The Shape of a Mother

You’re really lovely, underneath it all (Amber)

Being an only child, the first things I was told by my mother when I told her I was first pregnant were the horror stories of how her pregnancy was so horrible and that is why she only had one. When I developed stretch marks, she blamed me for not using enough lotion because she [...]

I’m a Bowl of Mixed Nuts! (April)

~Age: 20
~Number of pregnancies and births: currently preggo
Hi mommies & soon to be mommies!
My name is April, I am at 37 weeks and 2 days pregnant at this moment. Im posting on this site to share my thoughts and feelings and hopefully get some good feed backs thatll help cheer me up. I got married [...]

Mother of a precious 18mth old boy, learning to appreciate my battle scars!!! (Jessica)

This site is such an amazing inspiration. I have battled with issues with my weight since I was very young and the present is no exception. I have one child who is turning 18mths old this week. He is my world and brings such a joy to my life, but I can’t help feeling a [...]

Update (Anonymous)

Age: 25
Number of Pregnancies and births: 1
Age of child: 2
Hello, I absolutely love this site and have been a fan of it for years! I am doing this as a update post, here is my older post from last July. I really don’t look that different.
I have tried everything this past year to lose weight, [...]

When happily ever after comes crashing down… (Anonymous)

Age: 21
Pregnancies: 2 Births: 1 boy, now two years old.
Well, the past year has been a year of serious soul searching for me. I went from being a stay at home mom to being a full time college student AND working on top of it. We have been trying to get pregnant for the last [...]

Pregnant with #2! (Kylie)

I got pregnant by accident with my first child, perfect pregnancy, nothing went wrong. Was in labor for 14 hours, pushed for two. Had a beautiful baby boy, all NATURAL…NOT ONE drug on January 25th, 2009. Up until about 6 months postpartum I didn’t loose but 20 pounds after giving birth, [...]

My Story with Lily (Marissa)

my age is 17 and my name is Marissa
one pregnancy, one birth
my daughter, Lily, is 7 months
Hi, my name is Marissa and i am 7 months pp with my first child, Lily. I am a teen mother and the past year has been a life changing experience! I met her dad during my sophmore [...]

Overcoming (Brittany)

Age: 20
Number of births and pregnancies: 1 birth and pregnancy
4 months postpartum
My name is Brittany. I am a proud mother to a 4 month old little girl and wife to a wonderful and patient husband. I have been struggling to accept the way my new body looks since I was pregnant. I was a slim [...]

My Horizontal Bellybutton (A.C.)

Motherhood has drastically changed me in every conceivable way. I think, sleep, eat and shower differently, and I also have a body that is incomparable to the one I used to inhabit. My baby was born two weeks later than expected, and, during that time, my skin developed deep stretch marks. I will always [...]

A Lie, A Baby, and Now the Outcome (Christina)

Hi there! My name is Christina. I am 21 years old and 4 months postpartum. I came across this site when I was about 7 months pregnant. It was about the time I began having stretch marks, and my weight started to rise.
I got pregnant when I was 20 years old, unexpectedly, and I still [...]

In The Home Stretch 235 lbs to 160 lbs (Anonymous)

Age: 25
Number of Pregnancies and births: 1
Age of child/PP: 29 months
Pre-Pregnancy I was 235 lbs (I’m 5’7) I was considered Obese my BMI was over 35!!! When I got pregnant I had really bad morning sickness for the first 20 weeks. I was on Phenergan and Zofran. I lost 10 lbs my first 20 weeks [...]

My Baby Tattoos (Hilary)

I was completely overjoyed when I gave birth to the apple of my eye when I was just 21 years old. I weighed 110 pounds before I had him and reached a shocking 180 when I gave birth. Needless to say, he behind some baby tattoos. My heart doubled in size when [...]

Natural Beauty (Anonymous)

Feeling down about my not so picture perfect body I decided to take some pictures of myself. Not from flattering angles, not sucking in, not standing up. This is me, with my belly hanging out, my stretch marks, my soft bottom and legs, and less than perky breasts from feeding my child (and still am). [...]

Krystle

Age: 23
Number of Pregnancies/Births: 1
Almost 13 weeks postpartum
Keywords: postpartum, pregnancy, 1st time mom, vaginal birth
After trying for months to conceive unsuccessfully, my husband and I visited a new OB who prescribed clomid. I believed that I was not ovulating, however he thought everything was fine. I got pregnant on the first round of [...]

5 months PP and doing ok (Amy)

Age: 21
Number of Pregnancies: 1
Number of Children: 1
PP: 5 months
Hi my name is Amy and I am 21 years old. Here’s my story. I have been married to my husband for about a year and a half now and we are very happy together. He shops and does the cooking, he is just great! We [...]

6 Months PP Update (Shannon)

Previous entries:
First
Second
Third
Age: 23
Children: 2 children
Births: 2 cesareans
PP: 3.5 years pp, and 10 months pp
I am now 10 months pp (these pictures are from 6 months pp, but my body hasn’t changed much since these). I got up to 177 with Liam (I am 5’2”),and I am now 133, so I have about 18 pounds [...]

1 month after twins, born at 35 weeks 3 days (Jacoba)

I had my son in 2008, and shortly after decided that I would pursue my dream of helping an infertile couple have a child. I met a wonderful couple in November, and by March 2009 we had contracts signed, and were moving ahead to transfer day! We transferred two embryo’s in May, (not my genetics) [...]

A Hard Road, but Worth Every Second (Anonymous)

I have struggled with an eating disorder in various forms since I was 15, and cannot remember a time when I didn’t feel fat. During a period of relative sanity I had my son, at 19 (maybe that’s not very sane, in retrospect). The pregnancy was great and he is a wonderful nearly-8-year-old, but [...]

Feeling Confident (Jill)

Age: 32
2 pregnancies
Children aged 5 years & 8 years
I had my first child at 24. Before becoming pregnant I weighed about 140 lbs. I gained 67 lbs. during that pregnancy. Before my second birth (27 years old) I had lost all of the weight plus some and got down to 136 lbs. During the second [...]

Mother of 4….soon to be 5! (Amy)

I am a young mother of many. I am currently pregnant with my 5th child, though this is my 6th pregnancy. My oldest child is only 6 years old, so in the last roughly 7 years my body has been through a lot. However, my body makes me so proud, because I have 4 beautiful [...]

Hating my new body, but loving my daughter. Teen mom. (Lindsey)

Age- 17
First pregnancy and first birth to my daughter.
Cesarean (couldn’t dialate past a 6)
Hey everyone, my name is Lindsey. First off I want to say I love this website, and everyone on it who shared their stories… I had to debate if I wanted to post my story on here because I was scared to [...]

28, and still coming to grips with my new body (M)

My pre-birth weight was about 140, and I am 5′ 9″. I am a former athlete that was used to a typical body weight of 160-165, so the loss of almost 20 lbs in muscle mass was a huge loss in dress sizes as well as curves. I was pretty used to be [...]

My Body Take 3 (Emma)

I don’t think I have much to say, I am 22 years old and have three gorgeous sons, Jacob age 5 years, Benjamin age 3 years and Arthur who is 8 days old Here I am with the youngest at 8 days post-partum. I felt incredibly empowered and attractive when I took [...]

Starting to Accept My New Body (Anonymous)

~Age: 24
~Number of pregnancies and births: 3 pregnancies, 1 birth
~The age of your children, or how far postpartum you are: 4 months post partum
After two miscarriages I finally have my beautiful baby! Throughout pregnancy I loved my new body and was amazed watching it grow. I was lucky, I didn’t have stretch marks and I [...]

New Baby, Same Body (Kyra)

Age: 27
Months Postpartum: 5
I’ve been planning on this post for over a year. I visited this site frequently, before, during and after my pregnancy. I love reading all your stories. There is something I can relate to in each one. I think us women should remember that we are [...]

This is beautiful??? (Anonymous)

I don’t understand how many of you ladies can consider this as still being beautiful. I can’t stand the sight of my stomach…it is a stomach of a 90 year old woman on a 30 year old body. I am not overweight, I am happy with the rest of my body, but I just hate [...]

My Twin Mom Body @ 1 Year Postpartum (Anonymous)

I delivered twin boys via c-section in January ‘09 at age 38. Now I am 39 (40 later this year). For many years pre-pregnancy, I worked out frequently and intensely. I am 5′5″ tall, and at the time I got pregnant (my first and only pregnancy), I was very fit and weighed [...]

Loose Skin, Severe Stretch Marks and Optimistic! (Nicole)

Age: 24
Number of Pregnancies: 1
9 months Postpartum
I never in a million years ever thought my beautiful belly would be tarnished the way that it is now. Maybe it was naive of me, but I didn’t realize it was even possible to look like this just from having a baby. I found this site [...]

Overcome with Emotion (Liz)

I had a baby boy by c section in July of 2003 and I was overjoyed. I gained 65 pounds with the pregnancy, and lost a small portion of it slowly over 6 years. In February 2009, I wasn’t happy at all with the way I looked and it showed in my marraige. I felt [...]

Mum of three babies after 2 pregnancies -Twins (Natasha)

I had my first daughter at 19. I had a healthy, uneventful pregnancy and a beautiful natural birth. I carried small, and my body returned to normal very soon after Anna was born. At the time I thought it was so different, and struggled for a short time to come to terms with those changes. [...]

Triplet Mom + One - Update (Tabitha)

Original entry here.
23years old
2pregnancies
Riley(g) Aiden(b) Chloe(g) age 2 1/2
Brennan 11months
This is an update, i had GGB triplets in 07 and then a singleton boy in 09. I was a mother to 4 before i turned 23. The stress my body underwent was amazing! I had a gap in my ab muscles big [...]

A Belly I Don’t Know (Shaunda)

Age: 27
Number of pregnancies and births: 1 pregnancy, 1 birth
Age of my child: 17 weeks (4 months, 1 week)
I have always wanted to post something on this amazing site, but just never had the courage. I looked at this site religiously throughout my entire pregnancy, knowing that I would have a hard time coping [...]

