The Shape of a Mother

Getting Used to Me (Ashley)

2 pregnancies, 1 miscarriage long ago, 1 C-section birth
10 months PP, still breastfeeding
Age: 26
I always wanted to be a mother. I never expected to be a single mother. I had been dating my child’s father for only about a month when I found out I was pregnant. I considered abortion and adoption, but decided that [...]

Second Update (Anonymous)

age: 25
pregnancies: 1
births: 1
age of child: 2 1/2
Previous entries here and here.
My daughter will be three in December, which I cannot believe lol. I am finally almost back to my pre-baby weight. I now weight 168 (158) before baby. I am so happy to getting close to my old self. I was scared there for [...]

Bittersweet (Anonymous)

Age: 31
3 Pregnancies and 3 Csections
Ages of Children: 7, 4, and almost 3 years.
I call my story “Bittersweet” because my journey has often felt that way. I’ve struggled with my weight
all my life. I was very active when I was younger and didn’t really gain a lot until college and marriage.
I stayed in size 10s [...]

Starting to Get Used to my Post-Baby Body (Charlotte)

I feel so sorry for my husband Andrew.Hes brilliant though at reassuring me.We’d not long came back from our honeymoon in August 2009 when I found out I was pregant,I was so happy as we’d wanted kids for ages and didnt think we’d get pregnant so quick!!I loved watching my stomach get bigger and know [...]

Fanny Pack (Anonymous)

Im 21 and had 3 childern in 2 years.After having my son I got stretchmarks below my belly button and there was slight sagging. I dieted and exercised for a year untill someone said how far along are you. I went bulimic and got down to 98 lbs then recovered and went to my pre [...]

I Still Can’t Believe It (Anonymous)

20 yrs old
1 pregnancy 1 birth
8 weeks pp
My story is short, I was 19 when I found out I was pregnant, my boyfriend noticed before I did. I had a rather easy pregnancy, no nausea but lots of heartburn, I started swelling after week 31 and for some reason I had a pretty small belly [...]

A Few Years On, Another Long Post (Jo)

~Age: 40
~Number of pregnancies and births: 2 pregnancies and 2 births
~The age of your children, or how far postpartum you are: Age 4 and 2
(almost 2 years post-partum)
It has taken me a while to come up with the courage to post this, but it marks the beginning of the new me as I can no [...]

First Time Mom at 31 (Anonymous)

I have NEVER found myself attractive. I always thought,, once i accept the fact that I’m an unattractive person,,I would feel much better about myself and not worry about it so much. For some reason though, I got a decent amount of attention from boys,, I was the funny girl, but was too shy to [...]

Almost Satisfied (Shahida)

I first got pregnant at 18 and I weighed about 135 lbs. I guess I gained around 30lbs but was lucky enough to lose the weight pretty fast. When I was 21 I got pregnant with my son I was about 155-160 because of the Mirena IUD =(. I gained about 38-43lb and was 198 [...]

A Crushing Journey (Amy)

Age: 26
2 Pregnancies 1 Birth
Baby Girl lived to be 2 ½ days old
I am currently 5 months PP
I come on this website often. Just to look at all you wonderful ladies and listen of the journeys that you have had. My journey has been a hard one of recent. Losing a child would never [...]

One Year After a Cesarean–Update (Colleen)

Previous posts here and here.
~Age: 26
~Number of pregnancies and births:one pregnancy, one birth
~The age of your children, or how far postpartum you are: 1 year post-partum
When I did my first post at 3 weeks postpartum, I figured I’d wait to do another when my daughter was a year old and I had made some [...]

7 weeks PP (Anonymous)

Age: 28
Number of pregnancies: 2
Children: 2 - son, 22 months & daughter, 7 weeks
How far postpartum: 7 weeks
I am 5″ 1′ and weighed 130 before I got pregnant this time - I gained 35 pounds which was a lot better then the almost 50 pounds I gained with my first pregnancy! Now at 7 weeks [...]

Written on my heart (Anonymous)

Previous entry here.
~Age: 22
~Number of pregnancies and births: 2
~The age of your children, or how far postpartum you are: 2 year old and 4 months old
Sometimes I feel like I am the only one who has a changed body from pregnancy. I thought that because I was young when I had my children that I [...]

7 1/2 Months Later and Still Struggling (Anonymous)

I met my sons father when i was 17 years old. We met at a small little party and were together pretty much nonstop afterwards. Within 2 months we already had an apartment together. One night he had had a few drinks and we were just sitting around having a somewhat deep converstaion about how [...]

Wow, Our Bodies Go Through a Lot! (Rhianna)

age:23
Births: 1 daughter now age 3 via c-section
I went through alot before I was pregnant. I was using drugs, drinking,smoking, and had 8 years of history dealing with Anorexia/Bulemia to a very full extent. When I got pregnant I quit them all cold turkey. Started out 110lbs give or take… and on [...]

This body made one gorgeous little boy.. (Anonymous)

I am 21 years old, and married to my wonderful husband who is in the Navy. We have known each other since I was a little girl, and we started dating when I was about 17. When I was 19 I moved down to Virginia Beach with him where he was stationed. [...]

Not sure if I’ll ever be satisfied with my body (Anonymous)

Age: 22
1 pregnancy/1 birth
almost 4 months postpartum
I had always been thin and I took pride in being in shape and attractive. My weight was fluctuating in 2009- from 112 lbs in January to about 130 lbs in July (the heaviest I had ever been). I saw the “+” on a pregnancy test 2 days [...]

Story of a Teen Mother (Anonymous)

Your Age: 19
Number of pregnancies and births: 3 pregnancies 1 birth.
The age of your children, or how far postpartum you are: 4 years postpartum
I was 15 when I found out I was pregnant,I was scared and did not know what to do. My boyfriend was very supportive and together we decided to keep [...]

Finally, Confidence! (Autumn)

~Age: 22
~Number of pregnancies and births: 1
~The age of your children, or how far postpartum you are: He’s 4, will be 5 years on September 22nd
I’ve posted here numerous times, my previous entries:
Autumn
Stretch Marked Legs
Happy With My Body
Breasts, Acceptance
This update is to show how my body has changed, yet again. I was married to my [...]

Blessing In Disguise (Tiffany)

Age: 28
1 pregnancy, 3 births
The babies are currently 18 months.
My husband and I had been trying for a year when we decided to seek help. Several tests later I’m fertile and his hormones suggest a pituitary tumor. A MRI concluded that he indeed had the tumor. Luckily we caught it early enough [...]

