Bodies come in a variety of shapes and sizes all of which are perfectly capable of growing and birthing a baby.

Bodies change during pregnancy in obvious and subtle ways. This is normal and to be expected. Growing a baby, a placenta, making amniotic fluid, increasing blood volume, stretching facia and ligaments means that the uterus quadruples in size during pregnancy from its original pear-shaped size. Amazing, yes?

Trust that you have the right body for growing and birthing a baby. Your belly will look different and unique so don’t compare yourself to others. You will have pads of fat that develop during pregnancy because your body is cleverly preparing for the possibility of famine (your body doesn’t know when you may not have access to food) and it wants you to be able to care for baby, breastfeed and stay well. Take comments about baby’s size lightly. Big babies come out of slight mamas, small babies come out of larger mamas – your body is perfect for you and your baby – trust that your body knows what its doing.

Love it, thank it, nurture it, feed and hydrate it as it does the profoundly miraculous work of growing your baby.

Some suggestions for trusting your body: avoid negative self-talk, don’t judge other women’s bodies, cleanse your social media and replace it with self-love and positive encouragement, use movement like walking, prenatal yoga and swimming to support your body’s natural need for exercise, and tell yourself repeatedly that birth is a natural occurrence for which your body has been perfectly designed.

Trust in your ability to bring your baby into the world,
Lenore Kilmartin