Can YOU tell which of these women is pregnant… and who’s just blighted by bloating?
Four women reveal what it is like to battle painful bloat and the embarrassment their swollen tums cause
THERE are few things more mortifying than being offered a seat on a bus because of your protruding stomach...when you’re not pregnant.
Yet for four out of these five women, this is a regular occurrence.
Their tell-tale bumps have nothing to do with having a little one on the way, but are caused by a severe reaction to certain foods, a painful medical condition and some very-hard-to-shift baby weight.
But can you tell which woman is battling the bloat - and which is growing a baby?
Jen Ryan, 31, is a psychology masters student and former secondary school teacher from Faversham in Kent.
She is married to Gary and they have three children
“I had an emergency caesarean with my twins six years ago and have had problems with bloating ever since. I wake up in the morning with my stomach fairly flat then it tends to swell up after eating breakfast and grows bigger and more uncomfortable throughout the day.
“Most days, I start as a slim size 12 and end up a size 14 with trousers straining around my waist. Strangers assume my swollen belly means I’m pregnant and I’ve often been offered a seat on the train, which can be very upsetting.
“Friends too have asked if I’m expecting my fourth and think I’m keeping it a secret and don’t believe it when I tell them it’s just my stomach, not a baby!
“Feeling bloated so often really affects my confidence. I used to be a size eight but now I’m eating more because I think: ‘what’s the point? I’m going to have a fat stomach whatever.’
“It affects what I wear and I’ll often be forced to wear high-waisted jeggings with loose, floaty tops when I’d love to wear something a bit more body-skimming. When I was a teacher, skater-style dresses were my uniform as they hid the ups and downs of my tummy well.
“My husband Gary doesn’t comment about my stomach but it does affect our relationship; I’ve cancelled so many nights out because nothing looks good on me and my tummy feels so sore and stretched.
“It’s hard to pinpoint what triggers it but it definitely blows up if I eat sugary or carb-heavy foods such as bread and potatoes and drinking alcohol too has a similar effect, so I do try and be careful with what I eat and a low-carb diet definitely helps.
“When I went to the GP, it was initially diagnosed as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) but after a number of tests, they now suspect endemetriosis, where tissue from the lining of the womb is found in other parts of the body and can cause inflammation and pain.
“I’m planning to have a hysterectomy this September. There’s quite a waiting list on the NHS so I’m saving up to pay for one privately as I’m so fed up of all this. I know it’s a massive operation but I’ve had my family now and I want to look good and feel good – and my bloated tummy is making me miserable.”
Stephanie Ahemor, 27, is a temp administrator from London. She is married to Ebenezer and they have two girls, Annabel, 3 and Joanna, 2
“It’s been two years since I had Joanna and I just can’t seem to get rid of my ‘mum tum’ whatever I do. I hardly put on any weight after having Annabel and was back to my normal size 12 after about nine months.
“But I quickly fell pregnant again and after giving birth to Joanna – who was born small at 5lb 150z – I remained a size 14 and couldn’t seem to shift the excess flab from around my stomach. I breastfed both of them too: Annabel until 10 months; Joanna until 14 months, so I’m not sure about breastfeeding helping you to shed your baby weight.
“I’ve never had scales or had to consciously watch my weight and being so busy working and looking after two babies meant there was even less time to start weighing out food or count calories.
"I have tried to eat more meat and less carbohydrates, and every now and again I follow a Pilates video on YouTube or go for a swim, but I’m not consistent and it’s done little to reduce my big stomach.
“I do get some curious looks and my relatives especially are convinced I’m pregnant and are always making comments, asking when I’m going to tell them, and it is awful to hear.
“Before I had children, I used to be so confident in my own body but now I’m either wearing clothes in a bigger size (which fit badly) or strapping on a waist trainer in an effort to keep the bulge in.
“It doesn’t help that my husband Ebenezer takes pride in being so slim. When I had the children, he dared to suggest I wasn’t trying hard enough to lose the baby belly and that ended up in a big argument so he knows now not to say anything.