Finding beauty in every imperfection (Jordan)

Age: 20
Number of pregnancies and births: 2,1
6.5 months pp
I’m going to start off by saying, this site is amazing, i absolutely love it and visit at least twice a week. I’ve posted once before at four months pp and here i go again. I am now six and a half months pp and am 10 [...]

Learning to Be Kind to Myself (Rebekah)

My age: 29
2 pregnancies, 1 miscarriage, 1 birth
10 months postpartum
First I want to say thank you to all the brave women who have posted their stories and photos here. You have helped me to heal.
I also want to say to any women out there who are struggling right now: Your thoughts are powerful. [...]

Getting Used to My New Body (Katie)

I was 20 years old when I found out I was pregnant. My husband and I were very excited because the month before I find out was the month we decided to start TTC so we were excited and shocked that it happened so quick! Well i started noticing my stretch marks when I was [...]

Why Can’t I See What He Sees? (GG)

26 years old
1 pregnancy
2 babies (twins) boy and girl.
My husband is such a wonderful man. He sees in me the most beautiful and sexy woman alive. Why can’t I see that?? All I see is fat here and there and everywhere! I see imperfections and that is it. [...]

4 Babies - 3 Years (Malissa)

I am a mother to 4 beautiful little girls: 2 year old fraternal twins, 15 month old, and a 3 month old. All were carried to term and born vaginally. Pre babies I weighed about 140 and was in pretty descent shape and now post partum I weigh 174.
My story started three years ago when [...]

Like a Road Map (Heather)

Age: 34
Pregnancies: 7
Births: 4
Kids’ Ages: 16,13,11,8 ALL girls
8 Years Post Partum
“What happened?” said the young boy, “Did your baby scratch you?”
This is the moment I discovered the awful truth that would impact the rest of my life. I had stretch marks. Back story: I was a 5′10″ model who weighed 120lbs soaking wet. I was [...]

Update! Slowly learning to love my new body! (Anonymous)

I had posted 10 months ago about how much I hated my body and how much I envied all of the thin girls I see day in and day out. I am proud to say (although I have not lost a single pound) I am now slowly learning to love my body and be proud [...]

A Healthier Lifestyle (Georgia)

Previous entries here and here.
Age: 25
Pregnancies: 1 Births: 1
Weeks PP - 13
I thought I would give another update on how things are going. Im 13 weeks post partum. Loving every minute of being a mommy. I have lost all of my pregnancy weight, plus 8 pounds more. I have been doing, Lindsay Brins postnatal [...]

My Story of Childbirth (Anonymous)

i had just left school,starting college when i found out i was pregnant, at the start i didnt know what to do. i was so scared and alone. i was in a relationship with a man i loved for 6months but knew for a long time before,but the last thing i thought of was being [...]

Not happy with the new me. (B’s Mommy)

Age: 22
1 Pregnancy, 1 Birth Via C-section
6 months PP
Six months ago I gave birth to my beautiful baby boy. I was in labor for nearly 30 hrs, I pushed for 3 and then had to have a c-section. My little man weighed 9 lbs 7 oz! This was my first pregnancy and it was unexpected, [...]

My husband calls me beautiful (Alyssa)

Age: 20
Pregnancies and Births: 1 pregnancy and 1 birth
The age of your child: A terrible two year old
I was married at 16, pregnant at 17 and gave birth to my handsome little 9lb 10oz baby boy when I was 18. Here I am now 20 years old, still happily married to the [...]

It is what it is! (Nina)

I am 31, and I have two babies. The first one was born in August 2005, the second born in July 2007, so I’m 3 years pp since my last baby. I’ve been pregnant two more times, on top of that, but they both left my body before the 3 month mark.
Two years before [...]

Only 9 days postpartum, but discouraged… (Renee)

I gained 65 pounds with my son. It’s not that I was overeating; quite the opposite was true. I started uncontrollably gaining weight (sometimes 7-9 lbs a week) and finally the doctor caught on. I had pre-eclampsia. Needless to say, all that extra water stretch my skin out something bad. On July 12, I gave [...]

It’s Gonna Take Time (Jessy)

Age: 20
Number or Pregnancies and births: 1
How far postpartum: 5 1/2 months
I am 5′10″ and was 159 lbs when I found out I was pregnant. I was already unhappy with how much I weighed. During those 41 weeks i had gained a whopping 50 pounds. I had my daugher Jocee Grace [...]

22 Weeks, Second Post (Marz)

Original entry here.
Age: 22
First Pregnancy
My last post was at 16 weeks. I’ve been reading the other stories on here and decided to post again. For those who read my last post, I’ve been battling an eating disorder since I was 10; my issue with weight gain has followed me throughout this pregnancy. Specifically, when my [...]

Katherina

My name is Katherina and I am a mother of three beautiful children, ages 7, 4 and 3. All my births were natural and I breast-fed all three of my babies. Like most women, I intended to gain the recommended 25- 30 pounds with each pregnancy, but I ended up gaining 50+ pounds each time. [...]

No Longer Hiding (vsmama)

Age: 27
Previous entries here and here.
1 pregnancy; 1 birth
3 years 1.5 months postpartum
I made it a goal to feel sexier when my son reached 3 years of age and I wore a dress! A short dress at that! lol Everyone commented on how beautiful I looked and oddly, for [...]

Getting Back (Selena)

Age: 24
Number of pregnancies and births: 1
Age of children and how far postpartum: 9 month old daughter and 9 months postpartum
When the thought came into my head that I wanted to start a family I, like many women, did not think about what my body would look like afterwards. I had not met mothers [...]

Anonymous

I am 33 years old, these pictures are taken 5 years post-partum. I’ve had 2 pregnancies (first one at 13), and given birth once. My body has changed. My butt has flattned, my waist windned. Due to a number of reasons, my weight has fluctuated greatly. From 170 [...]

Anonymous

I have been searching the web looking for overweight women who are pregnant so I may gain the confidence that I am a normal beautiful woman even if I am larger. Even while browsing, I get the “shes-still-smaller-than-me” syndrome, so I wanted to submit my picture to show that even a large number can have [...]

Continued Hatred of a “Beautiful Thing” (Anonymous)

Age: 19
Number of Pregnancies: 1
Number of Births: 1 amazing baby boy
(Almost) 6 months Postpartum
Let me start out by saying that I am so thankful to have found this website. I no longer feel completely alone in the way I look. Although I do still have my self-confidence issue, I know that others are feeling the [...]

