# Could this Downton Abbey actress have been several months postpartum when this was filmed? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 21, 2013, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-downton-abbey-actress-have-been-several-months-postpartum-when-this-was-filmed/664122 "2013-07-21T17:14:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2013, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-downton-abbey-actress-have-been-several-months-postpartum-when-this-was-filmed/664122/101 "2013-09-24T11:16:22Z")
> [@Claire98909](#): > > If she were any other celebrity the media would be all over her, pelting her with questions, asking her if she’s pregnant or had a baby. “Any other celebrity”? What makes her so special that she’s being protected from such scrutiny? She’s a very nice actress. I enjoy Downton Abby very much. But she’s only this special to you! ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2013, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-downton-abbey-actress-have-been-several-months-postpartum-when-this-was-filmed/664122/102 "2013-09-24T13:02:32Z")
> [@Claire98909](#): > > If she were any other celebrity the media would be all over her, pelting her with questions, asking her if she’s pregnant or had a baby. No, they wouldn’t. Like this entire thread you’re throwing out gibberish and expecting serious responses. ---
**Author:** ![Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/4bbf92/32.png) [@Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heart_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2013, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-downton-abbey-actress-have-been-several-months-postpartum-when-this-was-filmed/664122/103 "2013-09-24T15:35:02Z")
Okay, I’ll give it a shot… > [@Telemark](#): > > > [@Claire98909](#): > > > > So do women get those bellies from not doing crunches? > > That’s what normal people look like. Heck, she’s fairly thin as things go. It’s not normal for humans to have flat stomachs. It’s impossible to spot reduce, you get a flat stomach by having low body fat, which is mainly a factor of diet. Yes. And in fact, it’s not a _given_ that if you have low body fat, you’ll get a flat stomach. I’ve always been slender, but I’ve also always had a poochy tummy. And I’ve tried to do crunches to get rid of it, and they help, but no matter how flat and tight my abdominal muscles get, I will always have that blob of fat sitting _on top_ of them. That’s where my body wants to store fat, and even when I lose fat elsewhere, it lingers there. > [@Claire98909](#): > > > [@Telemark](#): > > > > > [@Claire98909](#): > > > > > > But in the recent picture of McShera that I posted her dress looks rather tight. Wouldn’t a tight dress have compressed, for lack of a better word, the lower belly fat? > > > > Not unless it was designed to do so. You’re still looking for anything to support your far fetched idea without actually looking at the facts at hand. > > But if the dress compresses the entire rest of her body, wouldn’t it also compress her lower belly, if, indeed, it is fat and not a large uterus? Let’s discuss some [basic](http://catalog.nucleusinc.com/imagescooked/1959W.jpg) [human](http://www.medivisuals.com/images/products/detail/306390-01XXG.jpg) [anatomy](http://www.medivisuals.com/images/products/detail/105006_02X.jpg). Going from the outside in, the abdomen of a woman has (among other things): skin, a layer of subcutaneous fat, the abdominal muscles, the small intestine, and finally, somewhat behind but mostly well below the intestines, the teeny-tiny uterus. When a woman is pregnant, the uterus does stretch and become much larger, but it returns to its pre-pregnancy size in about 6-8 weeks. Because the uterus lies _underneath_ the abdominal muscles (and all that other stuff), crunches can absolutely help reduce any poochiness due to a distended uterus, which, again, will return to its normal size on its own in just under two months. But crunches can do nothing to reduce belly fat. The fat lies _on top_ of the muscle, and while you can certainly tighten only specific muscles, you can’t lose fat in just one specific place. You can only reduce your overall body fat. And as you can see from the comparison between the non-pregnant and pregnant views, the contents of the abdomen are highly pliable and mobile. They can be compressed and moved to an astounding degree. And they’re not tightly packed as you might think; there’s a lot of empty space inside a person. But fat is a lot less mobile. It jiggles in the center, of course, but it’s tightly sandwiched between the skin and the muscles, and firmly attached on all sides. You can’t just push subcutaneous fat aside like you can internal organs. If you could, no one would have boob jobs or tummy tucks; they’d all just shove their belly fat up into their bras. While it can certainly be compressed _to a degree_, if you have a large mass of fat in a specific place, at best, you’ll be able to smooth it out somewhat. So the bottom line is, a tight dress is far _more_ likely to be able to compress an empty uterus, no matter how large it is, because it’s pliable and has room to move, than a blob of belly fat, which can’t go anywhere. And that’s aside from the fact that belly fat is far more common than secret babies. Take me, for instance. Here are two sets of pictures of me in two different [tight](http://oi44.tinypic.com/17tq1u.jpg) [dresses](http://oi40.tinypic.com/2rgnriv.jpg). The green dress is tight but stretchy, in a mid-weight fabric with some spandex. The ivory dress is form-fitting, in multiple layers of fabric with no give, and with a bra-to-knee girdle underneath. In each set, all the pictures were taken on the same day, within just a few hours, and in the green dress, in the span of a few _minutes_. Look at the green dress pics. These were taken about five years before I got pregnant. In #1, I have no belly whatsoever, in #2, it’s still smooth, but looks _much_ larger, and in #3, the sun highlights what appears to be a huge bulge. The ivory dress pics - taken two years before I got pregnant - are the same. My tummy goes from nearly perfectly flat, to smooth but big, to “shotgun wedding”. But the only difference is the angle, the lighting, my posture, etc. Same dress, same time, same person, same belly. And I had never been pregnant at that time. So the answer to the question “Could this woman ever have been pregnant?” is yes, it’s possible. But the answer to the question “Do these pictures provide proof, evidence, or even the slightest indication that she has ever been pregnant?” is a resounding, “No.” And “You’re out of your mind.” ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2013, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-downton-abbey-actress-have-been-several-months-postpartum-when-this-was-filmed/664122/104 "2013-09-24T15:57:22Z")
No, this all has proved is that you’ve been hiding a post-partum belly! 😃 Beautiful dresses, btw. ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2013, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-downton-abbey-actress-have-been-several-months-postpartum-when-this-was-filmed/664122/105 "2013-09-24T18:41:52Z")
There is a name for this - obsession. Probably falling into one of the categories of Delusional Disorder. Again, get help. ---
**Author:** ![want2befree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3e96dc/32.png) [@want2befree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/want2befree)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2013, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-downton-abbey-actress-have-been-several-months-postpartum-when-this-was-filmed/664122/106 "2013-09-24T18:43:43Z")
Isn’t feeding the obsession by replying on this thread not helping? ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2013, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-downton-abbey-actress-have-been-several-months-postpartum-when-this-was-filmed/664122/107 "2013-09-24T20:24:54Z")
> [@want2befree](#): > > Isn’t feeding the obsession by replying on this thread not helping? That presumes that our goal here is to help, and not simply to point and laugh. ---
**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2013, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-downton-abbey-actress-have-been-several-months-postpartum-when-this-was-filmed/664122/108 "2013-09-24T21:08:02Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > That presumes that our goal here is to help, and not simply to point and laugh. My goal is to enfeeble. How’m I doing? ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2013, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-downton-abbey-actress-have-been-several-months-postpartum-when-this-was-filmed/664122/109 "2013-09-24T21:32:38Z")
> [@Nawth\_Chucka](#): > > My goal is to enfeeble. How’m I doing? I came here for an argument. ---
**Author:** ![Claire98909](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@Claire98909](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claire98909)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2013, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-downton-abbey-actress-have-been-several-months-postpartum-when-this-was-filmed/664122/110 "2013-09-24T23:37:12Z")
Then what about this tweet? [https://twitter.com/sophiemcshera/status/74063274181787648](https://twitter.com/sophiemcshera/status/74063274181787648) A joke or a reference to something in her life? ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2013, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-downton-abbey-actress-have-been-several-months-postpartum-when-this-was-filmed/664122/111 "2013-09-24T23:45:21Z")
It’s a stupid joke about [this picture](http://twitter.yfrog.com/h71xhpnj?sa=0), the implication being that she’s hanging around with black men and must therefor have children out of wedlock - real funny, right? :rolleyes: So please give it a rest **Claire98909** , your obsessing and need to move on. ---
**Author:** ![Claire98909](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@Claire98909](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claire98909)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-downton-abbey-actress-have-been-several-months-postpartum-when-this-was-filmed/664122/112 "2013-09-25T02:52:05Z")
Here’s a picture of a six week pregnant woman next to the pic of McShera from last month: [http://i.imgur.com/jICGrNr.png](http://i.imgur.com/jICGrNr.png) Those bellies sure look similar. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-downton-abbey-actress-have-been-several-months-postpartum-when-this-was-filmed/664122/113 "2013-09-25T02:53:55Z")
A six week old fetus is about 1/4 of an inch long. That’s not a pregnant woman. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-downton-abbey-actress-have-been-several-months-postpartum-when-this-was-filmed/664122/114 "2013-09-25T03:00:02Z")
> [@Claire98909](#): > > Here’s a picture of a six week pregnant woman next to the pic of McShera from last month: > > [http://i.imgur.com/jICGrNr.png](http://i.imgur.com/jICGrNr.png) > > Those bellies sure look similar. McShera is wearing clothes; I can’t see her belly. Please post pictures without clothes so we can know for sure. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-downton-abbey-actress-have-been-several-months-postpartum-when-this-was-filmed/664122/115 "2013-09-25T03:06:30Z")
[My God, she’s about to deliver!](http://www.contactmusic.com/pics/ln/20130123/230113_nta_press_3/sophie-mcshera-national-television-awards-press-room_3464306.jpg) [The poor woman is going to have twins.](http://metrouk2.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/650x263.jpg?w=650&h=0&crop=1) [The baby just kicked.](http://brightcove.vo.llnwd.net/e1/pd/66043909001/66043909001_1698886134001_vs-4fe1df10fee5b0e4f49b24d5-782203301001.jpg?pubId=66043909001) ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-downton-abbey-actress-have-been-several-months-postpartum-when-this-was-filmed/664122/116 "2013-09-25T03:12:10Z")
