Ravea

My name is Ravea, Im 21 and I have one daughter who is 22 months old. I hated my belly but looking back,I’m so happy I took these pictures and I miss the belly!

Here is me at 8 weeks when I found out I was pregnant!
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Me at 13 weeks
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Me at 16 weeks
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Me at 25 weeks
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Me at 29 weeks
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Me at 34 weeks
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Me and my daughter 1 yr PP (didn’t think to take any others of my body after) I think I bounced back pretty quick, thanks to breastfeeding!
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ETA more of her story…
I met the love of my life when I was 16, at that time I was taking care of a 1 yr old little boy (who I had since I was 15 -he was 3 weeks old) I always knew mothering was the reason I was put here. Well, even thought I shouldn’t have, he and I started trying for us our own baby (thank God I didn’t get pregnant then) I took in a few other babies during that time. 2 1/2 yrs. later, still nothing! I was currently still taking care of the little boy who was then 3 and had his sister was living with us who was 3 months old (had her since 2 weeks old) Well in 03 I decided to get on birth control to maybe help regulate everything since I rarely had periods. I got off in Oct 03 and tried like crazy to get pregnant (by then I was 19, on our own and VERY ready! Well Dec. I got my period (late but it was there) I was so depressed I quit. Thinking maybe I’m just meant to take care of these others. Well In Jan. when I got no period I thought well this is normal me so didn’t think twice. In Feb. I got sick, nausea for 2 weeks (didn’t put 2 and 2 together) Well I went to the Dr. and he did blood work and Feb. 12, 04 I got the call! I was pregnant!! Finally!! Well The pregnancy was great! I gained a lot in the beginning , thinking I had to eat. No complications what so ever. I was worried since I wasn’t full term Id go early and I was born with problems so I was terrified ( I worry a lot) I walked a lot in the end and started dilating at 35 weeks, by 39 weeks I was 4 cm and the Dr. asked if I wanted to be induced. Me wanting my baby in my arms I said YES! Well everything started out great! the baby’s head was very high though. Well I went in and had little 10 mins. of contractions and asked for my epidural which I didn’t feel at all! seemed to be going good I was going a cm every hr (head was still high) well I got to 9 cm and stayed there. Then came the shakes, the fever& the nausea…..and I was at 9 for 3 hrs! The head was still in the same spot it was in at my Dr. visit! I was 17 hrs into labor and felt terrible! Well they decided to do a C-section. Everything went good! Its a girl! 7 lbs 5 oz 19 in long! Healthy as can be (with a little fever) Well while I was being stitched up…. I started to bleed…bad. So the Dr. hurried and opened me back up and it was my uterus, it wouldn’t contract back. They worked on me for 2 hrs, trying everything! My organs began shutting down and veins collapsing making it hard to pump blood back into me. They had no choice, I needed a hysterectomy! I was only 19:( In recovery since my veins collapsed I needed a central line :( Wasn’t so bad…. Well I finally got to meet my little girl!! Due to the trauma I guess nothing had come for me to nurse her! I cup fed her formula for 2 days, still trying to breast feed & not giving her much formula, just enough to keep her going. I was discharged after 3 days and she stayed in. I got to stay with her since we were nursing. Well trying to nurse, She would fuss and Id cup feed expressed milk. On the last day we were in an L.C came in and put my breast in my baby’s mouth and showed me I wasn’t doing it right and we been smooth sailing ever since! Still nursing 22 months later! The hysterectomy thing does bother me sometimes, I want more children, but on days Kirstyn is more then 2 handfuls I think it was a blessing in disguise! Thanks for letting me share my story!

13 thoughts on “Ravea

  • Thursday, July 27, 2006 at 11:45 am
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    Your daughter will appreciate all those pre-partum pictures of her! It is a beautiful bump and she looks like a beautiful child.

  • Thursday, July 27, 2006 at 6:36 pm
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    You look great 1 year PP! And kudos to you for getting into a bikini. Amazing!

  • Thursday, July 27, 2006 at 7:59 pm
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    I love all your pregnancy photos! I wish we had a camera to take photos like that, they’re awesome! And you look lovely post-partum, and might I tell you what a BEAUTIFUL little girl that is!

  • Thursday, July 27, 2006 at 9:02 pm
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    I think you bounced back because you are 21. The breastfeeding thing is a myth.

  • Friday, July 28, 2006 at 6:29 am
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    I just have to say 1. You look great and very healthy! 2. The breastfeeding taking the weight off is true for many and is NOT a myth. Just like we see many differant body types on this site alone, many women respond differantly to breastfeeding as well. I am currently 3 lbs under my prepregnancy weight, and I’m still breastfeeding at 9 months pp. We all are differant, please let’s embrace that.

  • Friday, July 28, 2006 at 6:39 am
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    You look wonderful and very healthy!Btw, the breastfeeding “thing” is not a myth. Many women respond differantly to breastfeeding and how much weight they lose or gain while giving their child nutrition. Just like we see a variety of women bodies here on this site, women’s bodies respond differantly pp whether they are 21 or not and whether they breastfeed or not.

  • Friday, July 28, 2006 at 9:30 am
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    you look fine lol cant even tell u had a baby.

  • Friday, July 28, 2006 at 10:26 am
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    You look great, like you have no business being here! Ha, just kidding!

  • Friday, July 28, 2006 at 4:58 pm
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    Being young is what helped you lose the weight not the breastfeeding. Great job!

  • Sunday, July 30, 2006 at 3:40 pm
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    Hey, breastfeeding got me down to 10 lbs UNDER my pre-pregnancy weight by around 10 months post-partum. Yes, I am in my mid-twenties, but trust me, it was the nursing, because when I stopped nursing, those extra ten pounds I lost came right back.I think nursing affects different women differently depending on metabolism.

  • Sunday, July 30, 2006 at 9:55 pm
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    Just had to respond that I had my daughter when I was 30 and my son when I was 28. I’m currently 31 (dd is 14 months) and have been within 5 pounds of my pre-preggy weight for some time now. Being young might help, but isn’t necessarily the only reason she looks wonderful. It’s likely a combination of many things. Bfing, living a healthy lifestyle, etc.. etc…

  • Monday, July 31, 2006 at 9:53 am
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    I’m not sure any of us can say whether breastfeeding helps with weight or no for all women. For my body, breastfeeding ONLY did not help me drop weight. I only lost weight (and fast) once my kids started on solid food around 7-8 months of age. Then it all came off almost at once. Whatever the cause, you look great and are an inspiration!

  • Wednesday, August 16, 2006 at 4:24 pm
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    These pix are beautiful, and you look fantastic after having a baby. Don’t want to disappoint anyone, but I just had to say that breastfeeding doesn’t help everyone. I breastfed my first baby for 15 months and I never lost any weight at all.

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