Body Image During Pregnancy

Body Image Another issue first-time mothers deal with is bodily change and image. All women will experience feelings of insecurity about themselves at some point in their lives (Bauer, Berge, Loth, Neumark-Sztainer, & Wall, 2011). Pregnancy, especially the first-time, can cause women to have experiences of distress, liberation, or merely stay neutral about their body image (Bauer, Berge, Loth, Neumark-Sztainer, & Wall, 2011). One of the major changes in body image during pregnancy is an increased weight gain, which many women view as negative (Bauer, Berge, Loth, Neumark-Sztainer, & Wall, 2011). Studies show women who gain a larger amount of weigh during their pregnancy showed a decline in bodily satisfaction (Bauer, Berge, Loth, Neumark-Sztainer, & Wall, 2011). However, some women do not view their weight gain as negative but instead see it as necessary for the health of the baby (Bauer, Berge, Loth, Neumark-Sztainer, & Wall, 2011). Although a select few can still have negative body image, most pregnant women revealed a higher bodily satisfaction than those who were not (Bauer, Berge, Loth, Neumark-Sztainer, & Wall, 2011). One explanation of this is women who are pregnant enter into a social role in which it is acceptable to be overweight for a period of time in order to create life (Bauer, Berge, Loth, Neumark-Sztainer, & …show more content…
For many, first-time parents express an expectation of joy, fulfillment, pleasure, and excitement (Durkin, Harwood, & McLean, 2007). During pregnancy, these optimistic expectations have been associated with reduced negative effects, more positive mood states, and adaptive behavior (Durkin, Harwood, & McLean, 2007). Although these positive expectations have been linked with greater psychological health during pregnancy, they have the potential to substantially increase the negative reaction when expectations are not met (Durkin, Harwood, & McLean,