15 Months PP Update (Shannon)

Previous entries:
Missing my baby boy and expecting my second.
5 Weeks PP Second Baby
2.5 Months PP - Second Cesarean in 2.5 Years
6 Months PP Update
Age: 24
Pregnancies: 2
Births: 2 via cesarean
PP: 4 years in September and 15 months
So, I am now 15 months pp with Liam. Wow, this has been a long and hard journey to [...]

3 weeks PP and in the Navy (Anonymous)

Age: 21
Number of pregnancies/births: 1/1
Age of children: 3 week old baby boy
I joined the Navy when I was 18. Went to bootcamp in Great Lakes Illinois two weeks after I graduated from High School on July 3, 2007 and graduated August 31, 2007. I ended up being stationed at NAS Oceana in Virginia Beach Va, [...]

Trying to come to terms with my new body. (Vi’s Mama)

I had my daughter when i was sixteen. Before my pregnancy i was a mere 95 Ibs. I wore a size 32 B. I didn’t appreciate my body at all. During my pregnancy i used lotion, vitamin E oil, Shea Butter…I bought pretty much every “stretch mark” cream available, but none of it seemed [...]

My Story is Long (Anonymous)

38 years old
5 pregnancies/4 live births/2 miscarriages
7.5 year old daughter, 6 year old son, 2.5 year old boy/girl twins
30 months postpartum
My story is long. It spans more than a decade. When my husband and I got married we didn’t mind if we got pregnant right away. Well, 5 months into our [...]

From Girl to Woman (Anonymous)

28
ten months post body
i posted just only today also talking about my belli and my job .
i wanted to share this amazing transformation with you mummas i am absoluty amazed at how the body grows and changes , i mean really the pic speak for them selfs !!!!! i am learning to love there [...]

21 pregnant with # 3 (Anonymous)

I got pregnant with my first child when I was 16yrs. old I honestly thought I would be one of the girls who didn’t gain much weight, or would be all baby but I was so wrong. I’m 5′2 and when I got pregnant with my daughter I was 135 but by the end of [...]

I Can’t Stand to Look in the Mirror (Anonymous)

~Age: 20
~Number of pregnancies and births: 2 pregnancies 2 births
~The age of your children, or how far postpartum you are: 22 months and 3 months
I had my first baby at 18 and my second at 20. Before I fell pregnant I had a fantastic body - although I never appreciated it. Now, I [...]

Mother of One Little Girl (Sade)

I had my daughter Harmony six months ago. It was a scary experience because I was only 21 when I found out and it was a one night stand. The father lived in another state. I was going to abort my child but I decided to keep her and get in contact with the father. [...]

Australian Ex-Professional Dancer Battles with Post Baby Body (Anonymous)

28
one child
ten months post body
65-kg before pregnancy
95 peak pregnancy
75-kg to date,
i use to dance professionally in burlesque and cabaret-bars , having my whole job revolve around my body and my own sense of sexuality i was always great shape , having to keep toned by having a active and a healthy life style.
when deciding [...]

Mommy to a Flower (Meghan)

Age: 18
Number of pregnancies and births: 1
The age of your children, or how far postpartum you are: 6 months pp, 6 months old
I was 180lbs when I found out I was pregnant . I was trying to lose weight, but having a hard time .
Throughout my pregnancy I gained 40lbs and some stretchmarks . After [...]

Happy in My Skin (Ziona)

I have given birth twice so far, once by c-section, and once vaginally. My youngest is 10 months old now, and I’m finally starting to feel happier in my new skin. I have stretch marks, cellulite, sagging breasts, bags under my eyes, and the c-section “flap”. I will probably start a dance exercise program (Zumba [...]

Almost There! (Anonymous)

Original entry here.
Hi again everyone, at the time of my first submission I was about 146 lbs and just hating life altogether. I am now 130 lbs and a bit happier but still have a long way to go. I am still having trouble facing myself in the mirror and it sometimes prevents me from [...]

Do I look pregnant? (Anonymous)

Hi Im really confused at this point and just want some honest opinions. I believe in “intuition” so somebody go there if you will.
Im a mother of 3..I had a tubal ligation in 1997 and I became pregnant again in 1999, it was ectopic and ended in surgery. I have not [...]

Embracing My Stretch Marks (Amber)

Age: 21
Number of pregnancies and births: 3 pregnancies, 1 birth
Age of children: 2, 31 weeks Pregnant
here i am at 31 weeks with our second girl, contemplating my body. i had our first at 18. i was young and fit. no stretchmarks on my belly. after i had her, i got them on my breasts and [...]

The Life of an Ugly Teenage Mother (Kelly)

age:20
numberof kids:2
I wanted to first start out and say that i recently found your site when i was looking for pictures of tummys like mine after pregnancy.. i am so glad i did find it bc i know now i am not alone. Thank you so much you are [...]

The P90X Experiment (Mary)

Original post here.
Website: http://slowthisridedown.blogspot.com/
When I wrote “Mirror, Mirror on the wall….Who’s the Most Damaged Mother of them All?” last year I thought that was the end of my journey in accepting my body…little did I know it was just the beginning! I submitted my article to SOAM in February and it was posted on March [...]

Cesarean and then a VBAC!! (Catherine S)

Previous post here.
Age: 32
Pregnancies and births: 2 & 2
Children: 2 sons, 21 months and 19 days
I am trying to get this finished while both of my boys are sleeping, so it will be short:) I had my first son via cesarean for a placental abruption in September of 2008, and knew, even in recovery that [...]

Labor Story and Accepting My New Body (Anonymous)

This is my story, just to get it out there for others to share.
My EDD was October 29th 2009
October 29th came along, and passed. I was miserable, I felt huge, and I was tired of having my sciatic nerve pinched to the point I couldn’t move. I can’t count the number of times [...]

Coming To Terms With Being Pregnant (Marz)

Age: 22
Pregnancies and births: currently pregnant (4 months)
I found out I was pregnant March 24, 2010. It was a shock for both me and my husband, and I cried when I called to tell him. I wish I could be noble and say that they were tears of joy, but I was shocked, upset, and [...]

She Changed My Life (Anonymous)

28 years old/ 1 pregnancy/1 birth/12 months postpartum
First off, I would like to say that I appreciate this site and the support that it offers to mothers. I have been visiting it ever since I was about 7 months pregnant, and it has been cathartic to me and my struggle with my body. [...]