“I do plan to have another child soon so I’ve made a decision not to worry about my stomach for the time being. When I’m finished I’ll work hard to get my body back. I just hope I can do it.”
Kelly Sephton, 35, is a nutritionist and ambassador for leading sports nutrition brand USN. She is married to Paul and lives in Essex
"I had trouble with my periods since the age of 11 and would be in pain and feel sick for nearly three weeks out of every month. I suffered terribly with bloating too, especially in the evenings. I was always quite slim so my belly would just stick out and it would be very painful and uncomfortable.
“An early miscarriage in my 20s led to some exploratory work and I was diagnosed with severe endometriosis at 23 and was told that because of the severity of the condition I probably wouldn’t be able to exercise much or be able to cope with working long hours.
“This is because of the fatigue, pain and stress the condition put on my system. The doctors even advised a hysterectomy and this scared the life out of me! I was determined not to let this happen and started taking a keen interest in what I ate, noticing that the bloating reduced if I avoided sugar, dairy and wheat.
“It didn’t always work though and even now, I’ll blow up like a balloon at least once a week. As I’m slim everywhere else, people think I’m pregnant and I’m often offered a seat on the train. I’ll always take it and say thank you because I don’t want them to feel embarrassed, but it’s not nice.
“Stress or eating the wrong thing makes the condition flare up and if I’m going out for the day, I’m always mindful of what I wear, sometimes taking a little jacket or jumper with me as a handy camouflage. It does affect my confidence though.
“Doctors have told me a number of times that I won’t be able to conceive as my body isn’t a stable environment to hold a baby long-term but I’d love a family one day and I’ve heard lots of success stories from women with my condition and I focus on those.
“My husband Paul is very good with me when I’m suffering – he’s always there with the hot water bottle when the tummy pains get bad and he tries to calm me down.”
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Lisa Wood, 39, works in communications and lives in Altrincham, Cheshire. She is married to Westley and they have a daughter, Sienna, 3
“It started when I was 25 with something as simple as a bowl of cereal in the morning. Within minutes, my stomach would swell up like I was four months pregnant and I’d be doubled over in pain, as if I had trapped wind.
“I went to the doctor who suggested I cut out wheat but this didn’t make much difference so they ran a few tests and discovered I had lactose intolerance, which is a common digestive problem where the body is unable to digest lactose, the sugar mainly found in milk and dairy products.
“It’s so funny because as a child, I always drank a lot of milk and would have a glass before bed and my cereal was always swimming in it every morning.
“For the last 12 months, I’ve tried cutting milk and dairy out from my diet completely and it has helped. I still get bloated twice a week – many products and recipes have lactose in and it’s hard to know, especially if I’m in a restaurant or at other people’s houses.
“The key is nothing cheesy or creamy, but I do feel anxious if I eat out because the reaction is so immediate. I think I have a bit of IBS too because if I eat a roast dinner with lots of potatoes, for example, my stomach swells up and it will do the same if I’ve had a stressful day.
“I juggle a lot with work and my daughter and I’m always thinking of a million things at once, so stress is a hard one to cut down, although I do practise a lot of yoga.
“My husband Westley is extremely tolerant of my ups and downs. As long as he’s known me, I’ve moaned about my belly and he knows how much it affects me. I’m quite slim so when I’m having an episode my stomach protrudes and I know I look about four months pregnant. Although my friends haven’t asked me outright, I’m often the butt of many quizzical looks.”
And the pregnant woman is . . . Giorgia Packham, 27, from Essex, who is four months pregnant with her first child.
"I love seeing a bump because it’s physical proof that the baby inside me is developing nicely and getting bigger and healthier.
"I’ve always been super slim and even had a six-pack before, so it is an unusual transformation but I love it; growing a baby is so exciting!"
Meanwhile, we previously reported on the 10 foods that can cause stomach bloating.
And, bloating could actually be a warning sign of these four serious illnesses.