When me and my husband first got married, everyone incessantly pestered us about when we were going to have kids. We told them, quite firmly, that we were going to wait at least five years… by then we’d be good and ready. My mother would always laugh at this, and told us bluntly that she’d be surprised if we weren’t expecting within the year.
Low and behold, I was pregnant within two months! We were rather devastated; We were only 20 years old. We were not ready for children. I suppose we were rather stupid. We weren’t particularly vigilant when it came to using protection. It’s just that the both of us were virgins on our wedding day which, don’t get me wrong, is WONDERFUL that we are able to share ourselves with no one else but each other, but neither of us had ever had to worry about that sort of thing before, and thus a lack of experience in the matter lead to the conception of our son Dominic.
I gained about 40-45 lbs. during my pregnancy, which due to my spectacular health, went wonderfully. Well, mostly. I had dreadful morning sickness for a good two months. I threw up at least 6-9 times a day, and had given up on the luxury of eating, and even still my stomach found some mysterious contents with which to regurgitate. Not a great venture for a dental chair-side assistant.
Either way, I made it through alright, and gave birth to a 9 lb. 0 oz. baby boy. My labour was short, but all in my back. I felt nothing in my stomach! I made it through without and pain meds, which is not a spectacular feet as I was only in labour for less than 5 hours starting from the first twinges of discomfort, ending with the birth.
I lost the weight just fine. I was back in my jeans within a month! After my two week postpartum checkup, he even heard my midwife joking with the receptionist, “She didn’t loose that weight! She just gave it all to that baby!” (He was, and still is, a rolly-polly little tyke. At nine months he is the weight of a one year old!)
Months go by, and I am back to my pre-pregnancy wieght (144… I still want to lose 8-9 lbs. to get to the weight I was in high school) but I seem to have misplaced my belly button. Oh, no. Wait. There is is. Hiding under a fold of skin. There you are! He’s a little camera shy, it would seem.
I love this website! I have spent three months looking at pictures posted here; some bellies are far better than mine, others far worse than mine. What I have not been able to find, however, is a belly on par with mine. Does anyone else have this issue with their belly? I have seen stretch marks, rolls, and sagging skin, but not like mine! I am a bit envious that everyone else on this website has a visible belly button. Perhaps not the one they are familiar with, but it is there!
I have never been worried about the way I look before; I was always the funny girl that was just one of the guys. But I can safely say that I had a pretty rockin’ body! Now even that one thing I could be proud of is gone. Dust in the wind, baby. I guess I didn’t know what I had till it was gone!
I have no pictures of my pre-preg belly as I have always been rather modest. But I have some pictures of my belly now.
The first two are 8 months postpartum. The next two are nine months. The 4th is me about a month before I got pregnant, the fifth is me at about 7 months pregnant, and the last one is me with my beautiful boy! (He has a birthmark under his eye.)
Has anyone ever seen such a belly? My mother always says it will get better. “Just look at my belly after five kids!” she says. Of course, she never had stretch marks, and even at 48 years old she could be a model. Does any one think this will get better? I have seen no progress.
Hey! I don’t have a belly button either. I have three children and have had four laproscopic surgeries…my belly button didn’t have a chance! And like you, I lost all weight very quickly, but never looked the same…It does get better, though people’s versions of “better” vastly differ. Either way, your baby is precious and you are a mamma! Congrats to that!
Your story is great. I love it. I will say though, my belly button has disappeared in quite the same fashion! LOL.
Sorry-somehow I submitted a comment before I was done. My daughter is 5 and my belly button is still MIA so I honestly don’t know that it will get better or reappear. In truth, I think our bellies are pretty much the same. My post is actually right below (or above?) yours. Big Tee and Little Tee-check it out bc my belly button is goooooooone lol.
Your son has the most beautiful blue eyes!
your belly button looks just like mine when i was 1 months postpartum.. and i was concern and worried about it too…but after i went to the gym 5 days a week.. do pilates,yoga,kettlebells,bootcamp…now it is getting better and the skin get tighten by itself.. so it takes sometime for everything to look better.. my baby is a year old.. and my body is not the same.. but i feel sexier.. exercise.. eat good and rest well.. will help your body
First of all, what a gorgeous little guy you have there! I love his big eyes and sweet smile! From the way you write, I can tell you have an awesome sense of humour and come across so positive!
