What Loved Ones Say About Your Body During Pregnancy — And What It Actually Does To Your Health
Pregnancy is a time when healthy habits matter enormously, for both parent and baby. Yet a new study1 published in Midwifery suggests that one of the biggest barriers to staying active and eating well during this stage may be coming from the people closest to pregnant women: their partners, family members, and friends.
When those relationships involve weight-related judgment or criticism, the research indicates that women are less likely to meet physical activity and nutrition recommendations during pregnancy, and physical activity recommendations postpartum.
About the study
The study used cross-sectional surveys administered online to participants who were at least 13 weeks pregnant and again at three months postpartum.
Participants reported whether they had experienced weight stigma from close others (defined as negative misconceptions and stereotypes associated with weight), along with their physical activity levels and whether their nutrition behaviors had improved, stayed the same, or worsened.
Researchers used logistic regression analyses to evaluate the relationship between how frequently participants experienced weight stigma and whether they met international prenatal physical activity guidelines and nutrition recommendations.
Weight stigma during pregnancy and postpartum is already recognized as a social issue that can impair engagement in healthy behaviors.
What had not been tested before this study was whether that stigma specifically affected adherence to physical activity and nutrition recommendations: two factors that directly support maternal and newborn wellbeing.
More weight-related judgment was linked to lower adherence in three key areas
The surveys were completed by 463 participants. Among them, 397 (or 85.7%) reported experiencing weight stigma during pregnancy, and 341 (or 74.6%) reported experiencing it in the postpartum period.
The frequency of that stigma was significantly associated with lower adherence to prenatal physical activity recommendations, lower adherence to prenatal nutrition recommendations, and lower adherence to postpartum physical activity recommendations.
In other words, the more often women experienced weight-related judgment from close others, the less likely they were to meet the health guidelines that support a healthy pregnancy and recovery.
Why shame tends to work against healthy behavior
The findings challenge a common assumption: that pointing out weight or body changes motivates people to make healthier choices. The data suggest the opposite may be true, particularly during pregnancy.
Weight stigma, even when it comes from a place of concern, can erode the psychological conditions that make behavior change possible.
When someone feels judged or shamed about their body, it can reduce their sense of self-efficacy and make it harder to engage in the very routines that support their health.
The study's authors note this as a direction for future research, suggesting that weight stigma may undermine self-efficacy for healthy behaviors, especially when the source is someone close.
Pregnancy already brings significant physical and emotional change; adding a layer of social judgment from trusted people may compound those challenges rather than help address them.
This is especially relevant because the stigma in this study came specifically from those who were close, not strangers or healthcare providers, but the people pregnant women interact with most. That proximity makes the impact more personal and potentially more difficult to dismiss.
What weight stigma from loved ones can look like
Weight-related comments during pregnancy often don't feel like stigma to the person making them. They may sound like concern, encouragement, or practical advice. But the effect on the recipient can be the same regardless of intent.
Comments that may contribute to weight stigma include:
- Remarking on weight gain: noting how much or how little someone has gained, even in a tone of concern
- Labeling foods: suggesting that certain foods are "bad" or off-limits based on body size rather than nutritional need
- Making comparisons: measuring a pregnant person's body against others or against their previous pregnancy
- Framing movement as weight control: positioning exercise as a tool to manage weight gain rather than support overall wellbeing
- Centering appearance: expressing surprise or concern about body changes in ways that focus on how someone looks rather than how they feel
The issue isn't that loved ones shouldn't care about health. It's that comments focused on weight or body size tend to miss the mark, shifting the focus from how someone feels and functions to how they look.
How to support healthy habits without the shame
Supportive environments (ones where pregnant and postpartum women feel encouraged rather than judged) are more likely to promote the healthy behaviors that weight-focused comments aim to inspire. The difference often comes down to framing.
Instead of commenting on weight or body changes, loved ones can:
- Ask rather than advise: check in on how someone is feeling and what would make movement feel more accessible to them
- Join in: offer to go for a walk, try a prenatal yoga class, or share a low-key activity together
- Shift the focus: talk about energy, mood, and strength rather than appearance or size
- Nourish without commentary: prepare or share meals without attaching observations about portions or food choices
- Acknowledge the work: recognize how much physical and emotional effort pregnancy involves, without tying that acknowledgment to body changes
The goal is to create an environment where healthy choices feel supported and natural, not like a response to criticism.
Encouraging movement during pregnancy without pressure
Physical activity during pregnancy carries real benefits, including support for mood, sleep, energy, and labor preparation.
But the way movement is framed matters. When exercise is positioned as a tool for managing weight gain, it can feel like a judgment rather than an invitation.
Low-pressure approaches to movement during pregnancy include:
- Leading with how it feels: frame activity around more energy, better sleep, or reduced discomfort rather than how it looks
- Suggesting accessible options: recommend movement that feels enjoyable, not punishing or performance-driven
- Respecting the hard days: acknowledge that some days or trimesters are more difficult than others, and that rest is also part of a healthy pregnancy
- Celebrating effort: recognize consistency and showing up rather than intensity or output
The same principle applies to nutrition. Encouraging someone to eat in ways that nourish them and their baby, without attaching commentary about weight or body size, is far more likely to support lasting healthy habits than pointing out what or how much they're eating.
The physical and emotional shifts that begin in pregnancy don't stop at birth; the postpartum-to-perimenopause transition is its own chapter that benefits from the same compassionate approach.
The takeaway
New research suggests that weight stigma from partners, family, and friends may reduce pregnant and postpartum women's adherence to physical activity and nutrition recommendations during pregnancy, and physical activity recommendations postpartum.
The findings point to a clear gap between the intention behind weight-related comments and their actual effect on behavior.
For those who want to support a pregnant or postpartum person's health, the most effective approach appears to be one rooted in encouragement, presence, and compassion; not commentary on their body.