I first want to say that I love this site. I visit everyday to read new stories and get encouragement, thank you all!
I am 25 years old and gave birth to my daughter on Oct 30, 2008. I hated being pregnant… every bit of it. I was uncomfortable the whole time and I gained weight like it was my job. The day I found out I was pregnant I weighed 129. During my last OB appt I weighed 197! And I am only 4′11”, so I was HUGE! I was also given pitocin for 24+ hours during labor to speed things up, and retained a ton of water due to that. Most of the stretchmarks on my legs are from when I was in labor. Within a week of giving birth I had already lost more than 30 lbs. So I thought the weight was going to come off so easily, boy was I wrong! I am now 6 months postpartum and I am still weighing 165, only 5 lbs less then I was 1 week postpartum. I now were a size 16 (I was a size 6 pre-baby), which makes me feel so awful. Large shirts in the womens section do not fit me, so I am still wearing my maternity shirts, which is just sad. Summer is right around the corner and I do not own one article of summer clothing that fits me. I cannot believe I have let myself go on like this for so long. The whole time I was pregnant I kept saying, ‘I can’t wait to be able to diet again’ or ‘as soon as I can I will be exercising my butt off to lose this weight…’ and so on and so fourth. I don’t know why I haven’t. I need to get serious. I hate the way I look and I hate the way I feel about myself. In my title I say I still look 6 months pregnant, but now that I think about it, I probably looked better when I was 6 months pregnant than I do now. I hope to submit and update in a few months and will have made some weight loss progress by then. Wish me luck!
May 21st, 2009 at 10:37 am
You look great. I weighed 172 when i got pregnant with my now 18 month old son, ended up at 195 on the day of delivery, and i am hovering up in the 180s right now. I cant lose weight. You will lose it in time. You look great!
May 21st, 2009 at 3:52 pm
I was like you with my first pregnancy, started at 125 and got to 205, I didnt even try to lose weight until 6-8 months, but then 1 year pp I was back down. I never thought I would see my old body again, but it takes time. You are going to do great keep your head up and work at it if it bothers you.
May 21st, 2009 at 5:57 pm
6 months postpartum is NOTHING! It takes a lot of time to loose weight for many of us. It took me over a year to hit my pre preggo weight, and then promptly got pregnant again. Do try to find some new clothes for the season, it will make you feel better - - an ignore the sizes! Just wear something that flatters your new baby body. Good luck, and be patient!!
May 23rd, 2009 at 9:27 pm
9 months in, 9 months out. At least. Your body is the epitome of womanliness. Numbers on a scale are just that, numbers, they do not encompass the whole of you.
May 23rd, 2009 at 11:08 pm
I’m also very short, being five foot one. I can definitely identify with what you’ve said here. It’s hard to carry a baby when you’re petite. You’ve still got plenty of time to lose weight. I lost the bulk of my pregnancy weight when my daughter turned eighteen months. You look wonderful!
June 8th, 2009 at 6:21 am
Honey — I could have written your entry, but with higher numbers on the scale. I stared my second pregnancy at 174 - exactly 20lbs heavier than my prepregnancy weight with my son. I gained 50+ lbs and am only about 5lbs less than when I left the hospital, but my body has changed shaped. My daughter is only a week younger than your little one… so you and I have A LOT in common on all of this. Kudos to you for having the courage to post your story/pictures… you ARE BEAUTIFUL.
June 23rd, 2009 at 12:34 am
your tummy looks a lot like mine does. I had similar gaining issues. Here is my secret. I had my stretch marks fade about 50% is color and are more skin toned and closer to totally disappearing. its in my story if its ever published haha.
Derma roller (i suggest 1 mm but I Have .25 it works ok) $15 ish.
Vitamin E cream from Sams Club about 8$
Roll with the roller, glob on the cream, and watch. do it every other day with the.25 or once a month with the 1 mm.
July 4th, 2009 at 12:35 am
You don’t need to lose weight to be attractive. It makes me really depressed that this site is almost a weight loss thinspiration ring or something. That’s bullshit. I’m sexy at 250 pounds, and I would have weighed this regardless of having my kid two years ago. Woooo hoo.
July 20th, 2009 at 5:10 pm
I am glad that I am not the only one. I have 4 beautiful daughters and my 4th daughter was a surprise! She is now 6 monhts and I too look like I am 6 months pregnant. I often wonder what people are saying about me. I just can’t seem to get motivated to lose this weight. With 4 children I just can’t seem to find the time. We should be proud of what we look like but society makes us feel so bad about our bodies.
August 11th, 2009 at 10:24 am
I admire your strength and wanted to thank you. I am struggling with body image and thought I was the only person in the world going through this. I am 5′1 was overweight to begin with at 160, delivery weight was 207, I am now 13 weeks PP and weigh 202 now. Once again thank you for your courage it’s opened my eyes to accept that we are beautiful.
