Pregnancy and body issues

I had no idea I had body issues until I was pregnant with my first child. I've never been one to be really obsessed with my weight.  To me, it's always been more about just being healthy and taking care of myself.  My weight would fluctuate 5 pounds one way or the other, but it was no big deal. As long as I was trying to eat healthy and I was exercising, I wasn't too worried about it.

Enter pregnancy. When you see pictures of pregnant women, it's always women who have these cute little round bellies.  In fact, usually there's not any body fat on these women. Why else would they be willing to uncover their bare bellies and show them to the world? Oh, and they usually look like they are about 7 months pregnant.

Being 8 weeks pregnant doesn't look so cute. I remember seeing the weight on my bathroom scale gradually increase and getting a little nervous.  That 5 pounds wasn't fluctuating.  It was just steadily increasing.  And I didn't have a cute little belly.  I just felt fat.  I had to keep telling myself "You're not fat, you're pregnant". This mantra only helps so much when you stop fitting into pants that zip and button.  Pregnancy clothes are made for cute bellies.  They aren't made for those first few months when you feel sick and fat and try on 4 different outfits before you find something that fits and looks halfway decent and is comfortable.

This eventually passed so I could fit into pregnancy clothes and see a real belly, not just an expanding waistline.  But seeing the pounds add on every week for 9 months can still be a little disconcerting.  Having a new body can be a little strange.  Inching closer to your husband's weight can feel a little depressing. Was I alone in feeling this way about the weight gain?