An Update to my Story (Jen)

27
3 pregnancies, soon to be 3 births (all c-sections)
5, 3 and due in 4 weeks
I originally posted this in December of 2006. To recap, we were in a serious car accident when I was 24 weeks pregnant with our second child, and it left me with pelvic injuries, and depression. I read my submission recently, [...]

My Submission (Jeanne)

I had an unplanned pregnancy at 21. I was scared, I was doing it alone without my daughter’s father in the picture. Throughout my pregnancy I was afraid of what changes might happen to my body. I used to love my body and now I am still learning to accept the changes. I hit my [...]

Ce la Vie (Anonymous)

Age: 23
Number of Births and Pregnancies: 1
Age of Baby and Months Postpartum: 6 months
My story begins in March of 2008 when I had an abdominal myomectomy to remove a 3 1/2 lb fibroid leaving me with an scar that was much larger than a c-section scar. Then six short months later I found myself [...]

Belly (Kelley)

My name is Kelley and I have a 7 month old son. He is my only child. I was around 135 lbs when I got pregnant at the age of 21. I was a bellydancer with an amazing stomach. During my pregnancy I ate all the wrong things and I am paying for it now. [...]

Just a few degrees south (Anonymous)

I had my first two children when I was 21 and 23. The pregnancies themselves were perfectly normal and healthy, but I was pretty depressed because the father wanted nothing to do with them. He tried to convince me to abort both times right up until the third trimester. I left him when our second [...]

My Body 6 Weeks Postpartum (Angela)

23 years old
6 weeks postpartum, 1st baby
225lbs
My name is Angela. Ive been a yoyo dieter all my life. Ive had plus sized years, and normal weight years… (about 130-160 lbs) Ive struggled all my life with it though. My mother would always criticize me about my weight starting from about 12 years old. Funny thing [...]

Mom to 10 month old twins (Ariel)

I have been engaged to my fiance for 2 years when we moved out of the dorms and into our first apartment together, less than a month later I was pregnant, about a month later I found out ‘it’ was ‘them.’ I found out I was pregnant with twins at an [...]

13 mos PP, and 18 lbs to go… (Anonymous)

Age: 28
Pregnancies: 3
Births:2
PP: 13 months
Well, I just figured I would share with you a pic of my belly, since I have looked at most of yours. I am looking for some honest feedback about my body. With both of my pregnancies I gained a lot of wait in my 6- 7th month. [...]

New Body - Courtesy of Two Miracles (Danni)

Both of my pregnancies were an up and down battle. My pre-pregnancy weight before my first daughter was a beautiful 140 pounds that I was very proud of being only 5′5″. I thought I was beautiful and had curves in all of the right places. A little younger than 18 when I found out I [...]

Update (Anonymous)

Age: 22
How many kids: 2 babies one age 8 months and one 3 years old
Hello to all the beautiful mommies . I first would like to say that i love this site and it has helped get through some rough times about my body image. it has shown me that there’s many women out there [...]

8.5 Postpartum, Update (Kristin)

Age:22 years old
Number of children: two, age 2 years old and 8.5 months old
how far postpartum:8.5 months
Hey, My name is Kristin, i have posted on here 2 other times, once when i had my first child, then again after i had my second child. I decided that i would do an update on how we [...]

Healing Takes Time But I’m On My Way (F)

1 pregnancy, 1 birth. 5 months postpartum.
I finally am ready to share my story and photos. I have been reading other women’s stories on Shape of a Mother since I was 6 months pregnant or so. They really helped to change my views of my own and other women’s bodies. I now believe that [...]

My Beautiful/Crazy Motherhood (Nichole)

~Age:23
~Number of pregnancies and births:3 & 3
~The age of your children, or how far postpartum you are: ages 7, 5, 2
Well this site just made me feel 100% better! Let me start from the beginning! I was 15 when I found out I was pregnant with my first child. I am 5′2″ have been [...]

Almost 2 ½ years later and still unhappy (Anonymous)

I got pregnant at the age of eighteen and gave birth by nineteen, I am now twenty one. My beautiful baby girl is two and three months old. I love my baby girl but I hate my body. I’ve always had problems with my weight, one minute I would be overweight and the next I [...]

2 Weeks PP - Update (Berni)

I originally posted around 3 months after the birth of my son, again at 6 and a half months pp, and 38 weeks into this pregnancy.
My daughter was born 10 days late on the 22nd December 2010. I had actually gone into hospital that day to book an elective C section, due to being post [...]

3 years later and 1 beautiful little boy (Chi’s Mommy)

Its been 3 years since I gave birth to my amazing little boy , Malachi. He is a blessing and I thank God for him daily. My husband & I plan to have another baby soon , so I’ve been working extra hard to lose my baby weight from my 1st child. I started out [...]

From Hot to Not - Update (Anonymous)

Your Age: 21
Number of pregnancies and births: 1
Original entry here.
I posted a few months ago when I was 11 weeks PP. My son is now 7 months (32 weeks PP). I still look the same which is incredibly depressing, I did drop from 150 to 145 but I’m kind of stuck there. I can [...]

C-Section (Sara)

Hello, my name is Sara. I am currently two weeks PP as I was blessed with the best Christmas Gift ever in 2009: our first child (a daughter!). I was originally due January 20th, 2010 but ran into some complications with my pregnancy and was put on bedrest. I went in on Christmas Eve 2009 [...]

This is me (Anonymous)

23 years old
I am now pregnant with my 3 child (10 weeks) and have had 2 births.
My 1st son is 2.9 years old and my second son is 12 months old
I have had a bad body image for such a long time. I always felt like my body was wrong after giving birth to my [...]

Will I ever love this skin? (Anonymous)

I’m a 31 year old mother of one beautiful tween girl whose now 11. I really miss the baby days. I had her at 20 and I had gained 85 pounds. I have stretch marks in every conceivable place a woman can have them. I have them on my flanks, my buttocks, my hips, [...]

Plus Size and Pregnant -Again (Anonymous)

I am 24 years old and on my third pregnancy. First pregnancy was a miscarriage at 12 weeks. Second pregnancy resulted in my beautiful Daughter born 2/21/08. I am now 22 months PP with daughter’s pregnancy and I am 20 weeks pregnant with this pregnancy (another girl). I’ve always been overweight, expect for one time [...]

Healthy Eating and Workouts Kept Pregnancy Weight Gain to a Minimum (Holly)

Age: 33
Weeks PP: 5
Number of Pregnancies: 2
Number of Children: 1
Current Weight: 132
Pre-Pregancy Weight: 126
I was very worried about how my body would look post partum. I worked out prior to pregnancy and continued to do so through my entire pregnancy, up to 2 weeks prior to delivery. I would have worked out all the way [...]

Need to Learn to See Beauty in Myself (Anonymous)

I am 33 years old. I have been pregnant six times, and I’ve given birth to four fantastic children, ages 8, 5, 2, and 7 months.
I married my best friend straight out of college and got pregnant with our first child about two years later, the second month we tried. We were both [...]

Daily Struggle (Katie)

~Age: 25
~Number of pregnancies and births: 1
~The age of your child: 4 yrs
I have wanted to contribute here for a while but didn’t know if I could contain all my thoughts on my body image/pregnancy to a few paragraphs. Always needing to do things either perfectly or not at all I have avoided [...]

18 months postpartum (kimq33)

It took me a long time to accept that my body isn’t going to look the way it did when I got pregnant. I was 18, and 110 lbs at the time, and my stomach was flat. When I was pregnant, I loved my body. I thought it was adorable. I [...]

Learning to accept my new body and hopefully one day love! (Anonymous)

- 22 years old
- 1st pregnancy
- 4 weeks postpartum
Firstly I would like to say that I think this website is absolutely fantastic! During and following my pregnancy, this site has made me realise that I’m not the only person struggling to come to terms with my new body and anyone who posts pictures of themselves [...]

My right to choose (Lucía)

age 19
1st pregnancy, 15 weeks along
I´m pro-choice, I´ve always been, I think a woman has the right to decide when on whether to become a mother, I think a woman should have some saying over what goes on in her body and her life and that should start with having access to sexual education. My [...]

My Mother Body (Lisa)

During a recent discussion among a group of women friends in which a few of us were taking pot-shots at ourselves about our post-baby bodies, one friend in the group passed along a link to this website. I spent some time reading submissions posted to the site and looking at photographs, and it all [...]

Worth it - Update (Regina)

Previous entries here and here.
I have posted here several times now. This website keeps me going. Reminds me that there is nothing wrong with my body. There is something wrong with other’s expectations of me.
I am beautiful. I am strong. I am 21 and I have carried 2 babies 8 days overdue each. I have [...]

Belly still swollen 4 and a half months postpartum (Jill)

Age 34
Hi. My name is Jill and I am so glad I found this website. I gave birth July 24th to a 9 lb. 22 inch healthy baby boy via c-section. It was so hard that I am totally afraid to have another. I probably wont because of my age and because Im terrified to [...]

After 2 kids and 2 c-sections (Milia)

Age: 28
Pregnancy/live birth: 2 (both c-section)
How far long postpartum: 3 and half months
Age of kid(s) = 15 months; 3 and a half months
Weight gain during pregnancy: 35 lbs; 40 lbs
First, I would like to mention this site has helped me tremendously when I was at my lowest point. My first son was born via emergency [...]

Update (Bryana)

This is my other post.
The last time I posted, I was only 2 ½ months post partum. I had already lost all of my pregnancy weight, and was happy about that. Since my last post, I have continued to lose weight. I weigh less now than I did when I was 11 years old. [...]

New Mommy to 10 day old twins!!!! (Katie)

I started reading this website when I first started getting stretch marks about 30 weeks into my pregnancy with my boy/girl twin pregnancy. I felt AWFUL about them. It consumed me so much I couldn’t even be excited about the pregnancy because every morning I woke up with more and more lines across [...]

30 Months Postpartum (Anonymous)

Had my first child 30 months ago. My plan was to stay in great shape during my pregnancy and then work out after to get my body back to what it was. Well, single mom and working full time leaves very little extra of anything to accomplish this goal. But now [...]

2 Children 13 months apart (Desiree)

Age: 20
2 pregnancies, 2 C- sections
Cesarean birth
14 month old daughter
17 day old son
I had my first child, a girl on 10- 17- 2008. It was a long labor, and after pushing for 2 hours and high blood pressure, with a fever of 103 they took me into the OR for an emergency C section. Where [...]

