first found out I was pregnant, I just felt big all of a sudden and then it kind of tapered off for a little while before I really started to expand. Some of it may just be that "puffyness" that comes right at the beginning when you've got all those crazy hormones going nuts preparing your body for the next 9 months.

[alison13]

Update on my tight clothing issue!

So, I'm 14 weeks pregnant now, and I haven't changed much since my original post-meaning I can still wear at least 3 pairs of my prepregnancy jeans, and only have to unbutton them after I eat certain things that stir up the gas or something.

I learned a trick from my SIL: take a small elastic hairband, hook it around the button on your jeans, loop it through the button hole, and then hook it back on the button. It allows some relief of pressure but you don't have that weird bulge from your pants being unbuttoned. This may be old news to some!

Also, I actually got some kind of stomach bug, and have technically lost 2 lbs since I got pregnant, but the doctor said it was just me that lost the weight because the baby is bigger-my tummy sticks out more above my waistband now--not like a muffin top, but just like a little bit.

Anyways, I guess that's it...
Alison