‘Pregnancy changed my body – it scared me but now I’m so proud to be a mum’

It’s hard to explain what it feels like to be pregnant.

As well as being totally overjoyed you can also experience worry, stress and will be left wondering how things will change.

And one thing we don’t speak about that often is how the experience completely alters a woman’s body.

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With this being said, a mum has spoken candidly about the fears she had surrounding pregnancy and body image.

Georgie Thomas, 31, from Adelaide, Australia, is a body positive influencer who works to help women love the skin they’re in with her uplifting content.

But even though she’s now often seen flaunting her bod on social media, she admitted life was very different for her growing up.

Georgie has opened up about how she lived in fear of having a baby – simply because it would cause her body to change.

Fast forward to 2023 and she’s a super proud mum who flaunts her curves in daring outfits, but there was a time when she wasn’t so comfortable in her own skin.

Speaking exclusively to Daily Star, Georgie said: “When I was back dieting one of my biggest fears was falling pregnant.

“It sounds so horrible to say now because falling pregnant is an absolute miracle and the biggest gift but – back then – the thought of losing control of my body, the thought of it changing, getting bigger, having stretch marks, loose skin and the thought of trying to bounce back terrified me.

“I think a lot of women struggle to talk about this because they don’t want to seem ungrateful for being pregnant, but its a very real thing when you struggle with body image.”

“I’m so glad I did this work and changed my mindset before I fell pregnant, because pregnancy was the best time of my life,” she continued.

“I have never loved my body more than what I did when I was pregnant.

“I was constantly amazed at what it was doing to grow this little human and – even postpartum – I was so focused on nourishing my baby and myself to recover.

“I didn’t care for my loose skin, the stretch marks that were there – I was just so proud of myself and my body for going through it all.”

Now the mum admits she has a “deeper respect for and connection with” her body than ever before.

Since she’s become a mum Georgie said she’s realised how “insane” her body truly is.

She has moments where she looks at her son, Harry, and can’t believe that he grew in her belly.

“The part of my body I used to hate gave me the best gift of my entire life,” she added.

“I have such a deep respect for it and can’t believe I used to disrespect it for so long.

“The female body (all bodies) are incredible.

“I have suffered from some pelvic and hip pain postpartum, which left me some days not being able to walk around much, and during those times the old me would have been stressing so much at the fact I was doing nothing.

“But it’s even helped me have a better relationship with movement – making my body feel strong again, but in a different way.

“Not for aesthetics – but to just move and not be in pain.

“It’s made me grateful for the simple things like walking pain free, and it’s helped me find new exercises like yoga that I never used to do that I now love.

“It’s made me focus on movement to heal my body rather than to punish it.”

Anyone who wants to listen to Georgie’s free workshop on how to Rewrite Their Mindset can do so here.

You can also follow her body positive updates on Instagram.

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