Many women anticipate the arrival of their first child and love to rock their baby bump proudly. For Lara Carpenter-Beck, things were not exactly what she had expected, though.
Lara said: “At just 12 weeks people were asking me when I was due- I was that big. And my bump just kept growing and growing.
Lara Carpenter-Beck, age 29, put on so much weight throughout her pregnancy that she was unable to wear regular maternity clothing.
At 32 weeks a nurse informed Lara her baby already weighed 6lbs- the size of some full-term babies. Carrying around all that weight was a struggle, she said.
“It was my first pregnancy and so I had no idea what to expect- but I knew it wasn’t normal to grow at the rate I was- especially with just one baby.”
By the time she was 36 weeks pregnant, her belly was already measuring 55 inches in circumference. She had gained 91 pounds. It was around this time that her water broke.
Despite the fact that Baby Savannah was born significantly heavier than the typical baby (9lb 5oz), her mother was just grateful that she was healthy.
Lara said: “She was a big baby and filled the weighing scales.
“We were so happy she was healthy though, we could cope with the fact she was a bit bigger than most newborns.”
Lara had another hurdle to face – losing all the extra weight. The mom got to work and she began to lead a healthier lifestyle to get back to a safer weight.
But a year after Savannah was born, Lara is happy to have lost the weight from her large bulge and pregnancy and is once again able to fit into her old outfits.
Despite the pregnancy struggles and weight gain, Lara did not have any regrets. In fact, she looked forward to having her baby as she felt it was all worth it.
