Believe It Or Not, You Might Actually Miss Your Pregnant Belly

Mom shares photo to remind pregnant women not to get down on themselves about the way their bodies are changing

Hi mom-to-be, counting down the days until that baby finally exits your body. You feel like shit, right? You’re doing everything you possibly can to speed this little parasite’s arrival. We get it. Housing a whole human is hard work and at a certain point you may find yourself thinking GET OUT. And you may feel huge. It’s okay.

Australian soap opera star Christie Hayes recently shared a photo of her pregnant self, as a message to all moms who may be having some issues with the way their bodies feel and look at the end of their pregnancies:

“A friend of mine messaged me today, slightly sad due to her weight gain as she is pregnant and is finding the rapid change of her body confronting,” Hayes writes. “She wanted to know if I had felt similar, and what was normal for a new first time Mum, as forums are saying a million different things.”

This is normal. If you find yourself looking in the mirror and getting down about the way your body is changing, just remember this pregnancy will not last forever. Sometimes it feels like it will, but it definitely won’t. That’s a guarantee. But it’s okay to be down about the way that you look — don’t give yourself a double-dose of crap by first feeling bad, and then feeling bad about feeling bad. You’re human.

“This nudie pic was taken the day before I went into labour. 48hrs later I was a first time mummy. As you can see, I’m totally on the rotund side and felt like a blue 🐋.” It’s not easy. All the water your body is retaining, the extra blood volume, oh — and the human being gestating in your body. Those things tend to make you feel a little… big. But it’s no big.

“Don’t be down about your weight if your expecting- enjoy it as much as you can,” Hayes reminds moms. “It’s not important, celebrate your baby growing! The weight might fall off, it might slowly come off or it might stick around. Once you hold that little baby in your arms, none of that will matter. I promise you it’s all worthwhile.”

She’s got a point. Once the baby arrives you’ll be way too exhausted to worry about your ass. And believe it or not, you might miss that pregnant belly.