I Love My Body Now (Anonymous)

I have always had body issues, as many women do. I always thought I was fat, even when I wasn’t. I never felt that I had a beautiful body, I had too many stretch marks, my tummy was too big, etc. When I became pregnant with my daughter, I weighed 180 lbs. [...]

Mom shocked by diagnosis (Penelope)

Age 30
Hello Well my name is Penelope and I am a mom of 3 beautiful children. My oldest daughter is 7 with a normal pregnancy and birth my second daughter is 3 with a normal 40 week pregnancy and birth. But after She had not passed the meconium and the doctors noticed her belly [...]

Looking on the Positive Side (Kalista)

Age: 23 (21 during pregnancy)
Number of pregnancies: 1
Age of baby: 16 months
Well, it’s been over a year now since giving birth, and I’ve been wanting to post something for a while but had to get the courage.
I got pregnant by being date raped at a friend’s going away party. Definitely not how I planned my [...]

153 and 9mo. PP (Anonymous)

After having my homebirth in March, I was 155lb, i got down to 136 w/out doing anything but breastfeeding but am now back up to 153ish. Before pregnancy i was 128. 174 at heaviest while 9mo preg. My thighs, upper arms, ‘muffin top’, and saggy boobs are my biggest annoyances. I love my body but [...]

Long Journey (Sarah)

Age: 25
# of pregnancies:1
#of births:1
6 mo. PP.
I had my son 6 months ago after gaining an astonishing 65 lbs while pregnant with him. I’ve struggled all of my life to keep weight off, and stay “attractive” so I was blown away at how hormones and the miracle of pregnancy can really change your view on [...]

Ode To My Scar (Colleen)

I posted when I was 3 weeks postpartum about my feelings following a cesarean, and I wasn’t planning on posting again until I’d made some progress on my body, but I have had some thoughts that I would like to share (especially considering I’ve read several dissatisfied Cesarean mommy posts lately).
As much as I [...]

3 Months Postpartum - 2nd Pregnancy (Rachel)

Original entries here and here.
Since I already have belly pics from both my first and second pregnancy on this site, these are all postpartum. As always, I welcome emails at rachelsigfried@yahoo.com. I’d also like to give a special thanks to Bonnie for blessing us with this site.
~Age: 29
~Number of pregnancies and births: 2
~How [...]

I did it! 9 Months PP Minus 60 Pounds! (Anonymous)

Anonymous
Age of pregnancy: 22
Age now: 24
Previous entry here.
I just posted at 8 Months PP I had 5 pounds to go. Well, I made my goal 9 months pp! For all you ladies with those annoying women in your life that tell you what you need to do to lose your weight and constantly tell you [...]

Not What I Expected! (Roo)

Age: 22
Number of Preg. and Births: 1
4 months postpartum
I’m going to try and make this as short as possible. I became pregnant in November of 08. Whoo was I surprised!!! I was so scared and happy at the same time. I had a very hard pregnancy, not because of health…but because [...]

Update: 3 Years, 3 Surgeries and 3 Kids Later (Val)

Original entry here.
My kids are now almost 3 and the twins are 19 months old! We have moved to a new town and I struggle with continuing to lose weight. I am now at 182 lbs, but part of it has been gaining muscle! I do 30-40 mins of Tae Bo 4-5 times a week. [...]

Update - 18months PP 38 weeks pregnant (Berni)

Age - 20
I originally posted around 3 months after the birth of my son, and again when I was 6 and a half month postpartum. Around the time of my last post I’m ashamed to admit I became very depressed about my body and started to make myself sick, thankfully I realised how stupid [...]

7 Months PP (Anonymous)

20 yrs old
1 pregnancy/birth
7 months post-partum
I started my pregnancy at 160lbs. im 5′8″ so it was an average size, i wore a size 9. i didn’t gain any weight until i was 20 weeks pregnant. then i ballooned up to 215 when i gave birth. i gave birth at 35 weeks because my fluid was [...]

My Dream Came True (SCS)

Age: 29
Number of pregnancies: 2
Births: 1
Childs age: 2yrs
First I want to say I love this site. I just wish this site had more true plus size women. So I am posting my pics. I have always wanted children but was told I would probably have trouble getting pregnant due [...]

Update (Sierra)

Original entries here and here.
I have posted on here twice & will probably only post again once more after this, but I do love visiting this site quite often. I love seeing how many brave, wonderful, & extremely beautiful mothers are out there!! Please ladies always keep your head held high and know you are [...]

Fitter than I was pre-pregnancy (Anonymous)

I was very active pre-pregnancy and during pregnancy. I started at 108 lbs. and only gained 28 lbs. I even skied at 37 weeks, in hopes of inducing labor (it didn’t work)! I went back to the gym at 8 days post-partum, more for my sanity than any athletic endeavor, since I [...]

It’s not easy the third time around, when your 38 years old! (Anonymous)

When I found out I was pregnant in May of 2008 I was thrilled! I was 37 years old, and by husband was 49. We both have children from previous marriages. I had a 15 year old son, and a 12 year old son, and my stepson was 9 years old. [...]

The new body that my son gave me (”Anonymous”)

Age: 18
1 pregnancy, 1 birth
6 weeks postpartum
Teen mom
Me and my sons father were together for 8 months when I knew he was the one I wanted to spend my life with, despite our age difference (I was 16 he was 21) we were madly in love with each other. He never pressured me into doing [...]

Acceptance Achieved (Anonymous)

As a teen
I hated my body
Too thin, so ugly
No breasts, no hips, no butt
I longed for curves
I cried
As a first time mother
I hated my body
Still too thin
But now with stretch marks
I longed for smooth skin
I cried
As a second time mother
I hated my body
Mores stretch marks
And now a saggy tummy
I longed for my teen body
I cried
As [...]

BabyFire (Judith)

These entries are from my blog. The first was written shortly after realising I was (unexpectedly) pregnant. The second right at the end of the pregnancy, that heavy and huge phase. The third a few weeks after birth.
The photographs were taken by Colleen Sevitz, and are used with permission. I was 34 weeks [...]

There is Hope, I am Proof (Jessica)

Original entries here and here.
This is my 3rd post. I am currently pregnant with #2 (25 weeks) I want to show you that there is hope and I am proof. I am including some previous pictures and some current pictures of my stretchmarks, because so many people tell you “they will fade”, “give it time” [...]

I don’t hate my body! (Anonymous)

I am proud of what I’ve done. My son Marcus is six months old and like all of you I went through some shit bringing him into this world. I was a fitness lunatic before I got pregnant so I was a little down on myself for a while. It’s easy to feel that way [...]

Update (Victoria)

That was my first post 6months ago.
I am now 20
and 28months Postpartum.
I was in such I hate my body mood when I first posted now I’m much better. The past weekend I brought my first swimmers that are full piece but with bits missing and I actually feel so confindent wearing it and walking around [...]

Loving who I am now (Hannah)

Age: 29 years old
1 Pregnancy, 1 Child
Photos: 1,2,3 are 18months PP and 4 is a before pregger and 8mo pregger photo
I have a son named Ellis. Ellis was born last May by an unplanned C-section. He is now 18 months old. I had a pretty rough pregnancy. I was in school full-time at Mills College [...]

Rejected, but not vulnerable anymore (Anonymous)

This was my first pregnancy and my son turned a year old last month. Thanks!
I was dating a man on and off for two years. He’s about ten years older than me (I’m in my 20s and he’s in his 30s) but he can be rather immature. We broke up and got back [...]

This is me (anonymous)

I am 22 years old this is me 4 months postpartum. Before I was pregnant I was Small and petite 5”1″ and was 95lbs. I gained over 50 pounds during this pregnancy even though I worked out just about every day. I am now around 125lbs I feel fat and just really unattractive with this [...]

Proud to be a mother at last (Alex)

Age: 35
No of pregnancies and births: 4 and 1 live birth
Post partum: 9 weeks
Having lost 3 babies I never thought I would become a mother. In may heart I blamed myself and after my last miscarriage in 2006 I spent 2 years trying for another baby so by the end of 2008 I had decided [...]

Mother of two, 4 months PP (Anonymous)

~Age: 22
~Number of pregnancies and births: 2 Pregnancies and births
~The age of your children, or how far postpartum you are: 3 Year old and 4 month old
At the age of 18, i had just ended a one year relationship and was looking forward to just being young and enjoying myself. Five weeks after saying goodbye [...]

Laproscopic surgery, 6 weeks postpartum (R.)

I am 27 years old. I had a baby girl at full term. At 6 weeks postpartum, I had laproscopic surgery to remove my gall bladder after several gallstone attacks. This is what I looked like 5 days after surgery.

Worked hard while pregnant to stay fit, postpartum still stinks! (Jill)

after almost a year of trying to get pregnant my husband and i were thrilled to see those two lines. it was so fun to finally be on my way to becoming a mother! i was excited to buy maternity clothes and thought the weight gain and changes wouldn’t be bad. i quickly figured out [...]

6 weeks PP and struggling to look in the mirror (Anonymous)

Age 31, 1 beautiful daughter
I became pregnant last Christmas with my first child, a surprise to both my husband and I…our little Christmas present :-). Before becoming pregnant, I struggled with body image issues and had gained about 30 pounds over the previous 2 years. Going into my first pregnancy already overweight really bothered me [...]

20 year old mother of three (NCB)

I am trying to unpack huge body issues at present and was given the link to your site from a friend.
I have been emotionally abused for the last 4 years, my self-worth has been diminished and I truly hate my body. I hope to get some perspective here.
I’ll pop a bit of a story in [...]

Stuck at 156 (Kayla)

Previous entries here and here.
I am 11 months pp tomorrow and cant see any changes since my last update! I have been running 4-5 times a week and trying to get to the gym on a regular basis and just cant get past my weight - 156lbs. Running after a crazy 11 month old should [...]

8 Months PP and love my new body! (Anonymous)

My story starts off with trying for 3 years to have a child with my husband and when I finally gave up I had concieved, YAY! I started my weight at 5′6″ 136 pounds. I was a 36-C and had a beautiful body… I had morning sickness until I was 7 months pregnant, EVERY SINGLE [...]

