Hannah continues: “When I was pregnant with Preston, I really wasn’t showing until about 27 weeks. And I was so desperate to announce and share with the community that I was pregnant – I had already shared so much about our fertility journey – and at around 24 weeks, I was just getting really antsy, and I really wanted to take some pregnancy announcement photos.
“When I was looking back at the photos, there really wasn’t a belly, and I just felt like I so desperately wanted this belly, I really didn’t want to announce without the belly. The belly was the symbol for me.”
Hannah then becomes visibly teary, and after pausing the video, continues: “I realised these photos, you really couldn’t see a bump, so I Photoshopped my bump to be bigger. Anyway, it just goes to show that everyone’s in a different mental state around pregnancy, so next time you want to comment on someone’s pregnant body, just keep it to yourself.”
And it’s not just Hannah who has experienced this sort of bump-shaming. The comments are full of women sharing their similar experiences, with one woman sharing: “I definitely had my share of unsolicited comments from many people and it made me sooo self conscious about my growing body!”
Another shared her story: “This literally happened to me yesterday. I told one of the nurses at my ENTs offices that I was was being induced next week and in shock, she told me I was “carrying well.” I’m like, if my (or any birthing person’s) baby’s doing well in there whatever shape my body looks to be in, then I’m carrying well… not because you think I look small… which is a NOT compliment. My first was stillborn and very small, my second, born living, was also small, and the stress of and anxiety around making sure this baby is healthy, growing, and alive is not helped by you commenting on the small size of my bump, even though you probably mean it in the best of ways.”
While another shared a similar experience: “When I was seven months pregnant people kept telling me that I didnt look pregnant and it gave me so much anxiety and made me feel so bad because (1) I wanted to look pregnant — it was a sign my child was growing and healthy and (2) it didn’t feel like I wasnt pregnant. I was sore, tired, and felt heavy. By the end of my pregnancy the comments were the opposite.”
It’s clear that unsolicited comments on woman’s pregnant body can have a profound and lasting impact on their confidence, and their experience of pregnancy – and we applaud Hannah Bronfman and all the women in the comments for speaking out. Can we all just agree that it’s never OK to comment on a woman’s body, pregnant or otherwise? And can we all make a pact to call it out next time we hear it?
Sincerely, women everywhere.