Pregnant Fashion Designer Explains Why You Can’t See Her Baby Bump

*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 ❤️

A post shared by Yiota Kouzoukas (@yiota) on Oct 9, 2017 at 2:53am PDT

Bumps come in all shapes and sizes. But every time Yiota Kouzoukas, a fashion designer from Brisbane, Australia, posted photos of her barely-there pregnancy belly to Instagram, she was inundated with messages from ‘concerned’ followers. 

Finally, the 29-year-old had had enough. “I want to explain a few things about my body,” she began in an Instagram post earlier this month. “Not that I”m upset/affected by these comments at all, but more for the reason of education in the hope that some people are less judgmental on others and even themselves.”

Kouzoukos went on to reveal that she has a “retroverted/tilted” uterus. “I was growing backwards into my body rather than outwards,” she wrote. Now, at six months pregnant, Kouzoukas said her uterus has flipped “forward” and she’s growing “just like everyone else.”

#6monthspregnant today 🙈I can’t believe how fast this is going. This is my belly growth from months 3, 4 and 5! So blessed with no issues these past 2 months ❤️ My placenta is at the back of my uterus, which is why I’ve been so spoilt with kicks, big and small. Anyone else have this?

A post shared by Yiota Kouzoukas (@yiota) on Oct 1, 2017 at 2:12am PDT

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Mary Jane Minkin, an OB-GYN and clinical professor at the Yale School of Medicine believes Kouzoukas most likely has a retroverted uterus. “About 30 percent of women have a uterus which is titled towards the back, and it is seldom a problem during pregnancy,” Dr. Minkin told Women’s Health on Monday, October 23. “As the uterus grows, it almost always starts tilting forward.”

According to Minkin, women with a retroverted uterus might not “show” until their uterus changes position.

 Meanwhile, Kouzoukas wants people to know she is “perfectly healthy” at six months pregnant. “That’s all the matters,” she wrote. “Our bodies and bumps are all different and our shapes and sizes are all different too.”