Needing an Ego Stroke (Sarah)

Age:20 Age at birth:19
1 pregnacy 1 birth by c section
postpartum: 12 weeks
I met my husband at a fatal car accident. I was first on scene as a forensic photographer and he showed up as a firefighter. We became pregnant 3 weeks after by surprise. Our son was a first night encounter baby. I was a [...]

Baby got bigger, I got smaller -update from previous entry (Anonymous)

Facts: 3 pregnancies, 2 children, 1 cesarean. 2 1/2 years postpartum. Age 27.
Story: I first posted to The Shape of a Mother in an entry in April 2008 entitled “Never Been More Proud“.
I wanted to update because I talked about in that entry how proud I was of my body [...]

PCOS and Me (Anonymous)

I found out a year ago now that I have PCOS. Since kindergarten I have been “mothering” everyone. I have always dreamed about being a mom and I feel that is what I was born to do. But with the PCOS and being addicted to junk food I just dont know how Im going [...]

Mummy of one and one to come with major self esteem issues (Anonymous)

Im 19, i had my child on the 5th novemer 2008 she is now almost 12 months old
I am currently pregnant im 21 weeks
Iv always had self esteem issues mainly because i had to try match up to me perfect sister! she is skinny beautiful and very talented and i was just the chub kid [...]

Twins and one on the way … my body’s journey! (Nicole)

At last I found a person whom I wanted to spend the rest of my life with and our engagement was made even more special a week later when we found out I was pregnant, then special again when I found out it was twins
My twin pregnancy went beautifully, the girls had to [...]

Engaged, Lost and Saggy… (Autumn)

Hi My name is autumn I am 19 and a mom of a 8 month old son, I also among those of you is a teen mom, I found out I was 2 months Pregnant on my 18th birthday and Had my son a couple months shy of my 19th birthday, I am engaged to [...]

Wrinkled, saggy strechmarked tummy 4 years after giving birth!! (Anonymous)

I’m 31 years old my daughter is now 4 years old and was born by emergency c section after a 36 hour labour. I put on 42lbs whilst pregnant and lost most of it over a year after giving birth.
I’m so glad to have found this site, as for 4 years I have been beating [...]

4 months postpartum & 2 under 2yrs (Proudmommy0709)

Well I’m still getting used to this mommy belly, and saggy breasts… The past 2 years my body has gone through a lot, I know that. I AM very proud, but at the same time I am not satisfied with the way my body looks. When I had my son Nov 27th 2007 I did [...]

My Body, My Story (Anonymous)

i am 24 and have been blessed with two gorgoeus boys, with my first pregnancy i got very big very quick! i was being asked at 20 weeks when i was due by people thinking it must be any day now. Of course the problem is when you get big quick you get loads of [...]

7 Mo. PP Twin Mommy (Anonymous)

21 years old
I found out I was pregnant with twins at 9 weeks. I found this website while I was still pregnant, and the stories helped me so much. I don’t know why I’ve waited so long to submit some pictures! I am currently 7 months post partum, and my body has underwent some MAJOR [...]

Finally feel like a woman! (Erin)

I always felt like I wasn’t very feminine looking - my breasts were small, my body thin… I didn’t feel like a woman at all - until I had my children (2 daughters, now aged 3 and 16 months)… I actually wound up thinner, and with smaller breasts than before children, but I have now [...]

Mother of Two Baby Boys (Anonymous)

Age: 24
Two Pregnancys/ Two Births.
Children Ages: 2 1/2 & 10 weeks.
I find it pretty hard being 24 and dealing with friends and their perfect bodys in bikinis..their perky boobs, and flat stomachs, lack of stretch marks. My husband says I look great in my body now, but when your not used to something its hard [...]

Hating My Post-Baby Body (Anonymous)

I was always in great shape. I used to have visible abs, perky boobs, and a pretty shape. I got pregnant at 18 by my high school sweetheart, and had my daughter at 19. I put on 85 lbs with my first pregnancy. I suffered from terrible ppd and for a long time was depressed [...]

You don’t know what you have until it’s gone… (Kimberly)

Age: 21
Pregnancies: 1
Births: 1
3 1/2 Months PP
I became pregnant with my daughter less than a month and a half into my relationship with my, now, husband. As much of a shock as it was, it by all means was a position we put ourselves in. We were careless with our intimacy. It took a few [...]

A young mommy of 1, 10 months later (Anonymous)

Coming across this website has given me reassurance that I’m not the only one out there struggling with my post-partum belly. Seeing pictures and reading inspirational stories only motivates me more than ever! I realize that acheiving my ideal body is possible.
I have to admit that I have always thought down upon my body. After [...]

Update - 20 months postpartum and I want another baby (Anonymous)

Your Age: 22
Number of pregnancies and births: 3 pregnancies, 1 birth
The age of your children, or how far postpartum you are: 20 months pp
Original entry here.
It has been 9 months since my previous post, and some things have happened. At 15 months we stopped breastfeeding. I’m still a little sad, I thought we would breastfeed [...]

Tif’s Story (Tif)

im 21
Second child
19 months PP
i had just gotten into college and was ready to have the time of my life. however i met this wonderful guy and it was love at first sight. i got pregnant soon after. i was scared. i knew that my parents would never accept it and i also knew [...]

Young Mommy (Anonymous)

I’m a young mother. I got pregnant when I was 18, and gave birth to my beautiful son when I was 19. Despite everyone’s negativity, my husband and I got through it and he’s wonderful. I was 120 before I got pregnant. I am 5′0 so you can only imagine when I was 8 months, [...]

Stretch marks and deflated boobs, but I’m doing great! (Anonymous)

I am 26 years old and this was my first pregnancy. I am 4 months post partum at the time of these photographs. My prepregnacy weight was 110 and I am now at 119. At full term I was 149. My butt and thighs got so many stretch marks. I still can not get any [...]

Wishing to be confident again (Anonymous)

My age 23. Two children ages 3 and 1
I became pregnant at the age of 19 with my first son. I was scared for about half a second, then thrilled. I was worried about what would happen to my body, I was always very fit. But I knew a lot of girls who had babies [...]

Twin Momma of Two Boys (Emily)

My name is Emily, i’m on the verge of being 18. I got pregnant in mid- December 2008! I found out the of January that i was pregnant with twins. I remember crying in the ultrasound room in the er. When i was wheeled back into my room, I told my mom. She didn’t believe [...]

Mother of two miracles (Mikayla)

AGE: 20
NUMBER OF PREGNANCIES: 2
NUMBER OF BIRTHS: 2 both vaginal, 1 with no pain meds.
Wow, where to start. First of all I love this site. I feel like I am the only mother who got stretch marks or who is not in her pre pregnancy clothes a few months after birth. I hate that [...]

So it doesn’t really matter after All (Deineria)

First, I love this site. I think it provides immeasurable comfort to moms from all walks of life, and I also feel it is a reality check for those who initially believe what they see in magazines represents a fair picture of most women.
I had my first son when I was 19. I was a [...]

Overwhelming joy vs. A deep struggle (TrueMother)

I am a 22 year old mother of a beautiful 19 month old little boy. He was a suprise to my boyfriend and I but has completed our lives in an incredible way.
I had a diffucult pregnancy, because I had open heart surgery when I was younger, so I was a high risk pregnancy (actually [...]

Maren

This picture is taken 6 months after my second pregnancy.
My name is Maren. I was 23 when the picture was taken last year. I live in Norway with my husband and two girls.

Feeling better about my body (George)

Age: 26
3 pregnancies, 1st was a extremely preamture vaginal birth, 2nd was a catastrophic c-section, 3rd one I lost.
My first girl should’ve been 9 years old now, she died almost 6 weeks old. My second girl is soon 6 years old, and I just lost my third child in the first trimester 3 weeks ago.
Because [...]

27 weeks pregnant (Justine)

My body has been though alot in this past year, Dec 19th 2008 i found out i was pregnant i started to gain weight right away and knew it something wasnt right i wasnt suppost to have a gut at a month and a half!!, at 6 weeks i went in and there were [...]

22 years old on my second pregnancy I’m at 23 weeks (Lissete)

Hi im Lissete. I am on my second pregnancy at 23 weeks now , my first child i gained 75 lbs , i have always dealt with poor body image since i grew to a d cup at age 10. i was 17 years old when i had my daughter my pre-pregnancy weight was 127 [...]

Stretched to the limit, but worth it (ChelandBaby)

22 years old
First pregnancy and baby
11 weeks postpartum
Unplanned Cesarean July 2, 2009
Pictures: 41 weeks pregnant, 11 weeks postpartum, Baby boy 11 weeks
My husband and I were married 2 years ago. After a year of marriage we decided that we were ready for a baby. I had gained some weight before my pregnancy, but I was [...]

10 months PP (Anonymous)

I had a wonderful and fairly easy pregnancy, but a very hard, long delivery. I wanted an all natural, waterbirth at the birthing center with my midwife. My water broke 2:00am Friday morning and contractions started 45 min. later. By 10:am they were 10 min. apart and my [...]

From size 0 to 5 (Nancy)

Age : 26
Pregnancy : 1
Children : A daughter, Chloé
I learned about this website from a close friend to which I confided my body changes during and after pregnancy. I was relieved to see others with the same problems as me but I figured I’d be back in shape in no time so I didn’t worry [...]

Game Day (Deb)

When she’s out, she can make her own choices. When to eat, when to cry, peas or carrots, Dr. Seuss or Mercer Mayer… which bands to like, which instruments to play, what college to attend, who to marry (or not marry). And yes. One day, the time will come, and she will [...]

This is Me (Anonymous)

I am 26 and I had my son when I was 23. He si almost 3 now and I can;t believe hwo ast time has flown by. H e is the most amazing little person I have have ever known!
My ebtire pregnancy was a huge shock and surprise to both me and my now husband. [...]

A Mother’s Body at a Young Age (Anonymous)

I was 17 when i found out i was pregnant. I was overwhelmed, scared, and excited. I’ve always wanted to be a mom, but i didn’t see me becoming one till i was around 23. But i take it as god gave me a gift of a child because he knew that it would help [...]

