Body image during pregnancy

The gap between the story and reality

Pregnancy is often viewed through rose-coloured glasses. You're supposed to glow. You're supposed to feel wonder at what your body is doing. But for many, that isn’t the reality.

Some people may feel glowy, but many feel something much more complicated. Your body is changing in ways that may be happening faster, slower or different than you expected. Weight shifts. Skin stretches. At every prenatal appointment, your weight is recorded and noted. That alone can make your body feel like a focal point. And in a culture saturated with pressure around beauty standards, it's understandable that this may bring up a mix of emotions.

This constant focus on your body, and on weight gain or loss, can come with judgemental and stigmatizing messages that strip much of the joy from pregnancy, particularly for those living in larger bodies.

For individuals with a history of eating disorders or body dysmorphia, these changes can be especially distressing. Pregnancy may bring up old thoughts, fears and coping patterns that they thought were long behind them.

What it can look like

Body image difficulty in pregnancy doesn't always show up the way you might expect. It isn't only about appearance. Research suggests pregnancy doesn't protect against body dissatisfaction, and in fact overall levels are comparable to those in non-pregnant people. During pregnancy, functional experience matters more — how your body moves, and what it can and can't do.

It can also feel like not wanting to be touched, even by people you love. Or like low-level anxiety about the changes still coming, or a quiet habit of avoiding photographs or certain clothes. Some people feel completely disconnected from their body, like the pregnancy is happening to them rather than inside them.

Comments from others can add to this, even when they’re well-meaning. Constant remarks about your size, shape or changing body can make a body that once felt private suddenly feel very public. You didn't necessarily sign up for that.

Why "just appreciate your body" doesn't always help

You've probably heard some version of this: love your body for what it's doing. Focus on the miracle. Be grateful.

That message doesn’t help. And when it's the only thing available, it can make the difficulty feel like an emotional failure stacked on top of a physical one.

Both things can be true at once: you can feel gratitude for what your body is doing and also miss when it felt more like your own.

When it connects to something more

Many people describe a sense of losing control during pregnancy — over their body, over what's coming, over how much space they now take up. For some people, that feeling may sit close to prior eating difficulties, like restricted eating, complicated patterns around food or other struggles that may have felt resolved.

For anyone with that history, pregnancy may bring those patterns back to the surface, even when things seemed settled. Clinical guidance is consistent on this: eating difficulties often pre-date pregnancy and can be present during it, affecting both physical and mental health, and past mental health struggles can resurface during this period. Getting support before distress builds is a practical step.

Research has also found that body image difficulty in pregnancy may connect to broader anxiety or depression — high levels of pregnancy-specific worry and low self-esteem are among the factors that predict more significant body image distress as pregnancy progresses. If this has been present more days than not, it’s worth telling someone.

What can help?

First, know that you don't have to love every change happening to your body in order to appreciate what it’s doing.

It can also help to set boundaries around comments that don't feel right. It’s okay to tell people that you'd rather not discuss your body, your weight or your appearance.

Try to notice when messages about how your body "should" look are coming from diet culture or unrealistic expectations, rather than from your own values. Screening what you take in can help, too. Social media, unsolicited advice, and anything that makes you feel more watched or judged than supported are all worth limiting, even imperfectly.

And finally, remember that the number on the scale and your BMI are only one measure of health, and imperfect ones at that. They do not tell the full story. If you can, focus more on how you feel, whether you’re getting adequate nutrition and rest, and what your healthcare team is seeing in bloodwork, blood pressure, fetal growth and other indicators of health. Many people find that carrying this alone makes it heavier. If thoughts about food, weight or body image are causing you distress, one conversation (with a partner, a midwife, a friend, trusted care provider or someone who has been through it) often does more than any private practice alone. If you're not sure who to talk to, our [Services Finder] can help. You don’t have to navigate these feelings alone.

If you're not the one who's pregnant

You may have noticed something is off with your loved one without knowing how to name it. Body image difficulty often doesn't announce itself — it can show up as withdrawal, quietness around food, or not wanting to be touched or photographed. Next time you notice any of this, try asking: "Has anything been difficult lately about how you're feeling in your body?" Then just listen, without trying to fix it. Instead of commenting on how they look, even positively, ask how they feel.

If your relationship with your body has been difficult more days than not, that’s worth talking about. Our [Services Directory] can connect you with someone who has experience working with people during pregnancy.

This article was developed using sourced educational content from Canadian Perinatal Mental Health Trainings (CPMHT), and informed by the collective knowledge and expertise of CPMHT professionals and Karen Clarke, BA, MSW, RSW, Doula (Open Book Doula, Counselling and Consulting Services), as well as the following cited research and clinical practice guidelines: