Fashion designer Yiota Kouzokas has gotten some backlash for posting photos of her 9-month-pregnant belly on Instagram because it is so flat.
She received a ton of comments from people questioning the health of her child because of her tiny baby bump.
Yiota has since explained that there is actually a medical reason behind her flat tummy: a backward-tilting uterus, tight stomach muscles and past endometriosis surgeries have all led to her current figure, however her baby is perfectly healthy.
She explained:
*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 ❤️
It's definitely a good reminder that no two pregnancies are alike and all pregnant women should be respected and appreciated. Stay up to date with Yiota here.