Missing my darling daughter, 15.5 weeks postpartum (Jillyn)

I have been meaning to take pictures and post on here for quite a while now, but with so much going on, i just haven’t found the inner strength or time.
When i was 20 weeks pregnant with our first child we had our first ultrasound and they found that i didn’t have any amniotic [...]

Postpartum (Anonymous)

For the longest time I was told I was not able to have children. My husband and I just put the thought away. Shortly after we were married I found out I was expecting. I was shock. It took awhile for it to set in. I have always been an [...]

Confidence took a blow! (Lizzy)

Age:23
Number of pregnancies:1
7 months post partum
Im from South africa,im 5″2 and pre pregnancy weight was 110lbs.
I loved my body.
Then April 2008 i fell pregnant with my first baby,a girl.My body changed but i didnt get stretchmarks,which im very gratefull for,i grew alot,my tummy was huge.
I gained 33 lbs and im currently 139lbs,which im not happy [...]

New Shape, New Life… (Anonymous)

Age: 21
Number of pregnancies and births: 1 live birth
Age of Child/postpartum: 25 months
I had only been graduated from high school for 6 months when I became pregnant with my son at age 18. I was a dancer for 13 years and never was a “stick” per say. I started high school in a size 4 [...]

2 Babies Later (Bryana)

When I was 17 I found out I was pregnant for the first time. My boyfriend and I were without a doubt scared beyond belief but also very excited about the new adventure we were about to take on. I found out I was pregnant April 2005. I was still in high school, but graduated [...]

A work in progress… (Anonymous)

I was so glad to come upon this site and will share it with other moms. I have ALWAYS struggled with my image, always have tried to keep up with the magazines, etc…..never really felt 100% confident except maybe my wedding day….I’m 5′3″ and weighed 120 in High School (really thin for me…Ive always had [...]

My body is wrecked (Elizabeth)

Number of pregnancies & births: Four
Ages of children: 9, 6, 3, and almost 5 months
B&W photo taken four month post-partum after fourth child
Beach photo taken 11 months post-partum after first child
I guess you could say I was proud of my body after the birth of my first child. I bounced back fairly quickly despite [...]

Don’t know what to think…… (Anonymous)

I found out I was pregnant in March 2007 and I gave birth to my beautiful daughter November 2008. I am now almost 10 month PP and I still don’t know what to think of my body. Some days are good and I think I look great and others I just want to cover every [...]

Finally Learning to Love Me (Anonymous)

I am 20 years old and gave birth to my beautiful daughter on August 9th, 2009. I loved being pregnant but was so afraid of how I would feel about my postpartum body…in the past I have suffered from body image issues and bulimia which I was slowly recovering from when I discovered that [...]

22 years old, three beautiful kids (Andree)

My story starts about four years ago, when I met the man of my life. Shortly after dating we decided to get married, and start a family of our own. We were wed in August 2006, and then in November 2006 found out that we were expecting a baby! I didn’t gain much weight up [...]

11 Months Postpartum (Anonymous)

Original entry here.
11 months postpartum
2 sons, a 5 year old and a one year old
Just wanted to update after my pregnancy weight loss. It’s been close to a year since my wonderful son was born and he is just amazing. When I first posted, I was literally crying every day over my stomach. [...]

Plus-Sized, Proud and a mommy to a monkey! (Monkey’s Mommy)

Let me start of by saying I am very proud of who I am. I don’t let the numbers on the scale dictate my happiness. With that being said, here is my story. I am 24 years old and i am a plus sized mommy. I have been plus size since 4th grade and so [...]

Wanting accept my body changes (Ashley)

August 26, 2008 was the day i found out i was pregnant, this day was also my boyfriend’s birthday (what a birthday gift I gave him…hahaha). So I woke up that morning and for some reason I thought maybe I’d take a home pregnancy test because the day before I was worrying since we weren’t [...]

My Story (Chrissy)

~Age: 19 almost 20
~Number of pregnancies and births: 1 pregnancy, 1 birth
~The age of your children, or how far postpartum you are: 2 1/2 months postpartum
After nine months of trying, starting almost imediately after our honeymoon ended, my husband and I became pregnant for the first time. It was very shortly after my eighteenth birthday [...]

23 year old mum with 2 kids. 7 months PP (Anonymous)

Hi, I am a 23 year old mum with 2 boys. Aged 2.5 and 7 months. I love my children and think they are the most wonderful gift that has been given to me. I wish I could think the same about my body.
I don’t think I look to bad for someone that has 2 [...]

Finally Brave Enough to Face an Unwanted Reality (Anonymous)

Original entry here.
Age: 26
Pregnancy and births: 1
Age of children: 3 years
I’ve been avoiding writing this letter. I think it’s because writing it means I will have to face a reality I don’t want. For almost three years I have been telling myself “it’s got to get better – maybe just another year and it will [...]

Wedding Night Baby (Achtung)

Your Age: 24
Number of pregnancies and births: 1 pregnancy 1 birth
The age of your children, or how far postpartum you are: 5 months now, 2 months in the photos
My son was a surprise pregnancy. He was even more of a surprise as he was apparently conceived on our wedding night. After making it through my [...]

Update (Anonymous)

Hi, I’ve posted 2 or 3 times before here, my last post being in March. It’s now August and my baby will be 1 year old in just a few weeks! Here’s a link to my previous submissions:
New Mommy Worried
Six Weeks Postpartum
Making Progress
More Progress!
I’ve been through a lot since my last post, my [...]

Self appreciation, finally. (Cynthia)

Pregnancy can make you feel like your body is no longer your own. It can ruin your self-esteem and make you hate the shell you’re living in. But for some people pregnancy can finally make you feel like your body is WORTH something. This is my story…
I’ve always been a bigger girl. I’ve hated my [...]

First Time Mom && Emergency C-Section (Heather)

I’m Heather. I’m 20 years old & found out I was pregnant when I was 17 years old. I had my child at 18 & he will be turning three in February. I was in premature labor labor (3 weeks early)for 2 days && ended up having a c-section. [...]

Destination : Self Acceptance (Tee)

Age: 26
2 pregnancies
2 children ages 10 and 18 months
I’ve posted here before under “Almost a year later“. Its now a little over a year and a half since the birth of my youngest. And I gotta say I am still striving to love the body that has become me. Despite my best efforts my [...]

3 Weeks Postpartum (Anna)

Age: 24
Number of pregnancies/ births: 1
Age of child/postpartum: 3 weeks
My whole life I never really wanted children, I was always much more concerned with myself; somehow I picked up my mothers school of thought and am unable to leaving the house without my ‘face’ on or dressed properly. So to say the least I [...]

This is me - sagging boobs and all (Astrid)

Hi everyone,
First of all I just want to say thank you to all the women that have posted on this page, I have learned a lot from reading your stories and looking at your pictures. I think this webpage is so important. [...]

38 weeks and depressed about the 60 lbs of weight gain (Aya)

age: 20
pregnancies:5
births: expecting my first
well my name is aya, i am currently 20 years old, i will be 21 on august 26, and i am expecting my first child, a boy, on September 1, 2009.
all though at times i am extremely happy that i will be meeting my son soon, i can’t help but to [...]

Coming to grips with a cesarean (Colleen)

I found this website before I ever even got pregnant, and I have checked back on an almost daily basis ever since, to read new posts. I think the concept is fantastic, and have been waiting for months until I could do my own post. Now, at three weeks postpartum, I think I’ve [...]

Three Babies in Four Years (Natalie)

I am 27 years old, and just had my third baby, a little girl, May 11th. That makes me about three months post-partum, give or take a couple of days. I also have a little boy that was born November 14, 2005, and another little girl that was born January 9, 2007. I [...]

I feel so accomplished, Beautiful & new (Brie)

I was shown this site early on in pregnancy. I was blown away! I also realized during my pregnancy that media is really trying to make women feel like shit. scare the crap out of us about pregnancy & then some hahahaha. I didn’t scream, I didn’t cry…well except tears of joy. Remember without birth [...]

Marks of courage, strength and overwhelming love. (Amanda)

About 3 weeks after my 19th birthday(and wedding) I found out I was pregnant with my daughter, Summer. My new husband and I were a mix of emotions. Excited, scared, freaked out, happy.. all of it. I loved my little baby belly. As soon as I was big enough to look pregnant I wore my [...]

a bit saggy and unproportunal (MommyB)

I am 23 years old, and I got married November of 2007. I had my son in May 2008…it was very very stressful, and i wanted my husband to enjoy my body…the only time my husband has seen my body is either filled with milk or like show below…I am not sure whether or not [...]

Update - 3 Months After Delivering a Baby Boy (Anonymous)

I sent an entry in April and just wanted to send a little update.
Since my last entry I have been working out about 3 times a week and trying to eat healthy. My boy is growing so much and amazes me everyday! He is now 8 months old and just learned how to [...]

Twin Skin at 21 Months (Anonymous)

I found out I was pregnant when I was 20. It was with the love of my life, so we were both excited, and afraid.
We found out it was twins at 9 weeks.
I went to 39 weeks, and had a c-section after 36 hours of labor.
It is now 21 months after my pregnancy.
I have dieted, [...]

Finally Confident in a Bikini….After Two Kids! (Anonymous)

This is my third submission to SOAM. My first was 2.5 years after my first son was born by Cesarean. My second was 1 month after my successful home VBAC. Now my VBAC baby is about to turn 1 year old and my journey with this body continues.
I haven’t worn a bikini since before my [...]

Annoyed and Hiding (Anonymous)

why is it if you dont get a flabby pooch or stretch marks you get women saying nasty things about you (women who were unfortunate in the after baby dept)? I have had 2 kids, one is going to be 4 soon and one who is 9 months and I have no stretch marks or [...]

My Slow Road of Weight Loss (Anonymous)

I gave birth to my beautiful son in February 2009 & have slowly lost all but 15 lbs of my baby weight. I have been staying accountable with my diet & exercise by logging everything online at a free weight loss support group. While I am not 110% body confident, I no longer [...]

I Thought I Would be Hideous (Alesia)

as many of the stories i read on here during my pregnancy have said, i thought i was going to look hideous, i of course to was worried about the streach marks, saggy skin, disformed belly button, and all the other things you hear that come along with being a mother, i was terrified. and [...]

