When we imagine baby bumps, a large belly is usually the first thing that comes to mind. However, as we're seeing more and more, some expecting mothers don't quite look like your stereotypical pregnant woman.
Many mothers are sharing pictures of their tiny baby bumps, and they are shocking nearly everyone who sees them.
Another mom-to-be, Yiota Kouzoukas, has been sharing her pregnancy progress on Instagram and surprising her followers by her baby bump (or lack thereof).
Daily Mail explains that Yiota's tiny baby bump doesn't just have to do with the fact that she is a naturally petite person. In fact, Yiota's tiny baby bump is a bit of a medical miracle. Initially, Yiota couldn't conceive due to a condition called endometriosis.
In order to conceive, tissue on the affected area of the uterus must be removed, and the uterus is "anchored" further into the body. Yiota revealed this and more in a recent post on her Instagram.
Yiota is a 29-year-old fashion designer based in Brisbane, Australia.
She's been sharing her progress on Instagram, but one post in particular addresses what is really behind her tiny bump.
Yiota shares:
*BUMP SIZE* I receive a lot of DMs and comments regarding the size of my bump, which is why I want to explain a few things about my body.
Not that I’m upset/affected by these comments at all, but more for the reason of educating in the hope that some people are less judgemental on others and even themselves.
For the first 4 months of my pregnancy, my uterus was retroverted/tilted which means that I was growing backwards into my body rather than outwards. Most people with this type of uterus tilt forward at around 12 weeks and continue growing outwards like you normally would.
My uterus didn’t “flip forward” until well into being 4 months pregnant because of the backwards tilted position paired with decade old endometriosis scarring that I have on my uterosacral ligaments. Basically, these ligaments are acting like anchors keeping my uterus “inside” rather than “outside”, which is why I appeared smaller than most people for the first 4 or 5 months.
Now, at #6monthspregnant I’m growing forwards just like everyone else while the scarring on my ligaments slowly breaks down. My torso is also short and my stomach is naturally toned which is keeping my belly super tight, so I’ve had to personally stop all ab exercises to avoid any issues with possible ab separation.
This is for me personally, as instructed by my doctor and is in no way a blanket rule for anyone else. I’m perfectly healthy, baby is perfectly healthy and that’s all that matters. Our bodies and bumps are all different and our shapes and sizes are all different too.
While Yiota's condition might make it easy for her to dress in her latest designs, it is certainly no walk in the park.
Luckily, her condition is not preventing her from having a healthy pregnancy.
Moreover, her openness about her condition has allowed other women to understand that a tiny bump isn't always what it looks like.
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