Loving my baby body

When I was recently asked to be photographed for a pregnancy photoshoot, I didn’t really give it much thought before accepting. It was lovely to be asked, and I figured it would be a nice way to capture these last few weeks of my pregnancy.

It was only the day before the shoot that I got to thinking about how much my body has changed over the past few months and how I feel about it.

Physically, I can’t say I’ve loved being pregnant. I’ve struggled with my energy levels throughout, become incredibly clumsy, and found lugging my expanding bump around logistically challenging. Creating a nightly pillow fort in bed to support said bump sounds way more fun than it actually is.

But I’ve also loved seeing my bump grow, knowing that every week it means the baby is growing too and that we’re that little bit closer to meeting her. 

Frequent visits to the work biscuit tin and a slightly obsessive penchant for ice-cream aside, I’ve eaten well. My priority has been to stay healthy and to give the baby all the nutrients she needs, so I've not given much thought to my figure. Having said that, I’ve been lucky not to have put much weight on. Over the years, my weight has fluctuated and at 39 weeks pregnant, I’m still lighter than when I was at my heaviest.

I’ve always tried to maintain a healthy attitude to food and body image, even when I was bigger and I worry about raising a girl in an increasingly weight-obsessed world. That's a whole other blog post though.

Anyway, the day before the shoot, I started to think about what to wear. Admittedly my options were rather limited. I’ve bought as few maternity clothes as possible with the view that I’ll only be wearing them for a short time and my money can be better spent elsewhere. (You know, like on the million and one things we need for the baby.) And then I thought about actually getting the bump OUT. 

There’s no way I would have considered being photographed in my undies before. It's a bit, well, self-indulgent and vain, right? But I realised that I feel confident about my pregnancy body – stretch marks, cellulite and all and this was an opportunity to capture this special time on camera.

So I dug out my best underwear (literally - it’s not seen the light of day for months) and got my kit off. Photographer Shelley was lovely and I felt totally comfortable with her. If you could see me now, typing away wearing joggers and my boyfriend's biggest jumper because it's the only one in the house that fits me, I couldn't look more different from the way I do in these pictures. They certainly aren't representative of my day-to-day pregnancy look, but I feel glamorous and sexy. I love the resulting shots.

Over the coming months, my body is sure to change even more. I can’t predict how I’ll feel about it when I’m left with the remains of a bump that once was, but I know I'll always be happy that I took the opportunity to flaunt it whilst I still had it.

What do you think? Would you have the confidence to get your kit off on camera, pregnant or not? 

Photography: Shelley Richmond
Shelley is currently offering mini-portrait photo shoots for just £50 - perfect for growing bumps or babies. 

Location: Brocco on the Park Hotel