This is Your Fault (Anonymous)

I am 22 years old and I have been pregnant once. I have one child,a 16month old son.
The day I found out for sure I was pregnant was one of the hardest days of my life. I was in a bad relationship with a man who was a lot older than me. We had moved [...]

One of the “lucky ones” (Lxnn)

age 28
one pregnancy one birth
my son is now 2 ½ years old
I say “lucky” because in reality I do not have many stretch marks and the ones I do have are light. I have returned to my pre-pregnacy weight but that does not mean I am at my pre-pregnacy shape. I gained 70 pounds during [...]

Young Mom of 2 (Anonymous)

i am 22. my husband an i were blessed with two amazing little men. i went into labor naturally at midnight on both of their due dates. my first was born at 1:48 pm. 7 pounds 10 ounces 19 and a half inches long perfectly healthy. he surprised us pretty good. they told me at [...]

5 week PP, hating my body (Anonymous)

Pre-pregnancy weight: 169
Labor Weight: 210
Weight now: 200
I have been struggling with my weight since I was a kid. I was 240 in my sophmore year of high school and just last year I got down to my weight of 157. I wasn’t too happy there, but I was content and felt like I looked great. [...]

Coming to terms… (Anonymous)

Age: 30
Births: 2
Kids: age 2 and 4
I remember seeing pregnant woman and thinking how perfect, sexy, gorgeous, powerful and voluptuous they are. Pure WOMAN. I was in awe.
I was even excited to be that perfectly sexy gorgeous powerful voluptuous WOMAN when I became pregnant with my first child…until the weight came. I had never [...]

Still Working At It - Update (Anonymous)

Original entry here.
Age 21
1 child, 10 months postpartum
It feels like forever since I posted my last entry here, even though it has only been nine months! I must admit that I’m not feeling nearly as confident now as I did at a month postpartum, I guess because the adrenaline of giving birth has finally worn [...]

Any confidence I had (which was minimal) is GONE! (Anonymous)

I have always had insecurities about my body, which eventually led to an eating disorder. I got down to almost 85 lbs (I am 5′ 3″). Fortunately, I was able to stop. I slowly gained weight back, and wasn’t exactly happy, but I dealt with it and had the support of my [...]

Belly Flop (Jill)

Previous entries here and here.
Back for round three! I figured I’d submit one each postpartum “trimester.” Well, my little man will be one way too soon, this has been the fastest year of my life. We’re planning a birthday party, gearing up for summer, and enjoying every minute of it. Here are my most recent [...]

A Stomach Like a Deflated Balloon (Sarah)

~Age: 24
~Number of pregnancies and births: 2 pregnancies, 1 birth
~The age of your children, or how far postpartum you are: 6 months post partum
Up until 4years ago I had never had body issues. I’d always been slim and fit, but after one termitated pregnancy at 19 I had implanon inserted as a contraception. I [...]

My Story - I Have a Long Way to Go (Anonymous)

Age: 30
2 Pregnancies, 2 Births
Children 9yrs & 7.5yrs
When I was a kid I was skinny/average, like most kids were back then. When I hit 10 or so I started to gain some weight. I lived on a farm so I had to do hard work and because of that my weight fluctuated [...]

Proud Momma (Van)

When I got pregnant at 19 I was 140lbs and happy with how I looked for the most part (who doesn’t have little qualms about how they look.?) Now at 2 years post partum I am 195lbs, which is more than I was fully pregnant with my little girl. I feel mixed emotions about my [...]

New Mummy, New body to accept (Kelly)

~Age: 22
~Number of pregnancies and births: 1 pregnancy, 1 birth
~The age of your children, or how far postpartum you are: Kara is 4 weeks old
My partner Matt and I are both young, I’m 22, he is 20. We had Kara 4 weeks ago, I had to have an emergency c-section as I was induced at [...]

Twins and a Toddler…not sure who “I am” anymore (Anonymous)

Who am I? I’m a…Mom….who is unsatisfied. Grateful in a lot of respects, but one who feels guilty I’m so unhappy. I can’t believe I’m writing this. Maybe I’ll get some peace with after doing so…doubtful. I must have taken a half dozen pictures of my belly and kept deleting [...]

Accepting my NEW “mother” body (Lizz)

This is my Labor Story and I would like to share it.
My EDD was Nov. 23rd, 2009
Nov 24th, 2009 I went in at 8AM for a regular check up.
Dr. Wong stripped my membranes and 5 minutes later I started cramping.
I told her about how I have been itchy for a few weeks, and she seemed [...]

A letter to my body 1 yr PP (Emily)

Age: 23
1 pregnancy, son is 12 months old, 1 yr PP
Dear body,
Thank you for all that you have given me and others. I am sorry for what I used to think of you, I was wrong you are beautiful. I promise to never be ashamed of my body anymore. I promise to love this body [...]

This one’s for my daughters! (Sarah)

After years of believing that my belly had to be flat and washboard perfect, I finally came to terms with the fact that washboard isn’t normal. It’s not normal for women to look like that, especially after they’ve had children.
Bodies during and after pregnancy are beautiful! Embracing the Goddess Within has been a long time [...]

Mommy Boobs (Amy)

Age: 36
Number of pregnancies and birth: 3/2
Age of children and how far postpartum: 6 years and 9 weeks
I love this site. I have two children, one six years old and one 9 weeks old. I am one of those ladies that gets my stomach back quickly but my babies have done a number on [...]

Love Yourself Mama, Then Love Everything Else (Bryana)

Why is it, that as women, when we are at our best, we look into ourselves and label it the “worst”?
We never seem to realize how great we are until we fall below that bar that we have set so ridiculously high for ourselves!
It is sad to see, hear, and live. And all it seems [...]

Skinny, But Strong… My Way (Skye)

So, here I am again, this is my second post, my first is here.
Now that I’m 13 months post partum I feel the need to share with you all something that has been amazing for my body…
I didn’t say too much about my body in my first most so I will give you a bit [...]

I Absolutely Loathe My Stomach (Toby)

I have been trying to come to terms with my pp tummy for 5 years. I am only 24 but I feel like I am trapped in the body of an 80 year old woman. I am 5′7 and 150 lbs. I have two beautiful children ages 5 and 1. I work out at the [...]

Anonymous

~Your Age: 22
~Number of pregnancies and births: 2
~The age of your children, or how far postpartum you are: 3 weeks pp
I am a 22 year old mother of 2 girls. The oldest is turning 2 in June and the younger is 3 weeks old. My body changed a lot with both pregnancies. The first time [...]

