A woman has revealed how strangers would question whether she was pregnant when she was in her final trimester, as she was a small size six and weighed just over eight stone.
Samantha Ball, 23, a content creator, who lives with partner Dylan Yarborough 24, a recruiter, in Sheffield, welcomed their son Leo in February 2017.
But her pregnancy was far from an easy ride, and Samantha says she fought cruel jibes throughout her pregnancy about her lack of a bump.
The mother-of-one remembers how commuters refused to get up for her when she was seven months pregnant, and says it continued after birth, when she felt so excluded from a mother and baby group that she refused to go back.
Samantha Ball, 23, a content creator, from Sheffield, has revealed how strangers would question whether she was pregnant when she was in her final trimester, as she was a small size six (seen left at seven months pregnant and right at nine months pregnant)
Recalling an incident in November 2016, when she was pregnant, she said: ‘Standing in the middle of the crowded train, my heavy suitcases weighing me down, I felt absolutely exhausted.
‘My feet ached, my back was sore and I needed to sit down. I remember saying “You’d think someone would let a pregnant lady sit down”.
‘One or two passengers glanced at me, then looked at my body and turned away. I wished I’d had my scan to show them proof but instead I had to endure an hour long journey home on my feet.’
She continued: ‘It wasn’t the first time people cast doubt on the fact I was pregnant. At only 5ft 7 and 8st, a size 6 to 8, I have always been skinny.
‘But pregnancy didn’t change that. My bump was hardly visible until I was 7 and a half months pregnant and people were constantly questioning whether I was telling the truth about the fact I was carrying a baby.’
Samantha says she felt so excluded from her parenting groups by other mothers that she refused to go back. But with Leo now three-years-old, Samantha can look back with newfound confidence
Samantha explained that the pregnancy had been a surprise, as she and her partner were still at university and had only just started dating.
She remembered: ‘I found out I was pregnant in May 2016. Dylan and I had only been together for five months and we were in our first year of university so it was a shock to us both.
‘At six weeks gone, I wound up in hospital for a suspected ectopic pregnancy and we were heartbroken. But once we found out everything was fine we were so happy and excited to be parents.’
The mother has always had a small frame, and battled eating disorders in the past – which pregnancy helped her overcome.
She said: ‘I’d suffered with eating disorders in the past. When I left school in 2013, I felt the only way to control my life was through food. I was a size 4 and I wasn’t eating.
After birth Samantha continued to attract surprised comments from onlookers after her body bounced back into shape immediately (seen)
However at seven and a half months pregnant, her bump finally popped – with Samantha calling it the ‘best Christmas present ever’ (seen at nine months pregnant with a bump)
‘My mum took me to the doctors and although they tried to bulk up my calorie intake, I ignored it and didn’t put on any weight. At my lowest I weighed around 7 and a half stone, which was unhealthy for my height.
‘It was only when I was 18 and the doctor told me I’d have trouble having a family if I carried on like this that I decided I couldn’t let food control me. I had always wanted to be a mum.
‘We weren’t trying to have a baby, but once I found out I was pregnant, it was yet another reminder to stop pushing food around my plate and feed my baby.’
However as her pregnancy progressed, Samantha still wasn’t gaining as much weight as expected, despite her healthier relationship with food.
She said: ‘I started eating bigger meals than before including junk food and constantly craved strawberry milkshakes. My body needed more calories. Despite my relationship with food getting better, people constantly told me that I didn’t look pregnant, which hurt me deeply.
‘It made me guilty too, as if I’d done something wrong. I was terrified that my baby would suffer because I wasn’t healthy and would bombard my midwife with questions.’
As her pregnancy progressed, Samantha still wasn’t gaining as much weight as expected, despite her healthier relationship with food
Recalling the response she got from friends, family and strangers, she continued: ‘Friends would constantly say I didn’t look pregnant. I used to get really tearful because of their comments – I just wanted to show off a blooming baby bump.
‘My worst memory was when I had an appointment with a substitute midwife and told her I was 32 weeks and she stared at me in disbelief. She thought I was ten weeks!
‘She was very apologetic but by that point I was so tired of telling people that I was pregnant.’
However at seven and a half months pregnant, her bump finally popped – with Samantha calling it the ‘best Christmas present ever’.
She said: ‘By Christmas morning, only two months before I would give birth, people still couldn’t see my bump.
‘But on Christmas evening after a large dinner it just popped out from nowhere. I always knew I had the bump there, but suddenly everyone else saw it too. They wanted to touch it constantly – I’d never a reaction like that before and it was the best Christmas present ever.’
Samantha says Leo weighed 7lb 7oz and she was in shock because she’d only put on 7lb throughout the pregnancy – and was still able to fit into size 6 clothes (seen after birth with Leo)
However Samantha still battled with disbelief from others, recalling: ‘The bump shaming didn’t stop. I posted a photo of it and a friend said: ‘You don’t look big enough for seven and a half months’ so I deleted the photo, embarrassed. Looking back, I wish I didn’t, but I felt ashamed.
‘As my due date came, I grew bigger but not big enough for some people. At nine months most people still thought I was only six months pregnant.
‘After a 21-hour labour I gave birth to Leo weighing 7lb 7oz and I was in shock because I’d only put on 7lb throughout my pregnancy.
‘My size 6 clothes still fit, but my tops were snug because they couldn’t go over my stomach. The midwives explained that I didn’t have much water weight, which is why I was so small.’
And after birth Samantha continued to attract surprised comments from onlookers after her body bounced back into shape immediately.
She said: ‘After the birth, my body bounced back to its normal size immediately and I received even more horrible comments.
‘A few people said he couldn’t be mine, because he was so big. I went to a mum and baby group and I was told it wasn’t normal to look so skinny. They were asking to see photos of my bump to prove I’d carried my child. I hated it and didn’t go back.’
But with Leo now three-years-old, Samantha can look back with newfound confidence.
She concluded: ‘It took four months to start feeling confident in myself and ignore the comments. Six months after having Leo, my relationship with food improved even more because I was teaching him good habits.
‘Looking back, I know people probably didn’t mean to be mean but I’d always take the comments personally. I wish I told people it made me uncomfortable instead of brushing it off.
I’m so glad that my weight didn’t affect Leo, he was happy and healthy and that is all that matters.’