What 6 Months of Weight Training Can Do! (Ashley)

You can read my full story in my 1st entry, but to sum things up: I was always pretty fit and a healthy weight but gained 60lbs during my pregnancy. Three months after giving birth I suffered from severe ankle injuries which left me pretty much unable to walk for 6 months. While I lost [...]

Update (Roxy)

Previous entry here.
hey ive posted my story when I was 1month pp and my selfesteem was very low because my pregnancy left me in a pretty bad shape, but Ive worked my self up. Ive been doing a lot of exercise, running, walking etc,and I have noticed that I have improved alot. My stretch [...]

Breasts, Acceptance (Autumn)

My name is Autumn, I’m 21 (22 in September), and almost 4 years postpartum.
I’ve posted here 3 or 4 times before, mainly with updates. This time I wanted to share my postpartum breasts (my belly is included, too!).
(Previous entries here, here and here.)
I’ve always been extremely insecure about my breasts, when I was a teenager [...]

Two Blessings (Jess)

Age: 24
Pregnancies: 1
Children: 2
I was told round 20 years old that I would not be able to have children. Then at 23 I had some further complications and the Dr’s did a surgery to remove massive growths on my ovaries and told me it was a long shot, but if I wanted to try [...]

4 Months PP (Anonymous)

im a single teen mother of two . im 17 and im 4 months post partum .. i fell in love at a young age wanted a baby for unconditional love & to be in love got dumped pregnant with my second do to the work of a home wrecker , & a bad [...]

Beauty in a Magazine

Thank you, Glamour, for this!

She is beautiful. Even more so that someone in corporate got a clue that THIS is what we want (need) to see. Despite the fact that it was such a small photo, I am glad it was printed at all. Next step: bigger photo.
(It does make [...]

23 year old mom 18 month postpartum, 5 kids later!! (anonymous)

hello i’m a 23 years old mother of 5 young childrens, i started having kids at the age of 14, i know i started young but i wouldn’t change it for anything in this world, now about my body i cant say the same thing, but i have 5 kids what else can i ask [...]

Transformation (Erron)

Age: 31
Number of pregnancies: Seven pregnancies, two successful
The age of my children: 2 aged 4, 1 aged 2, and 1 on the way
When expecting our first baby I remember going to my 20 week ultrasound in my regular pants. I couldn’t wait to start looking pregnant. After two years of trying, and waiting, we [...]

Michaela Marks (Anonymous)

I’ve been visiting this site on and off over the past year. I happened upon it one day when I was trying to see if there was anyone else out there who was struggling with body changes, due to pregnancy, on the web.
How much more perfect can you get than this site?! [...]

1 1/2 Years PP After Twins (Fraternal Twin Mommy)

Previous entry here.
Age during delivery: 32
Current age: almost 34
Number of pregnancies: 1
Age of twins: 1 1/2
I posted a short blurb a while ago about my experience, but I didn’t really get to elaborate on my story because I’m pretty sure one of my boys needed my attention at the time! At 8w3d I found [...]

Not Feeling so Confidant (Shaylene)

I wasn’t ever the thinest person around. Im 5′2 and I was 160 lbs before I had given birth to my son. I gain 29 Lbs during the pregnancy and gained a few stretch marks which I am not bothered by. I have never been confident in the way I look. And lately i’ve been [...]

Twin Tummy, 5 yrs Post-partum (Anonymous 83)

I’m 33 now, our oldest son is 8 and the twins (boy & girl) are 5. Both pregnancies were term and all babies big and healthy (Oldest son - 8lbs, 9oz…twin daughter - 6lbs, 9oz…twins son - 7lbs, 6oz). Twins had to be induced at 40 weeks + 1 day (40 weeks is [...]

Scars of a Mother are Like No Other (Roz)

I would like to start this of by saying this website is an amazing place for all types of women and mothers to be joined as one without the cruelties we face in this world day by day…
i was 16 when i became pregnant with my daughter. i was scared because i wanted to go [...]

Perfection Has Changed My Body (Becca)

Your Age: 22
Number of pregnancies and births: 1 birth
The age of your children, or how far postpartum you are: 2yrs, 8 months.
Perfection has taken the name of Zachary. He is my whole world. He is my strength, my courage, my rock. My reason for waking in the morning, and my prayers at night. He has [...]

Struggling to Accept My Body’s Changes (Anonymous)

My Age: 29
1 Pregnancy, 1 Birth
7 Months Postpartum
I was 27 years old when I found out I was pregnant with my first child. I was 28 when I delivered him. My husband was 28 as well. I had separated from the military, married my husband, and gotten pregnant all within 8 months so to say [...]

16 Months Update (Anonymous)

16 Months Update
Age: 27
Number of pregnancies: 1
Number of children: 1, 16 months old
See my first post, from 4 weeks pp, here. And my second post, from 8 months pp, here.
And now here we are, 16 months pp. Whoa. Where did that time go? I had a tiny newborn and now I’ve got a toddler! [...]

A body marked indelibly with love (Laurie)

I had my first child at 21 years of age. I was previously a teenager who had the constant belief that I was fat, and obsessed over my body daily. As my body grew with pregnancy (and fluid retention!) I became very despondent about my shape, worrying that I would be ‘fat’ and forever unattractive. [...]

2.5 Months PP, Second Cesarean in 2.5 Years (Shannon)

Previous posts here and here.
age:22
Pregnancies:2 pregnancies and 2 births
I wrote that I would eventually post some pictures of my PP body, so I am! I am now 3 months PP…the pictures are 2.5 months PP though! The part where my stomach hangs from my cesarean really bugs me…but it has gotten better! [...]

I Finally Love Myself (Anonymous)

I got pregnant the summer before my senior year of high school. I walked the halls with a huge belly got stares from students and teachers. When I went to the outside world people poked and prodded. Why complete strangers think they have the right to know how old I am I have no idea.
I [...]

Self Love is the Most Important Love of All (Anonymous)

I just came across this website and I think it is the most beautiful, helpful website that a mother could possibly visit. It is hard these days to be happy with our bodies. The media hype and hollywood has portrayed a very distorted image of what motherhood does to ones body. It has taken me [...]

17 Weeks Later (Soph)

My name is Soph and 17 weeks ago, just before I turned 24, I delivered my first child - a lovely little boy.
I lost my first baby and had to wait several years to try to concieve my son. Such a wanted, beautiful pregnancy.
I weighed just over 90kg when I got pregnant, stayed at [...]

Unplanned, But Not a Mistake (Anonymous)

I was 15 years old, the “boy” I thought I was in Love with, had just broke up with me. I decided to get back at him by sleeping with one of his friends. It was just suppose to be a one time thing just to make my ex, the guy i thought was [...]

Struggling for Acceptance (Anonymous)

I’m 24 years old and I’m a mother to a 2 1/2 year old daughter and a 10 month old son. I got pregnant when I was 21 though it really wasn’t in my plans at that time. I was not married when I found out, but my BF and I did what [...]

Not Giving Up and Acceptance (Alex)

Name: Alex
Age: 30
Pregnancies: 2 Births: 2
DD1: 3 yrs old
DD2: 1 yr old
I’m so glad I found this website. I have been looking for a site like this for a little while now because I want to know more about other real women out there and their experiences (not celebrities-they don’t count and real) and to [...]

Time Machines Don’t Exist, Unfortunately (Mir)

I posted a belly photo of myself in February along with my thoughts and totally forgot to go look at it again until last night.
I want to post another couple of photos now, six months on showing my belly again. What has changed in six months? The most dramatic/helpful change is [...]

That’s Why You’re Beautiful (Traci)

Previous entry here.
The first time I posted here was 2 years ago. That’s quite scary! Our little ones grow up so fast. I have been viewing this site for three or maybe more years now and I am blown away by the many women who post and say they dislike their body or that they [...]

Mother of a Princess (MommaMykah)

Mother of a Princess
I’m 27 years old and a proud mother of an eight month old princess. She is my first and only child.
I’ve never been self-conscious about by body (in fact I loved my body) until after I had my baby and my breast went from pointy and perky to sagging and looking at [...]

Mommy-ware (Anonymous)

At 23 I became pregnant. I had never wanted children and enjoyed being just an aunt. Quickly I grew excited for the new baby growing inside me. I reveled in the joys of nesting and planning. I did tell myself though that I would [...]

Anonymous

Hello, I am a 24 year old single mother. I found out I was pregnant with my daughter right after my 22nd birthday and gave birth Christmas day 2007. My daughter was small only weighing 6 pounds 15 ounces and 19 1/4 inches long. Though you couldn’t tell with the 80 pounds I gained. When [...]

I’m not so sure I hate my body anymore (Nicole)

~Your Age: 26
~Number of pregnancies and births: 1 pregnancy, 1 birth
~The age of your children, or how far postpartum you are: Currently 15 1/2 weeks PP (photos taken at 13 weeks PP)
I have struggled with my body image ever since I was a child. I remember, when I was in primary school, sucking in [...]

I brought 6 amazing people into the world, if you don’t like my body, don’t look! (Anonymous)

28 yrs old, 5 pregnancies, 6 children (twins), 3 weeks postpartum
I am a 28 year old mom of 6 beautiful children. I have 10 year old twin girls, 8 and 6 year old boys, a 4 year olds and just gave birth to our 4th girl 3 weeks ago. I am always told [...]

Badge of Honor (Teresa)

I went my whole pregnancy without stretch marks, until the last two weeks. I had mixed emotions about them, and various emotions about the 53 pounds of weight I gained. I was hoping to make it through without gaining a solitary mark.
The first few days were horrifying after delivery. I looked heavier then I did [...]

Update Post (Kayla)

My first post was called “I wish I could love my body“.
Well its been 3 months since my last post and Ive been trying to find the time to fit in workouts. When my son was 6 weeks old I ended up in hospital with gall bladder stones. I had between 20-30 attacks over [...]

Mind Versus Body (Genevieve)

Age:24
#of preg/births:2
children:4, and almost 3
While stumbling upon this site I was actually surprised to find a LOT of moms like me who not only became young mothers but also a lot of mothers who struggled with eating disorders. I am one as well. I have had an eating disorder since I was 14. [...]