Trying to Accept It (Anonymous)

~Age: 25
~Number of pregnancies and births: 3 pregnancies
~The age of your children, or how far postpartum you are: 3 children…2 1/2 months post partum
Honestly, if I knew what my body would look like after having kids, I never would have had any. I had my first when I was 18. For some reason [...]

Hard Work 14 Months PP (Elissa)

Original entries here and here.
24 years old
1 Child-14 months old
C-Section
Gained-61 Pounds
Weight before pregnancy-137
Weight at the end of pregnancy-198
Weight 14 months PP-139
Clothing size before pregnancy
Pants size 9
Shirts-Medium
Bra size 36 C…Sometimes D
After pregnancy
Pants size 3 and 5’s
Shirts medium
Bra size 36 D…
I am now doing P90X after losing all my weight I decided I needed to get fit. [...]

Plus Sized Mummu

2pregnancies, 2 births, 2 boys.
13 months pp.
22 yrs old.
I was told from about 16 that I would never fall pregnant, due to scarring on my uterus and falopian tubes from PCOS. Id had my period since I was 13, and was producing 3-4 eggs per month, but none of them would implant, thats what the [...]

Awesome Husband (Halley)

My husband is currently working on an Art degree and for one of his assignments he had to draw a live person, and that person was me. At the time he drew these it was my first pregnancy and I was probably about 8 or 9 months pregnant. These really helped me boost my self [...]

The Curves of My Road (Anonymous)

~Age: 24
~Number of pregnancies and births 1/1
~The age of your children, or how far postpartum you are 11 months postpartum
Ever since I can remember the shape of my body has been on my mind.
Memories from childhood echo with self-consciousness, fear of being different, and separation.
From the outside I grew up fairly normal. I had one [...]

15 hours from birth (Anonymous)

Pregnancy #2
We took these photos just a few hours before heading to the hospital for the birth of our second baby. I was about 21 months postpartum from baby #1 and still nursing him as well.

19 years old, 5 months post partum (Ashley)

Before I got pregnant I was a slim 135 pounds, at 5′7″. I felt my greatest and was so happy that I could shop and wear just about anything, all the way down to a bikini in the summer. I got pregnant in March and gained a total for 55 pounds! I got so many [...]

Confidence?.. what’s that? (Suzanne)

I became pregnant with my eldest when i was 19, before i had her i had a great figure (i couldn’t see it at the time but now i do!) i was slim but had curves, my breasts were always small but they were perfect, round, firm and wonderful. Since having my second daughter 8 [...]

Pregnant with #2 (Sarah)

I’ve always been self-conscious about my tiny breasts (34a). I guess it doesn’t help that my best friend has gorgeous DDs. (So jealous!) Guys have always complimented my small breasts, but I always figured they were just saying nice things to get up my shirt. (Sad to say, it almost always [...]

My 20 Week Photo (Ellie)

this is me at 19 weeks. this is my first baby and im so excited. it took me 2 years to get pregnant and i am more grateful than ever. being big its hard to except the looks people give me when i tell them im pregnant, cause to them i just look fat. but [...]

5 weeks post-partum after second child (Anonymous)

Previous entries here and here.
For the first time in my life I feel no need or desire to malign or discredit my body, or to qualify it with any explanation for why it is the way it is. I am five weeks post-partum with my second child. He was 11 lbs, which was quite a [...]

Finally ok with the Battle Scars! (April M)

Age 22
Four pregnancies, one birth
One daughter, age 2 1/2
I guess I just wanted to show people that, no matter if youre over weight or under weight, we all have issues with our bodies after our babies come into our lives.
I have hated my stretch marks since I was 7 months pregnant. And now, they [...]

Working to reverse 8 years of negative body image (Anonymous)

age-23
births 1, children 1 beautiful girl
4 months PP
I’ve always been athletic and worked hard to stay in shape. In highschool I took it to the next level and restricted myself to 1000, then 900, then 600, then 500 calories a day, this started a slippery slope of anorexia, bulimia, exercise purging that lasted until the [...]

Loving my body after baby (Jo)

Age: 20
2 Pregnancies, 1 Birth
16 weeks postpartum
My name is Jordan, I found out i was pregnant with My son Colin a few months after miscarrying my first pregnancy, I was 19 years old.. young, i know but i was still Very happy about conceiving again so shortly after the loss. Through nearly the whole [...]

Struggling with PCOS (Nicole)

Age: 25
Pregnancies: 3
Births: 2
Ages: Son = 5 years old, Daughter = 3 months old
Post-Partum: 3 months
I have always struggled with my weight. I’ve been on diets, exercise regimes, and even pills. When I was 17, I was so disgusted with my weight that I turned to anorexia. I refused to eat. By the time I [...]

Grateful for My Blessings (Tsi K.)

Previous entries here and here.
Age: 34
Age of children: 4yr old little girl and 8 month old little boy
Hello beautiful women,
This is my third entry on this site. My most recent was about two years ago after the birth of my daughter via c-section, and I’ve since had another baby so I decided to share again. [...]

Loving My Mommy Body (Georgia)

Original entry here.
So here is my update, I am 12 days postpartum. I had my son on his due date which was really great! He weighed 7 pounds 7 ounces and was 20 inches long. I had a few hours of tough back labor then had the epidural. Best experience of my life. So [...]

Mom of 3 boys -1 set of twins (Anonymous)

I wanted to submit this picture as a way of affirming to myself that my body is fine and I don’t need to listen to what others think. I have been going through a difficult time with my husband (soon to be ex) and one of the things he told me as a reason [...]

I Remember… (Mary)

~Age: 27
~Number of pregnancies and births: 1 pregnancy, 1 birth by c-section
~The age of your children, or how far postpartum you are: 5 months
I remember being 4 and 5 years old and looking down at myself in the bathtub and thinking I was fat.
I remember being in 2nd grade and looking down [...]

Struggling to accept this new body and dealing w/ hypothyroidism (Anonymous)

Age: 29
Number of pregnancies: 2
Number of births: 1
Age of baby: 18 months
My story is a very familiar one. My baby was born 18 months ago via C-section due to “maternal exhaustion.” I was pushing for going on 3 hours when, after hours of nothing to eat or sleeping, I just couldn’t anymore. My scar [...]

Stretched, Marked, & Saggy at 18! (Kelsey)

Hi, My Name is Kelsey.. I was 16 when I found out I was pregnant.. This came as a big shock to my boyfriend and I. At The time we hadn’t been dating long, and we we’re just in high school after all! We decided to carry on with the pregnancy and Keep our son..Now [...]

Take 2 - Still haven’t accepted my new body! (Anonymous)

I originally posted here when I was 6 weeks post-partum!
I’m now 21 weeks postpartum and my feelings are still pretty simillar! I have better days than others, very rarely, but they do occur! I just can’t accept that this is the body that I have to live with for the rest of my life! [...]

Update (vsmama)

Original entry here.
Hi! I have a goal to feel my sexiest before my son reaches three! And he does in a little over three weeks but I’m already in such a positive state of mind. I’m very confident and excited for my continuing progress. I have such a supportive partner who is putting all they [...]

This is me now! (Dadama)

I got married to the perfect man when i was 19 (young I know) soon after I got pregnant . my son was 6 months when I started working and he spend a lot of hours in a daycare luckily my husband got a better job and I stopped working when my son was [...]

6 years after…I still feel a bit unconfident (Anonymous)

Age: 36
Number of pregnancies and births: 3 (sons)
Age of my children: 12 1/2 , almost 11 and 6
As you can read above I´m a mother of three. I received my first child at the age of 23, the second one at 25 and the little one when I was 30 years old.
My life is undergoing [...]

Loving Myself (Tarah)

I am 31
3 wonderful daughters!
I had my first child when I was 19. Always overweight and insecure with myself, my first pregnancy did not help. I gained quite a bit more weight. The father of my child would abuse me regularly. Never leaving bruises on the outside, just [...]

Skinny Moms, I have a Problem with You (Amanda)

Okay, let me get more specific here. Skinny moms that tell other women that you have a flat belly a month or two after giving birth to your second child because you have to chase child number 1 around. I have a problem with you. Big time.
Can you please [...]

So insecure about my body! Trying to accept it, but it’s not easy! (Anonymous)

Age:23
4 months postpartum
4 pregnancies, 3 births(1 miscarriage) (I have a 5 year old, a 3 year old and a 4 month old)
I was 17 when I became pregnant with my first child and I weighed 100 pounds. I was tiny. When I delivered him I weighed in at 140 pounds. By the time he was [...]

Bliss: 4 Children in 4 Years (Ami)

Age: 28
Pregnancies: 4
Births: 4
Kids: 7, 6, 5, 3
My husband and I were in the military when we met on a hot summer day during a training exercise and we were both filthy, exhausted, sunburned and peeling; it was love at first sight. I was 19, not quite 20, when I went in for a check-up [...]

My Journey to Motherhood (Amelia’s Momma)

19
1 pregnancy 1 birth
4 1/2 months
Motherhood has changed me in so many ways, I start my journey as a young carefree 18 year old kid, and end as a mature young woman. I met my baby’s father when I was eighteen years old. I thought he [...]

Good Days and Bad Days (Anonymous)

I’ve been working out consistently for the past year. I try to stay on track with a healthy diet most of the time, but I do admit at times I fall off the wagon! When I delivered my son in Oct. 2009 I weighed in at 183. I now bounce between 148 [...]

It looks like a frowny face (Kerry)

Previous submissions here and here.
Age: 19
First pregnancy/birth: 1 year pp
Thats what my 5 year old nephew says about my belly button. It bothered me immensely the first time he said it, then the more I thought of it a little chuckle escaped.. how many people can say it looks like their button [...]

2 Under 2… Every Day’s a Blessing (Anonymous)

I am 22 years old and have 2 children under the age of 2! I got pregnant with my first child when I was 20 years old, other than getting stretchmarks, I had never really though about how having a baby would change my body. I figured I was still young, and [...]

Trouble Accepting My New Body (Aarica)

Age~ 23
Pregnancy/births ~ 1 Pregnancy,1 birth
Postpartum- 7 months
I had just started dating my little guys dad six months before we found out we were expecting. It was a great moment for me and I’m sure him as well.
Before I met his dad I was in a long term relationship for 5 years with a different [...]

My Mommy Body - Update (Anonymous)

This is an update to my March 2007 post.
I am 25 years old. I got pregnant with my daughter just 2 months after my previous post. My little girl is now 2, and my son is 3. I lost all of the weight from her. I am just 10lbs [...]

My Body After Baby (Tessa)

I became pregnant and the age of 19 years old. Before I was pregnant, I was quite thin. I always had body image insecurities either way. Looking back at those photos, I find myself asking how I could have ever been displeased with my body pre-pregnancy. When I found out I was pregnant, I was [...]

Trying to accept the unexpected.. Again (Ish)

Well I will try and keep this as succinct as possible though I do tend to ramble once I get going.
In January 2009 I found out I was pregnant, unplanned and completely unexpected as I was on the contraceptive pill. I was 20, had been with my boyfriend a year (he already has a gorgeous [...]

Baby Mama (Anonymous)

Age 23
2 1/2 Years and 6 months postpartum
3 pregnancies 2 births
I’ve always struggled with body issues and would sometimes get depressed and sick about it because I wanted to be the “best”. I was always thin and had a nice body even if it wasn’t “perfect”. I always looked forward to pregnancy and was so [...]

You don’t realize what you have, until it’s gone.. so old but so true (Anonymous)

Age : 21
Number of Pregnancies : 1
Births : 1
Time Since giving birth : almost 11 months
I have been with my husband for over four years now. I got pregnant while we were still dating in 2009 when I was 20, and we got married shortly me after giving birth. Before I got [...]

7 weeks postpartum…7 pounds to go (Anonymous)

23 years old, first birth and first pregnancy
baby is now 7 weeks old
When I first found out I was pregnant I never thought of the impact a pregnancy could have on my body. I just could not imagine that I would have stretch marks and spider veins at my age…my mom has those not me! [...]

Size 16 Mom of 2 (Jen)

~Your Age: 26
~Number of pregnancies and births: 2 pregnancies, 2 births
~The age of your children, or how far postpartum you are: 8 months pp
~Any key words (second pregnancy, plus sized mom, cesarean, etc): cesarean, VBAC, plus sized, second pregnancy, Hypoplasia, IGT
I have 2 children. They are 19 months apart. The youngest is 8.5 [...]

My Story With Lily - Update (Marissa)

Original entry here.
I have lost 76 pounds, 10 more to go. im right now a 140 lbs, but the new pics are when i was a 144 lbs. I have finally started my period and the weight is coming off quickly. Plus, i eat right and jog. so its been helping alot. i hope i [...]

