Formerly Overweight + Pregnancy = a Strange Connection

I've been thinking about this post for a while, but it's a concept that's kind of tough to explain and subject to disagreement. I decided to post it anyway in case others can relate.

So, yeah. Here goes. I honestly think that experiencing being overweight prepares you, in some ways, for weight gain during pregnancy.

I'm sure some of you are nodding your heads and some of you are like, "Wait, wha?" Here's why:

• You don't panic over the numbers on the scale. I've seen these numbers before, and while you never want to see them again, I can only assume that they're less shocking to me than they would be to someone who has been at a healthy (non-pregnancy) weight for their whole life.

• You already know how to dress a larger body. Yes, maternity clothes are strange and the way your body grows during pregnancy is... different. But, I already know some tricks for dressing my body at a larger size. A-line skirts, well-placed accessories, spanx - you name it, I know how to make it work for me.

• Stretch marks? Get in line. This one makes me giggle. There's a lot of talk in mom-to-be land about preventing stretch marks. I'm like, there are people who don't already have stretch marks? Mind blown. Any new stretch marks I get from pregnancy can join the ones I've lived with for years.

• You know how hard it is to lose weight, and don't take the task ahead for granted. This is probably the most important one. I've been faced with needing to lose weight before, and I know that it's hard work requiring discipline, focus, forgiveness, and patience. I'm not gleefully "eating for two" pretending like the weight will just fall off later. Don't get me wrong, there are days when I eat for two (maybe three or four), but I have no false expectation of weight just disappearing after birth.

I'm not advocating for being overweight or unhealthy, of course. All I know is that having experienced it puts gaining pregnancy weight in perspective.

Weird or relatable?