> [@Claire98909](#): > > Here’s a picture of a six week pregnant woman next to the pic of McShera from last month: > > [http://i.imgur.com/jICGrNr.png](http://i.imgur.com/jICGrNr.png) > > Those bellies sure look similar. Claire you’re delusional. I give up - you’re beyond help. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-downton-abbey-actress-have-been-several-months-postpartum-when-this-was-filmed/664122/117 "2013-09-25T03:17:55Z")
[Week 6 With a pelvic exam, your doctor will notice a change in the size of your uterus.](http://www.webmd.com/baby/guide/your-pregnancy-week-by-week-weeks-5-8) Get it? It takes a trained medical doctor, one with great gobs of experience in pregnant bellies, a PELVIC EXAM to notice an enlarged uterus at 6 weeks. That means one hand \*inside \*a women and the other pressing deep into her abdomen. You don’t, you just do not, \*see \*an enlarged uterus at 6 weeks with the naked eye. So no, you’re wrong. You keep being wrong. This is why I’m still here: [xkcd: Duty Calls](http://xkcd.com/386/) ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-downton-abbey-actress-have-been-several-months-postpartum-when-this-was-filmed/664122/118 "2013-09-25T11:22:05Z")
> [@Claire98909](#): > > Here’s a picture of a six week pregnant woman next to the pic of McShera from last month: > > [http://i.imgur.com/jICGrNr.png](http://i.imgur.com/jICGrNr.png) > > Those bellies sure look similar. That’s coincidence, not evidence. They might look similar, but that doesn’t mean every belly with a slight bump is pregnant! ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-downton-abbey-actress-have-been-several-months-postpartum-when-this-was-filmed/664122/119 "2013-09-25T12:15:38Z")
> [@zoid](#): > > Claire you’re delusional. > I give up - you’re beyond help. I came to that conclusion a few posts ago. She’s not looking for answers or opinions, she’s seeking confirmation to her wacky idea. ---
**Author:** ![Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/4bbf92/32.png) [@Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heart_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-downton-abbey-actress-have-been-several-months-postpartum-when-this-was-filmed/664122/120 "2013-09-25T13:54:14Z")
Claire? Honey? Hold up just a second, okay? Look at what you’re doing here. You just said: > [@Claire98909](#): > > Here’s a picture of a six week pregnant woman next to the pic of McShera from last month: > > [http://i.imgur.com/jICGrNr.png](http://i.imgur.com/jICGrNr.png) > > Those bellies sure look similar. …and your original question was: > [@Claire98909](#): > > I’m trying to figure out if this actress (Sophie McShera [Daisy] from Downton Abbey) might have had a baby and given it up for adoption or something (or else keeping it really, REALLY secret). Prior to Downton Abbey she was in a season of the show Waterloo Road in 2009. This scene was filmed anywhere between May and September 2009. [snip] If she had been 4 months pregnant in October 2008 she would have been 2 months postpartum in May 2009. Right? So again, you’re using: > [@Claire98909](#): > > a picture of a **six week pregnant** woman next to the pic of McShera from **last month** …to figure out if: > [@Claire98909](#): > > she would have been **2 months postpartum in May 2009.** And you specifically say in your original question that: > [@Claire98909](#): > > If she had been far enough along for them to avoid shooting her whole body she probably would have been about 4 months pregnant, in which case she would have been **11 months postpartum…definitely long enough postpartum to no longer have a belly.** So even by your own logic, if she had given birth in March 2009, she would now be \*54 months \*postpartum… _definitely_ long enough postpartum to no longer have a belly. And certainly far too long to still look like someone who is 6 weeks pregnant. So, just, maybe, think about this for a minute. Ask yourself, “What is my real concern? That she had a secret baby in 2009? That she might have _ever_ been pregnant? That she might be pregnant _right now_? All of the above?” Then, whatever you determine your _real_ question to be, just imagine for a moment that the answer is “Yes.” Yes, she was pregnant, yes, she has a secret baby, yes, she’s gestating another one this very moment. Hold that “Yes” in your mind for a moment. Accept it. Let it really sink in. And then, ask yourself: “So?” So what? What does it mean to you if your suspicions, whatever they are, are true? Is it just that you get to be right? Is it that you find this actress attractive, and the idea of her being pregnant excites you? Or perhaps you think she’s a bad person, and her giving up a baby makes you justified in hating her? Also: Do you share your suspicions about Ms. McShera with other people in your life (that is, people that you interact with in person, not just on the internet)? If not, why not? If so, what are their responses? And what do you think about the responses you read here? Things like: > [@Telemark](#): > > I came to that conclusion a few posts ago. She’s not looking for answers or opinions, she’s seeking confirmation to her wacky idea. Why do you think **Telemark** - and everyone here, really - has this impression of you? Do you ever get positive responses to your questions? I don’t need to know the answers to any of this; it’s just some things for you to consider. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-downton-abbey-actress-have-been-several-months-postpartum-when-this-was-filmed/664122.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-downton-abbey-actress-have-been-several-months-postpartum-when-this-was-filmed/664122.md?page=7)