My Changing Body (Heather)

This is my first pregnancy, first child. I am 21 years old.
Before I became pregnant I wasn’t exactly stick thin but I was very comfortable with myself and my body. I weighed 135lbs on a 5′ 5” frame. I didn’t start to show until my fifth month. My then boyfriend and now husband and I [...]

I am not ashamed (Kimberly)

Age: 21
Pregnancies: 1 twin pregnancy
Children’s Ages: 5 months
Bonnie’s recent post inspired me to add my story. This picture is my story and I am not ashamed. I love my babies, I love my body, and I love my life!

He Tells Me I’m Sexy (Jenn)

I’ve been a larger girl since I was around 16-17 years old, after a knee injury that left me in an immobilizer for 6 months. Following that transformation of my body, I had a hard time regaining self esteem. Still, even though I was heavy, I still had a great body… [...]

2 Years, Nearly 3 Months Postpartum (Katelyn)

Age: 18
Pregnancies & births: 1
2 years, nearly 3 months postpartum
I got pregnant two months before i turned 16. My daughter’s father and I didn’t know each other well, weren’t together, and we weren’t for a very long time. I spent my 41 week pregnancy and 19 months of her life as a single mom, [...]

Fighting the Fear (Jessica)

21
2 pregnancies, 1 birth
5 wks post partum
I found out I was pregnant when I was twenty years old, a week before my husband was set to deploy for iraq. I was pretty upset that he was going to be gone, and I would be alone. But i was partially pleased because he wouldn’t be here [...]

2nd Baby, 8 Wks Postpartum (Kristin)

A Work in Progress! (Anonymous)

I’m finally starting to love my body again. I guess I shouldn’t say I’m starting to love my body “again” because this really is the first time. My daughter (now three years old) was born when I was 19. Prior to getting pregnant, I was at the lowest weight I’d ever been, had relatively perky [...]

Update: 22, Surviving Newborn Twins and a 2yo (Sierra)

I recently posted on here when i was 2 weeks postpartum with twins. I am now 5 weeks postpartum and wanted to share with everyone the update. My girls are doing fabulous. They are both breast feeding like champs and since birth have each gained 2lbs!! My 2 yr old is doing so great with [...]

Transmogrification (Valentine)

Here I am 6 weeks post-partum. I’ve spent my entire life in one extreme or another…first I loved myself to the point of narcissism. Then I couldn’t stand to look at myself, to the point where the extent of my self-loathing would bring me to tears. Now? I still find myself unattractive, but I know [...]

Teen Learning to Love Her Body (Faith)

I was 14 years old and dateing this 16 year old guy. we were going out for about 2 months, and he invited me over to his house while his parents where away. i was kinda sketchy about it, but i trusted him, so i decited to go to his house. while we where in [...]

(Anonymous)

I am just about 6 months PP..
I did not gain but 20 pounds or so in my pregnancy (first and only so far..)
I found out I was pregnant at almost 9 weeks.. Delivered at 38..
And I must say it was the most amazing experience in my life.
Made it all the wawy through with out any [...]

Elephant Belly (Anonymous)

When I was pregnant with my second baby, everyone thought I was having twins, I was so big. It’s just that I have a short torso and am skinny so there was nowhere for the baby to go but out….. way out. Hence the extra skin. Or elephant skin as my older [...]

New Found Respect (Skye)

25 years old
First pregnancy
I never knew how strong I could be until I became pregnant.. it is a journey unlike any other!
I started off so nieve and unsure of myself as a woman, I slowly started to listen to my body and follow my gut instincts.. I had all these pre-conditioned beliefs that had [...]

Rebuilding the Body (Annie)

Age-21
Children-1 (a 2 year old)
C Section birth
I want to thank you for making this site. It is so wonderful to know I am not alone, because here in person I really am. And I thought I was. And I am so excited to read everything on here and see that I am not.
Pregnancy was supposed [...]

UK Mummy, Thinking About Doing it All Again! (Charlotte)

I am a 31 year old mummy to my very gorgeous 11 month old son. He is my first child conceived on my honeymoon!
I was never sure that I wanted children but when I met my husband and realised he was the one then my feelings changed, particularly as he was so excited about becoming [...]

Learning to Love My Body After a Loss (Lissa)

I’m mom of 2 living Children and 1 child who died shortly after birth. My youngest and last child was born at 30 weeks. She was a preemie. And I spent many weeks in the hospital prior to giving birth. I felt like my body failed her for the longest time. [...]

Thanks SOAM - 6 Months PP (Anonymous)

My Age: 31
Number of Pregnancies and Births: 1
Age of child: 6 months
Pics I attached: The henna belly picture is at 38 weeks, the two naked ones and one of my daughter are 6 months post-partum.
I started lurking here before my husband and I were even trying to have kids. I have to admit; at [...]

24 Year Old Mother of a Miracle - Update (Carolyne)

Original post here.
Pictures to add of 2 months postpartum and my baby girl, Olyve, at 2 months.

12 Years Later (Anonymous)

I’m 36 and three months pregnant with number two!! I’ll be 37 at delivery, so I’m technically an “older mom” although I don’t feel like one. My son Zac is 12, so I spaced them out a bit I actually posted here a few years ago, just as I was starting [...]

1 Year Postpartum With Twins (Anonymous)

1 year postpartum with twins
anonymous
29 yrs old
I gave birth to twins last July, time really does fly when you have kids!
My little girl weighed in at 6lb2oz and my little boy at 6lbs14oz. I made it to 38 weeks and had a scheduled c-section. I was huge as you can tell from my [...]

The Doctor Said I Need a Breast Lift, WHY? (Anonymous)

Age: 27
Pregnancies: 3
Five months PP
I consulted a cosmetic surgeon about having cosmetic surgery. I wanted breast implants to plump them back up a bit as they are a bit smaller than they were before baby number three, but was told that I needed a breast lift too. I don’t mind about implant scars, as they [...]

Featured Photo 7/3/09

It’s been a long time since I have done a featured photo here, but this one came through and I had to share it. Uplifting and beautiful - thank you, Christina!

Embracing the New Me (Anonymous)

I am a 36 year-old mom to 3 kids, each 2 years apart. Had my babies at 29, 31, 33 years of age. Before kinder, I weighed 130 lbs, and was very slim, due to genetics and regular exercise. Now, after 8 years, 3 kids, 4 pregancies (lost one in between) [...]

3 Babies in 5 Years and a New Body (Jean)

I got pregnant at 18 and got stretch marks at 5 months in. I gave birth to a healthy baby girl 7lbs 5oz, then another baby girl 2 1/2 years later weighing 7 lbs 15oz. Again 2 1/2 year later a little boy weighing 7lbs 9oz. I included their weights because they [...]

One Year Ago Today (Zahra)

We found out we were pregnant with Rory 6 weeks after having a miscarriage. I know we were so blessed for it to happen so quickly. I was so excited to be pregnant and really focused on enjoying the pregnancy despite our concerns that we would lose another baby. I have always had to work [...]

PPD vs “Baby Blues” (Crystal)

age:22
1st pregnancy
1 child
my daughter’s name is Lily and she is 3 months
i am exactly 3 mo and 3 days post partum
I found this website through just googling other women’s postpartum stories. I really love this website because it makes me feel a little “normal”. Sometimes I feel the issues I’ve been going through [...]

Rocking the Boat (Anonymous)

Rocking the boat (Anonymous)
My son is now 20 months old (I’m 27) and is the most AWESOME gift life has ever given me, aside from my husband, yet I am still having a hard time overcoming a tough bout of post-partum depression. Before the birth of my son, I was a super-fit triathlete, vivacious [...]

19 & Mommy 41 Weeks Pregnant and in Despair about PP Body (Ana)

I’m nineteen and african american. I have always been slim built 5′6 140lbs. I never really worked out i just thought i was blessed with good genes…i am*was* the slimest person in my family..i come from a family of big hipped women..but anyway i made it through the first 6 months of my pregnancy without [...]

Slowly Gaining Self-Acceptance (Becc)

I am 23 and have 2 beautiful boys. My eldest is 6 and my youngest is 10 months. I have always been a larger shaped women and with a husband my height, my body issues have been hard to deal with, knowing we are around the same weight. After having my youngest, I feel as [...]

21 Year Old Who Feels Inadequate in Her New Body (Anonymous)

When I got pregnant, we definitely were not planning it. I had got pregnant several months before our planned wedding date and as a result we pushed the wedding date way up and I was 3 months pregnant on my wedding day. I am still so ashamed that it happened that way. As a result, [...]

It’s Not Really So Bad (Autumn)

Your Age: 29
Number of pregnancies and births: One pregnancy, one birth
The age of your children, or how far postpartum you are: 9 months
Today marks 281 days since my daughter was born. The same amount of time that she spent on the “inside”. I’ve been looking forward to this day, it feel momentous for [...]

10 Months Update VCC (Angelica)

My age:22
# of pregnancy: 1
months pp: 10
Hi
i already posted pictures of my new figure when i was 2 months and 4 months pp and the title is VCC. I want to share this new pictures with you because this journey isn’t easy, it takes time to adjust and to accept this new “era” of my [...]

Amanda

hello there. my name is amanda,i’m 23 years old. i thought i would send a quick note to go with the photos! my daughter is now 15 months old, she weighed 10 pds 9 oz ( healthy baby) i gained 70pds with her, i went up to 212 pds. i didnt have 1 [...]

2nd Baby 12 weeks PP, I Hate My Body! (2nd Time Mom)

I was 18 when I got pregnant with my first and gave birth when I was 19, and then when I had just turned 21 I became pregnant again, and Just gave birth in March. My baby is 12 weeks old. She weighed 8 lbs 2 oz I am breastfeeding and doing Wii Fit [...]

Claire

Age: 27
First Pregnancy
Before I developed chronic pain I didn’t struggle much with body image issues. I was surrounded by strong friends who were super body-positive. I was also very athletic and that fostered a lot of love and trust between me and my body.
I developed chronic pain 2 1/2 years ago after being [...]

