I was shamed at 21 weeks for the size of my bump

And that's before the stranger even knew this Aussie mum was pregnant...

An expectant mum from Melbourne has shed light on a heartbreaking reality that many pregnant women face—unsolicited comments about their bodies.

 

Madeleine had been innocently going about her day, doing a routine grocery run, when a stranger unexpectedly approached her.

“I just experienced the first of what I imagine to be many comments on my body while being pregnant,” she shared in a clip describing the experience. 

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"That’s all you’ve got? That’s all the belly you’ve got?"

Sitting in the driver’s seat of her car, Madeleine took to TikTok to recount the uncomfortable exchange that had just happened in the supermarket.

“The lady was like ‘oh, you’ve got a bit of belly hanging out there, love. There’s a gap in your clothes'."

Startled by the remark, Madeleine responded by clarifying that she was actually pregnant.

But instead of an apology or a simple congratulations, the woman’s intrusive commentary only continued.

“I was like, yeah, she’s getting bigger,” Madeleine said.

“She was like ‘oh, wait. You’re pregnant and that’s all you’ve got? That’s all the belly you’ve got? You must be very early on'.”

Madeleine, at 21 weeks into her pregnancy, was left stunned.

“She was like ‘that’s more than halfway. Oh, god,’” she recalled, still baffled by the exchange.

Madeleine was body shamed while she was shopping. Image: TikTok/madeleine.edwards

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"This pregnancy shaming happened to me"

“It was actually one of the most awkward encounters I’ve ever had. I genuinely didn’t know what to say,” she admitted.

What made the comment even more jarring was who it came from.

“That’s something I would expect from a man, not a woman. I was really surprised,” Madeleine revealed.

It turns out, she isn’t alone.

@madeleine.edwards

First she body shamed me for being chubby and then for looking too small at 21 weeks pregnant 😭

♬ original sound - Maddie Edwards

Since sharing her story, many other mums have flooded the comments with their own experiences of invasive remarks during pregnancy.

“This happened to me. I told someone I was 30 weeks and she was like ‘you’re looking pretty chunky.’ I responded, ‘you too,’ and walked off,” one mum shared.

“I got told I must be carrying twins because I was so big. I was only 30 weeks,”  another revealed. 

And a third recalled: “It’s insane! I had a random lady ask me if my baby is measuring okay because I was ‘small for 26 weeks.’”

Pregnant women already go through enough changes—physically, mentally, and emotionally. The last thing they need is to be subjected to judgment from complete strangers. 

Madeleine’s experience is a stark reminder that pregnancy is not an open invitation for public scrutiny.

Every pregnancy is different, and every mum deserves to be respected.

 

Originally published as I was shamed at 21 weeks for the size of my bump