From “Pro-Ana” to Post-Partum (Annie)

Pregnancies-2 Births-2
14 months postpartum
25 yearsold
Daughter 3 years old Son 14 months
I went from worshiping this

to this

I suffered… uh.. have been suffering…well.. am struggeling against having.. ugh.. I HAVE an eating disorder. Kinda like … once and Alcoholic always an alcoholic… if im not very carefull I trip and fall flat on my [...]

I’m done doing nothing when I could work at being at my best! (vsmama)

Hi! I am a 27 year old mother to a beautiful 2.5 year old boy! I’ve been with my husband since I was 19
and we only found out we were pregnant 2 months short of me turning 25. I never had to exercise and always wore ’sexy’ but classy outfits. I [...]

Living For So Much (Natalia)

Age: 20
Pregnancies/births: 3 pregnancies/ 1 birth
Number of children: 1 son, Ronin, age 2
I found out I was pregnant when I was 17, which truly caught me by suprise. I know I wasn’t on birth control, but we used a condom every time. Could it be possible I was the 1% that the condom didn’t work [...]

My 4th belly!! (Iraiosc)

Hi again!! I wrote here twice before, you can see here and here.
I need to explain my feelings about what i’ve just did.
I’ve finally repaired my hernia and diastasis only 20 days ago!!
Family are contradicted, they wanted of course I get well quikly (sorry my mistakes please ) but I know they [...]

Loving What Is (Anonymous)

I am a sexual abuse victim. I lost a baby at 16 weeks when I was only 16 years old. I have had many years of self loathing. I can still here the ridiculing comments that were made about my body. I was ugly,dirty,the defect. When I saw what other women looked like
I drew this [...]

I wish I wasn’t so ashamed of my body (Anonymous)

Age:31
# of pregnancies and birth: 2 pregnancies and 1 birth
My child is now 4 years old.
I became pregnant and gave birth to a handsome boy at the age of 26. As much as I adore and cherish my son, the scars left on my body haunt me till this day. I’ve [...]

Hoping to love myself again (Anonymous)

~Age:26
~Number of pregnancies and births: 3 pregnancies (3 c-sections)
~The age of your children, or how far postpartum you are: Children ages 7, 2 and 8.5 months
Some days I look in the mirror and see my reflection somewhat of a positive way. “The stretch marks and skin aren’t that bad after all,” I say to myself, [...]

My son played a few tricks on me (J.D.)

My story starts in March 2007 when i decided to move to another country and start a new life. I was bored of my life, my job, my city and i felt very lonely and depressed. It was a great choice as i started on a new path with lots of joy and happiness. I [...]

38 Weeks Pregnant, Not Sure What to Expect (Georgia)

24 years old, First pregnancy
I have been coming to this site for a few weeks now, and everyones stories have been very encouraging. When I got pregnant, I was 5′5” and 158 pounds. I am currently at 180 pounds. So only gained 22 pounds. But I have always really like my body, especially my stomach. [...]

It Has Taken Time (Anonymous)

This is such a wonderful place for mothers to come! I recently stumbled upon this place while I was searching on facebook for different groups, and I am so so glad I did!
I have honestly always had body issues… I don’t know if it was learned from my mother, or from the [...]

Twin Skin… 4 babies in less than 4years (Jane)

I married a wonderful man and we were excited to start our family relatively quickly. First baby was a healthy, full term girl.
I was quite sure that I had done well to stay in a healthy range, after all, I had always been slim and I believed, based on my genetics that pregnancy would be [...]

Redemption Baby (Tabitha)

This is a story of redemption. Here’s the story, from the beginning….
I got pregnant for the first time in March of 2005. My first pregnancy was a breeze and we planned to have a home birth with a midwife. I labored for 18 hours at home but due to complications during the pushing phase, I [...]

This is Me (Anonymous)

Age: 23
Numbers of pregnancies and births: 1
Children: 1 awesome daughter, 3 years old
This is who I am and unfortunately I’m not too happy with myself. No matter how much weight I lose, my stomach doesn’t seem to shrink. I’m currently 175 pounds and I plan on getting down to 140. I really hope I see [...]

The roads that led to motherhood - A stretch mark love story! (Rachael)

Age now: 22
18 months pp.
I became a mother at age 21. My son was born at 7lbs 11 ounces and I absolutely do not regret anything I went through in order to bring him into the world safely. Before pregnancy, I loved my body. I loved my complexion, my height, my weight… [...]

Twin Tummy After Two Years (Anonymous)

Age: 34
1 pregnancy, 2 children
I have recently discovered this website and am so glad I did as the stories have inspired me and helped me accept my post pregnancy body. I generally keep my thoughts on my body to myself as I don’t like drawing attention to it and I never imagined I would [...]

My Journey Into Motherhood (Anonymous)

I’ve struggled with food for a few years now. My struggle was mostly a secret and began two and a half years ago when I decided I wanted to lose weight for my wedding. I wasn’t overweight, but I wanted to look good. Long story short, I became obsessed, gained the weight [...]

Life of a Cheated Mom (Anonymous)

So here is my story, I became pregnant after a 7 year relationship with my high school sweet heart, he had been faithful all those years, after a couple of days o finding out about my pregnancy my boyfriend started an affair with a coworker of his, that been january last year, in february i [...]

3 years and 3 months later… (Anonymous)

I had my first son in October 2007 by emergency cesarian and my daughter 17 months later by elective cesairan. I have now given up breastfeeding for one month and although I miss it I am pleased to have my body to myself. I fed each baby for over a year and had been continually [...]

The Ever-Elusive Belly Button (Lulu)

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 [...]

Big Tee & Little Tee (Tee)

Age: 26
Pregnancies/births: 1 pregnancy, 1 birth
Age of child: 5
I was 19 when I found out I was pregnant and I was scared to death. I was a junior in college, my boyfriend (now husband) was stationed in another state and neither of us knew anything about babies. We had tons of support from our [...]

Update (Kayla)

Previous entries here, here and here.
21 years old
1 pregnancy, 1 birth
son is 16 months old
current weight: 165lbs
I am now 16 months pp as of yesterday (March 22, 2010). I have GAINED weight in the past month or so and it is so frustrating. I have to say, alot of it is my own fault, [...]

Worth Every Pound and Every Mark (Apryl)

First of all, I would like to applaud this site. It is wonderful to see you celebrating the real beauty n a mother instead of criticizing the perceived flaws that so many of us think we have because we don’t match the air-brushed photos of the celebrity moms that have a personal trainer, personal chef, [...]

