Mother-to-be, 21, with a tiny baby bump at 32 weeks hits back at trolls who claim she must be starving herself of even lying about being pregnant

Brooke Barclay, from Edinburgh, was hit with trolling about her pregnant belly
The 21-year-old is 32 weeks pregnant and has a tilted uterus that appears small
TikTok users accused her of starving herself and co-workers didn't believe her

Published: 10:32 GMT, 10 December 2021 | Updated: 10:38 GMT, 10 December 2021

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A mother-to-be has hit back after being shamed online for her 'tiny' baby bump- with trolls telling her she must be 'starving herself' or even 'lying' about being pregnant.

Brooke Barclay, 21, from Edinburgh, was overjoyed after discovering she and her partner Liam, 22, were pregnant with their second child, after having Leighton, three, in 2018.

But as the young mother got further into her pregnancy, she realised that her belly wasn't getting very big and at her 16-week gender scan, her tummy was still completely flat.

And now at 32 weeks - with her baby boy being due in February 2022 - Brooke's stomach is her nowhere near as big as what is usually expected at that point in pregnancy, due to her tilted uterus.

Mum-to-be Brooke Barclay, 21, from Edinburgh, pictured at 32 weeks pregnant has been the subject of critique after social media users attacked her for having a tiny baby bump

Brooke, pictured at 32 weeks, started noticing her bump wasn't showing that quickly when nobody at work believed she was pregnant

The mother-of-one is expecting her second child in February and said she 'can't wait' to meet her baby son

Brooke, who worked as a COVID-19 testing operative before her maternity leave, said: 'We were extremely happy finding out we were pregnant again. We had been planning and trying for just a couple months.'

'Even though the nerves kicked in about having two children, we still cannot wait to meet our new boy.'

'So far, the pregnancy has been healthy but difficult, with constant morning sickness all the way through, a lot of back pain and heartburn to go with it.'

'I started noticing that my bump wasn't showing that quickly when nobody at work believed I was pregnant.'

Brooke's pregnancy has been healthy but difficult, with constant morning sickness all the way through, back pain and heartburn

The COVID-19 testing operative and her partner, Liam, revealed they had been trying for months and were thrilled at the news of a second child

'By the time my gender scan came about at 16 weeks, I was still completely flat stomached. I didn't really worry because I was small in my first pregnancy too and he was over 8lbs.'

'I understand that I'm tall, so I have a longer torso so there's more space for baby.'

Brooke explained that the reason for her having a smaller baby bump than other pregnant women is due to her tilted uterus.

A tilted uterus means that the womb tips backward at the cervix instead of forward, so a pregnant woman's baby will sit towards the back rather than the front.

Brooke's son Leighton holding her ultrasound pictures. She is expecting another boy and said she can't wait to expand her family

Brooke has a tilted uterus which means that the womb tips backward at the cervix instead of forward

She said: 'The reason behind me having a smaller baby bump is because I have a tilted uterus.'

'I found this out during my last pregnancy, and it doesn't affect the baby at all.'

'This is common and normal, and it is how some women don't even know they are pregnant until labour.'

After sharing footage of her baby bump to social media, Brooke said she was hit with mean comments by cruel trolls who said she must be 'starving herself'.

Others even said she must be 'lying' about being pregnant to get attention.

People told Brooke, pictured at 32 weeks pregnant, she was lying or starving herself and even wearing a waist trainer and would troll her would comments saying she was going to have a tiny baby

Brooke Barclay at 32 weeks pregnant. Her baby is healthy and growing normally, but her tilted uterus means her bump isn't as prominent

WHAT IS A TILTED UTERUS?

The cervix is the part of the uterus that attaches to the vagina. If you think of the uterus as pear-shaped, the cervix is the narrow end of the pear. When not pregnant, the uterus is around 4 centimeters long, although the exact length varies from person to person and throughout pregnancy.

The lower end of the cervix descends into the vagina. When the uterus is tipped, it can cause the cervix to lean, too.

What typically causes a tilted uterus?

Some people are born with a tilted uterus. Sometimes, pregnancy stretches the ligaments that support the uterus, allowing it to shift positions in the body. Certain health conditions can also lead to the formation of scar tissue that pulls on the uterus, changing its orientation.

Endometriosis, fibroids, and pelvic inflammatory disease can all cause scarring that changes how the uterus is shaped and situated.

Source: Healthline.com

Now Brooke is sharing her story in the hopes to raise awareness about the reality of having a tilted uterus and to show that not all pregnant bellies look the same.

She added: 'So I decided to post a TikTok at 20 weeks pregnant, not expecting more than my friends and family to see it.'

'But after a couple of weeks, the views started to go up and the comments flooded in. It had a total of 3.4 million views.

'People were saying I was lying or starving myself and even wearing a waist trainer.'

'There were a lot of people thinking they knew my body more than me and were telling me that I am going to have a tiny baby.'

'These comments didn't bother me really I knew my baby was growing fine and healthy.'

'People automatically assume that having a tiny bump means there is something wrong with me or the baby but that really isn't the case at all.'

'I just wish people wouldn't judge right away. Everyone's body is different, and that doesn't mean I'm unhealthy or underfeeding myself and baby.'