My stomach looks VERY similar to yours, and what I can tell you after 19 months PP, is that the skin doesn’t go ‘back’, for me at least anyhow. However, with that being said, I’ve been doing crunches/situps, reverse sit ups, etc, and it’s tightened the muscles underneath that skin, and it’s made a difference after several months. LIke filling in the skin with muscle and after I lost the last 10 pounds, it lost most of it’s ‘pootch’.
I always thought I was alone in the fact that I gained 45 pounds, and my stomach didn’t snap back like EVERY SINGLE other mother I know some of whom gained more than me, so thanks for sharing this and letting me know I’m not alone. :)
My stomach is very much like yours! Its not so much stretch marks, as its wrinkles and pinched skin. My stomach gathers in the middle at the belly button,and all my lines and wrinkles kind of make the same markings as yours! You are not alone, its just part of being a mother. I have a horrible time with my tummy and wish that I could wear a 2 piece bathing suit again. You are so beautiful, and those squiggly lines are just how your body reacted to pregnancy..I am sure they will get better. Your son is gorgeous by the way!
Thanks for all the positive comments! And sorry about the spelling errors and typos… When I say “spectacular feet” in my post I am not referring to my enormous size 11’s! (I’m fairly sure my IQ dropped about 30 points when I got pregnant.)
Yeah, I got some sort of Pilates workout DVD to see if it will help at all. I feel a little silly watching it, and the instructor lady’s voice is irritatingly sweet and silky and it ticks me off, but I’m hoping it will help… granted I don’t really have time to go through it often, what with a baby and all. I’m pretty sure my belly’s not ever going to be the way it used to… and who knows what the fate of my ladies will be once I stop breastfeeding! I went from an A to a C. My skin has very little elasticity, so I’m sure I’ll have a grandma belly forever, but a bit of improvement would be fantastic. I’m okay with my belly button being forever lost to the ether of my skin folds, but the wrinkles… eh, I could do without!
I’m glad I’m not alone!
hey! my tummy button is EXACTLY like yours! i have been searching thru soo many postpartum pics to try and see who else has this, im so glad im not alone! if i didnt have this i could quite possibly wear a bikini again someday haha, but it will never happen, ive been looking at getting thermage done, a non surgical procedure that tightens the belly skin, but its expensive. ur looking great tho!
My belly looks A LOT like yours!
i got the missing belly button too! its getting better, and i look ok standing up but sitting down or bending over is, um horrible. dry skin brushing helps. google it. i do it just before i get in the shower.
luckily high waisted bikini bottoms are in fashion. and one pieces aren’t so bad.
but its ok. we have our amazing babies now!
Alas, I haven’t seen my belly-button in years … but, my skin is still healing and i can see shimmers of her from time-to-time :)
Hey Lulu, thanks for sharing! My belly is a lot like yours! I have to say, something that did help my belly tone up a bit was dry brushing, it helped the sagging noticably, but there’s still loose skin, and there will always some no matter what.
You have a great figure!!!
Use lots of heavy-duty moisturizing lotion and drink lots of water. That will help your skin repair itself some.
I was another mom trying to find a belly like mine on this blog and really I have mixed feelings about finding this post. I had hope it would be gone (I call it a granny belly too!) someday soon but it looks like that isn’t going to happen. I never wore a two piece but I can’t even let my husband touch my belly. I’m not really into unnecessary surgery either. I have two sons and the first pregnancy was the one that did it. I also had the rapid weight loss at the end where I weighed less than pre-pregnancy. STILL I have a granny belly. All the lotions in the world have done nothing for it but time seems to be key. 4 years later and it seems better but really I’m beginning to think the kids will be out of the house before it ever looks ‘normal’.
I know how you feel, violet. I never have worn a two-piece swimsuit in public cause I was always modest about my body. Now a part of me wishes I had while I still could! My poor optimistic husband keeps saying he’s sure it will get better, and I don’t really know how to tell him it’s not gonna happen, cause I’m not a fan of unnecessary surgery either. I’ve always been one to drink tons of water, I’m a good eater, and ever since probably one month pp I’ve practically bathed myself in a bucket of skin-firming moisturizer each day, but still no luck! I suppose this is my particular cross to bear, which in the long run is not too bad a cross. I know a woman at work who went completely bald after her pregnancy due to a rare kidney problem! So I suppose I’m cool with my wrinkly mess of flesh that was once a flat, tight little belly.
hi lulu
just found your pictures..my belly looks a lot like yours when i was 2 weeks pp.. and then now i am 17 months pp.. it does look really better after a while..i asked a doctor and he said give it 2 years..