January 26th, 2010 at 9:28 am
I feel the same way. Im 21 years old and was 130 when I got pregnant, 180 in the end. I’ve tried exercising and walking but I haven’t been able to drop under 160 and I feel awful. Like I could have prevented it or something but we all have to realize that sometimes these things happen after pregnancy, not everyone can be lucky. Just be happy and dont let this be another stress in our bran new lives… cauz when our babies are 2 and 3, we might regret stressing this much over our bodies and not embrassing our little babies that arnt little for long:) Its hard having a wrinkly belly yes, but remember that so many women have them… we only see skinny girls after babies because there the only ones willing to show off their tummies. We are strong and beautiful.
February 11th, 2010 at 1:32 pm
I’m 6 1/2 months postpartum and look fairly similar. I weigh 153 lbs and have the exact same stretch marks on my belly/side and my upper legs. (I have them all over my legs and my calves, too, though.) I feel the same as you.. My biggest problem is that my son was born in the summer and I was exercising fine every day, but then it got cold.. The treadmill is so boring.. I did that for about 2 months and I did lose like 3 lbs, but I don’t think I’m going to attempt to work out again until it’s warm outside.
April 13th, 2010 at 3:13 pm
Thank you for doing this. Like you I was a size 4 before my daughter she is now 8 months old and I still look like I’m expecting. I thought something was wrong…all my friends looked great by the time their daughters were 1 year I hope I get there. I had to buy all new clothes and I still look awful.
April 18th, 2010 at 9:13 am
Thanks for posting! I have 3 children. When I got pregnant with my first I was 114 lbs at 5′7″ and WAY too small, when I delivered I was 214 lbs, 100 lbs on the nose! I lost some of it, but hovered around 180 until she was 2.5 when all of a sudden the weight melted off me by itself and I lost 50 lbs that summer leaving me around 130. I stayed slim throughout the pregnancy with my second, and 2 weeks after having him I was right back into tiny jeans at 130 lbs. It was awesome, the kicker was that about 4 months pp I gained 50 lbs in about 3 weeks with no explanation! my weight continued to go up and down with no change to diet/exercise for a while, and then I was just gaining. I kept gaining all through my 3rd pregnancy and ended up at 208 after giving birth. It is 6 months pp now, and although I have lost 26 inches, I still weigh 188 lbs and it is not going down! I am wearing maternity clothes too because if I try to wear normal jeans my belly squishes out over them and I look worse (extreme muffin top) so I still wear the maternity clothes. I am about a size 16 now, but I am used to being a size 2-4 so I feel your pain. Having my 3 babies has done all kinds of weird things to my figure, but it all goes away eventually (even if for some like me, it takes years) but I’m just going to go with the flow this time, because I know it doesn’t come off until its ready. You look great! Enjoy your baby, your figure will come back eventually!
April 28th, 2010 at 10:20 am
I found your website so helpful. My second son just turned one 8 days ago and I look 6 months pregnant easy. I went to pick up my 3 year old and one of the boys in his class said “Wow she has a really big belly”. The sad part is I could not be upset because he was telling the truth. I have even nursed for the last year so it is no ones fault other than mine. I have tried some stuff to loose weight but I get so tired and just give up. I want to be healthy for both of my kids and I am back down to my pre-pregnancy weight but I can not even begin to wear the clothes I did back then and all the weight just sits in my stomach. I wish there was a miracle cure but I know that time and patience will win over. You look wonderful and I am so proud of you for putting your pictures out there. I wish you all the best of luck.
May 22nd, 2010 at 6:13 pm
I’m a 22 year old single mother, I had my son 10 months ago its hard to excise because I work and when I get home my hiper son all he want to do Is play….but I’m so sick of having a 6 month pregnant belly I use to wear size 0-2 now I wear a 9-10 which is crazy to me but for the next couple of months before my son turn one I will be working my ass off
Xoxo
June 23rd, 2010 at 8:37 am
Hi,
I would like to know how you went its been a little over a year since you posted and I am curious to know how you are doing.. I had myh daughter Feb 9th and am almost 5 months PP and I hear your pain and am curious to know when ill get my body back too. I started off 125 pounds and weighed 205 pounds the day before I gave birth. I am now 154 pounds but I am on a strict diet and exercise but I its hard sometimes especially because the weight, my small frame is not used to carrying this much weight my bones and joints hurt real bad. Im also very short 5′2..
Not easy being a mum :O) but so rewarding when they look at you and smile or cry and put their arms up for you to comfort them so preciouse and pure :O)
June 24th, 2010 at 9:03 pm
In response to LeAnna…losing weight isn’t just about looks. Its about your health and general well being. There are risks associated with being overweight. But I too am curious to know how the person who posted this is doing now. I am 7mths postpartum and just hit pre prego weight. I still have to lose 13lbs before im the weight when I looked my best.