From the severity of morning sickness to how much weight you gain, how your body reacts to pregnancy the first time isn't a guaranteed indicator of how things will go the second time around. Soon-to-be mom-of-two Chontel Duncan learned that each pregnancy is different and wants others to know that just because you suffered from unbearable heartburn or didn't get any stretch marks doesn't mean that's how it will be with future pregnancies. In this personal trainer's case, she had drastically different experiences with fluid retention.
On the left is how swollen her feet got by the end of her first pregnancy, and the right is her foot at 39 weeks during her second pregnancy.
Chontel posted the candid image on Instagram to show how her feet nearly doubled in size thanks to swelling when she was pregnant the first time. "It fascinated me how the same person, doing nothing too different with both pregnancies, pregnant with the same partner, carring the same gender, could have such a big difference in fluid retention," Chontel tells CafeMom. "I want others to realize that just because one women had an awful experience doesn't mean you will, BUT also just because your first pregnancy was awful doesn't mean your next necessarily will either and vice versa."
Despite the severe swelling that hit her while she was pregnant with her first baby, Jeremiah, she isn't dealing with the same problem now. "Creating foot phobias all around the world with this post but this is the raw truth on how bad my fluid got towards the end of my first pregnancy," she wrote on Instagram. "Second time round I have done nothing different but have absolutely no fluid retention."
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This isn't the first time that Chontel's gone viral over her how her body changes (or seemingly doesn't) during pregnancy.
When Chontel was expecting Jeremiah, she posted a photo of herself and her friend only four weeks apart in their pregnancies. Understandably, their unexpected bump comparison — and Chontel's pregnancy abs — recieved a ton of attention.
During this second pregnancy, Chontel continued to hit the gym six to seven times a week, and in the beginning it felt identical to her first.
"Feeling even better then I did with my first pregnancy, my bump is honestly the same size, I'm just not holding the fluid this time round," she wrote after her last workout (at 39 weeks) with her second baby.
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Like with her own pregnancies, Chontel wants women to remember that everyone's body is different as she inspires others to work out during pregnancy.
"I'm so grateful for the pregnancy I currently have, the way my body has handled it, the health I and baby have had throughout the journey & the support you all have given me," she wrote. "Yes I am well aware this isn't for everyone, but we all have to remember what is normal for me and my body isn't normal for everybody."
Now that she's made it to the end of this pregnancy, Chontel is grateful for how her body adapted -- and not just because her feet didn't swell again.
"A nine-month journey growing another precious blessing has almost come to an end," she wrote. "I am incredibly proud of what my body has been able to achieve growing another healthy little human. Feeling strong, positive, excited & ready."