Mama of Three Under Five (Anonymous)

I have three kids under age five.
I enjoy this site and believe that all mothers are united by that bond of knowing what only a mother knows- that you helped create this life with your flesh and bone - nurtured and grew it, protected and fed it, thrilled in its movements and spent sleepness nights [...]

Out in Left Field (Lisa)

Name: Lisa
Age: 26
Number of pregnancies: 2 complete, currently pregnant with #3
Current Weight: 130-ish
Dress Size: 6-8
Ultimately, I have always been my own worst enemy. As a teen, I worked perhaps a little TOO hard on showcasing my body. I got a lot of attention (both good, and bad). When I married my husband in 2005 - [...]

My Little Angel (Anonymous)

I was anorexic 5 years before pregnancy. I’ve never been satisfied with my body even when I had only 105 lbs (height 5 6). This pregnancy has totally changed my way of life. I’ve gained about 40 lbs, but my daughter is worth every pound, every stretch mark. Btw. I thought I’m gonna be stretch-mark [...]

Perfect at Last! (Jen)

When I was younger I was naturally very thin and I hated my body. Then I gained weight and I hated my body. Then got healthy and I hated my body. Then at 26 I got pregnant and I discovered my body. In July of ’08 almost one year ago I [...]

Mommy to a Princess (Amanda)

Age: 20
First baby
19 months pp
Hello
First, I wanted to say that I love this website. I think all of the mama’s on this website are absolutely beautiful!
Well, I started out at 5′1 and 110 lbs. I was only 17 years old when I became pregnant. I was scared to death but I thank god [...]

22, Surviving a 2yr Old and Newborn Twins! (Sierra)

Age: 22
Number of pregnancies: 2, 3 children
Age: 2 yrs old, and 2 week old twins (2 weeks postpartum)
I had my first child, my son at age 20, he was 7lbs 11oz born vaginally and perfect in every way! i got thru the entire pregnancy no stretchmarks or anything lost all the baby weight and then [...]

2 Years Postpartum and Still Can’t Come to Terms (Anonymous)

Number of Pregnancies: 2 and 1 live birth
Children :1 child, almost 2 1/2 years post partum
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for creating this website that allows me not to feel so alone and to understand that I am not the only woman struggling to cope with the changes brought after pregnancy. I [...]

32 Year Old Mom of 2 Boys (Anonymous)

~Your Age: 32
~Number of pregnancies and births: 2 pregnancies, 2 births
~The age of your children, or how far postpartum you are: 2 boys ages 20 months and 5 months
At 5′7″, I weighed 145 lbs all through high school. I was all muscle, and on the cheerleading squad, and I thought I [...]

Signs of a Mother (Danielle)

Yesterday I cried as I looked down at my saggy, stretch-mark belly. It complimented my fat hips and newly formed “mom-butt”. My boobs were unshapely under the bras that don’t quite fit and my once cute panties have seen better days. My skinny jeans sit in the bottom of a box along with the tank [...]

My Second Entry - Still Trying to Accept Me (Angele)

Original entry here.
~Your Age: 28.. almost 29.
~Number of pregnancies and births: 2
~The age of your children, or how far postpartum you are: My children are almost 8 and almost 4; 3 and a half years PP.
Hello to all you wonderful ladies,
I have written in here before and wanted to update. In my [...]

Really Having a Hard Time With This (Kali)

Age: 38
# of pregnancies:3 total, 2 miscarriages before 12 weeks, 1 full term
Postpartum: 4 weeks postpartum, C-Section
At my age and given that I lost 2 pregnancies before this I should really not be so vain, but I am horrified and floored at what I look like now. I don’t think that time or exercise are [...]

34 Weeks with Baby #2 (Amy)

I am a 27 year old homeschooler and own my own business. I had a hospital birth with DD#1 (will be 4 in August), but quickly fell into a crunchy life style including healthier eating, baby wearing and cloth diapering. DD self weaned shortly after her 3rd birthday. I am looking forward to giving birth [...]

8 Months Postpartum After Two Children (Ashley)

im 22 years old, i became pregnant at age 19 and on my 21st first birthday, *happy birthday mommy, here is your failing epidural!!!*
my stomach was actually worse with my first child after she was born, even though my second was a pound larger weighing in at 8lbs 9oz and she gave me more stretch [...]

24 Year Old Mother of a Miracle - One Months PP (Carolyne)

My whole life I have worked out and been active in sports. I played softball in college and after graduating I continued my 5 day a week work outs. Due to a heart condition and severe high blood pressure, I was told I would never be able to have children. Because of the stress the [...]

Postpartum 21 and 25 years later - 3rd post (Anonymous)

Original entries here and here.
I have posted recent photos of me twice before, but now I have a beautiful drawing a friend did, from the only photo I have of me pregnant, almost 26 years ago, 2 days before my son was born. I am going to display this in my lounge - [...]

Trying to get my self confidance back (Mindy)

My son will be 20 months on the 1st of June and 3 days later on the 4th I will turn 22. I love my son more than anything but really wish I didn’t have the body that I have.
I got married when I was 18 to my boyfriend who was in the navy. I [...]

6 Months After First Child (Amanda)

Title: 6 months after first child
Name: Amanda 21 years old, 1 pregnancy
Story: I got pregnant at 2 years old and gave birth shortly after turning 21. Its been 6 months since I gave birth to my 9lb son naturally, in water. I’m still striving to make peace with my body. I know I should be [...]

9 Years Ago (Elle)

9 years ago I was 18 years old. I had just finished high school and was happy. My plan never included children. I met him on a warm night in August. I became pregnant a few weeks later. I lost my child at 22 weeks gestation. It was depressing and sad. I was a mess. [...]

5 Weeks PP 2nd Baby (Shannon)

Original entry here.
i had liam april 10 via cesarean at 11:53, 7 lbs 15 oz, 19 in. he is very healthy, although i am still so scared to lose him. it has been a very emotional month…the 1 year anniversary since connor passed was may 1st. i miss him so much, he [...]

From Hot to Not (Anonymous)

I’m a 20 year old single mother to a beautiful baby boy and I HATE my new body. Before I got pregnant I was 5′8 138lbs and wore a size 4. I gained 55lbs while I was pregnant and I did nothing but sit and eat. All I did was eat and I regret more [...]

9 Weeks Postpartum (Kara)

I had my son on my 19th birthday, and it wasn’t planned.
My blood pressure dropped severely low after I got the epidural. I’m not sure
if this caused by son’s heart rate to drop, too. Because of this, I had to have an
emergency c-section. The cord was wrapped around his neck, head, and chest. Thank
God for [...]

23 Year Old Mother of One - A Year Later (Jennifer)

I got pregnant with my son when I was 22 years old around Christmas time. My husband had just returned from Iraq and we planned to try for a child. A month later, we were pregnant! We found out it was a boy and from there were so excited to be parents. I was 109 [...]

Still Trying to Accept my “Shape” (Anonymous)

I am 25 years old. I had my second baby 8.5 months ago. I look at my body and think “wow i don’t look as BAD as i thought i would after my second but I look nothing like I did 5 years ago haha.” Then again, I haven’t stopped breastfeeding yet…So, I don’t know [...]

I’ve Learned a TON at Twenty-One (Abby)

Most people my age are changing their majors in college, because they decided they don’t really like Art History as much as they thought they would.
They know exactly how many beers they can drink and probably still drive home.
They still are secretly thrilled that Mom can’t tell them what to eat or the “appropriate” way [...]

Life Just Is. You Have to Flow With it. (Amanda)

Hey mommas!
Wow, my only son turned two last week and it really made me want to take a second glance at my body.
His father and I who were high school sweethearts have divorced but remain close friends, we just got married too young. Being a freshly single mother I am more conscience of my [...]

Update (Kerry)

Original entry here.
age: 18
1 pregnancy, 1 birth
1 month PP
I posted about a month ago. I was expecting my child on the 9th of April… Well he came! April 7th, at 10:50pm weighing 8lbs 4oz and measured 21.5″ long! We planned a home water birth. We barely had time to make the water part work because [...]

Trying to Cope With My Shape as a New Mother (Revae)

Trying to cope with my shape as a new mother!!!!!Please help!!!
My name is Revae and Im 22 yrs old first time mom. I am currently 14 weeks postpartum, and Im having a really hard time coming to terms with my new body. I had my beautiful little angel Jan 18 2009 and I love being [...]

Still Trying to Adjust (Emily)

Age 19- Mother of One Beautiful13 month old boy Aleckzander
I was 17 When I found out I was pregnant. My fiance now my husband and I had decided that we were ready to start our lives regardless of what anyone thought even though a lot of people thought we were crazy we were just living [...]

My Baby Bellies (Kelly)

I can not believe that I have accidentally found this wonderful website – a breath of fresh air!! Thank you so much for dispelling the myth that we all go straight back to our post baby bodies, it is such a relief to see that others know this fact and accept it. Why should we [...]

Kourtni

hi! my name is Kourtni. I am 18 years old, and currently 34 weeks pregnant. I am trying to prepare myself for what my body will look like after i give birth, but it is hard. I have been overweight most of my life, so I never really got to show off. And now i [...]

There are Lips Where my Belly Button Should Be (Nicole)

As I come towards the end of my pregnancy it surprises me that life is so fragile. I have seen my body grow from fat to another human being. However what takes my breath away is the loss of my bellybutton. It has not gone to being flat or popped out instead it sits in [...]

Hopeful (Tati)

Hi! I’ve been coming on this site since I was 3 months pregnant and I absolutely love it.
Now finally… I’m actually posting something. Ha!
The first time I got pregnant was at 21 years old. I found out with in a week of being pregnant that I was…well knocked up! Haha although it was [...]

C-Section Scar (serenebabe)

(Originally posted 4.28.09 at her blog.)
I hate the doctor who did the c-section to get Althea out. My midwives suggested it’s possible I make scar tissue well and that an incision close to my first c-section wasn’t an option. Maybe that’s true. I still hate that doctor. First of all, she never even told me [...]

New mom working on acceptance (AVS)

I am a 28 yold new mom to a smart and beautiful four month old girl. I guess I have always had body issues and struggle with eating disorders since I was eleven. I have also been diagnosed with manic depression and feel that it affects [...]