The aftermath of sexual violence + the beginning of healing, part 2 (Anonymous)

About a year ago, six weeks after giving birth to my son, I posted my first entry.
It’s been a tough and fun year and yet again my body has changed a lot. I am still breastfeeding and that has helped me lose all my pregnancy weight, without any effort on my part. That was quite [...]

Uneven Breasts (Proud Mom)

My baby boy is 7 months tomorrow, and I’m a 23 year old all proud battle scared mom… I’ve been 1 of the lucky ladies to not develop strech marks, but a single one right on top of my belly button, the problem I’ve had is that at least 4 months ago my baby won’t [...]

Third Child, 3 Months PP (Anonymous)

I am 29 years old and had baby number three, three months ago. I gained 40-45 lbs. with each pregnancy, a lot of it going on my stomach. People always asked me if I was sure I wasn’t having twins. But I loved my big pregnant belly. I felt so full of life, even [...]

Update (Jeanne)

Original entry here.
Since my initial submission I feel like I’ve been able to focus on the important thing- finished college, got a job, spend my time with my daughter and have dated here and there. I’ve accepted my body and while I don’t love it- I like it for it’s flaws and have been able [...]

I Hate My Stomach (Emma)

I never liked my body before I got pregnant at 18, but after going through a very rough pregnancy, I wish I had appreciated it more when I could. My pregnancy was unplanned, and I spent much of it wondering if I was making the right decision. It was also rough on me physically - [...]

Brave enough (Anonymous)

I have a secret……I am brave enough to strut for my husband, brave enough to let him touch any place on my body, brave enough to call myself sexy and actually KNOW that I am. I am brave enough to not second guess my husband when he says I am the most beautiful, I [...]

A Deeper Beauty (Jessica)

Age: 23
Number of Pregnancies and Births: 1/1
How far postpartum : 7 months
I have been reading the stories of these lovely ladies since I stumbled upon it at a few weeks post partum. Looking for other women who looked like myself that I could relate to not only physically but emotionally. I [...]

Positive Pregnancy (Marta)

Pregnancy #1
Weeks Pregnant- 30
Age:27
I have been fascinated by pregnancy and mothers from a very young age. Before my husband and I began trying we had spent years educating ourselves on pregnancy and what we wanted for our first born. I’ve always been a naturalist at heart and so we have chosen a home birth, [...]

A Map Where He Lived (Kace)

Kace, age 31
3 children, aged 7 and 5
The irony of my being able to find beauty in the natural shape of a mom’s form postpartum is not lost on me. I served a year in the military and was sexually assaulted. As a byproduct of the sexual assaults I rejected the female form. [...]

10.5 months postpartum:how body change after each child (Kristin)

Number of Pregnancy/children: 3 pregnancy’s , 2 children(one ended in miscarriage)
How many months postpartum: 10.5months (as of March 16)
First entry.
Second entry.
Third entry.
I wrote here other times telling you all my story and how i was not happy about my body after 2 children but how much my beautiful children are worth every mark. Well i [...]

Rachael

Hello,
My Name is Rachael. I am 22, I live in Bunbury, Western Australia.
I had my baby boy “Traye” on the 21st of February 2010… so that makes me 3 and a half weeks “PP”.
I knew i was going to have a bad stomach because of how quickly my stretch marks came up.. i started showing [...]

Teen Mum of One (Anonymous)

I’m 19 years old. Found out I was pregnant when I was 18 and turned 19 during my pregnancy. I felt really terrible about myself from 6 months pregnant on. I felt I looked so huge and disgusting and cried about it alot. My body after having my baby turned out not to be much [...]

Regarding the OC Register Article (Anonymous)

“Stretching the Truth” seemed a very appropriate title for the article in today’s newspaper! I have heard so many women say that their children ruined their bodies. I know that is not the case with me! I have two beautiful girls. One is over 30 years old and the other just [...]

Self hate? Why not celebrate! (Brittany)

4 months post-partum with second child, first child is 3yrs
My name is Brittany and I am a 24 year old mother of two. I have a 3 year old son and a 4month old baby girl. Like many women, I have struggled with body issues for a majority of my life. I have hated my [...]

Update 3 years PP..Bio Oil made a difference! (Anonymous)

Age: 26
Age of child :3 years old
This is an update from my previous submission. I haven’t really changed my eating habits, I eat as best I can and I still cant motivate myself to exercise on a regular basis..actually I gained some weight since the last entry. When the entry was written I weighed 116, [...]

Due in 12 days! (First Time Mother)

I’m very close to giving birth to my firstborn, a girl. I was about 180 lbs at conception. That’s about 20 lbs heavier than my normal weight, and in a little bout of irony, I was dedicating my summer to exercise in an attempt to get back down to 160, when bam, I got pregnant [...]

You’ll Never Be Beautiful Again (Anonymous)

Age:23
Number of Pregnancies:1
Child: 1 unbelievably beautiful son, 8 months
I would love to share the name of my son or a before photo of myself or even a full picture of myself, but I can not bare the thought of someone I know reading this. I have this fear that must come from highschool that someone, [...]

Irelynd

Irelynd
Age: 22
Number of Pregnancies’
Age of Irelynd: 5 weeks 2 days
I was 21 when I got pregnant with Irelynd, at first I cried I was told I couldn’t get pregnant since I have some genetic diseases that made it near impossible to carry a child. My mom wanted me to get an abortion since I am [...]

2 1/2 Years Later- Anonymous

Age: 21
A couple months after I turned 18 I found out I was pregnant. Since my boyfriend lived in California and I was so young, I was very nervous. Having my daughter changed my entire life around. I become responsible, mature and learned how to put my daughter’s needs in front of my own. My [...]

Just gotta keep plugging away at it (Tara)

Age 29
Pregnancies 3
Births 1 Cesarean
5 months PP
This is a great site, I have really enjoyed reading everyone’s stories and seeing pictures of other women PP and their beautiful babies. I have a 5 month old son, he was born by cesarean. I am still trying to get used to the scar, it is [...]

My thoughts, fears, and joys of being a mother (Stacy)

Age: 26
# of pregnancies and births: 5 pregnancies (currently pregnant), 2 births
My children are 6 and 2, and I am 10 weeks pregnant with my third child
I became pregnant for the first time at 19 years old. It seemed like the MOST horrible time for it to happen. I was not in a great [...]

Saggy Baggy Mama (Anonymous)

I never expected to want to be a mother.
I never expected to enjoy being a mother.
I never expected that I could love anyone so much.
I never expected to describe myself as uncooked dough that had been mauled by a bear.
I did want to be a mother, I do enjoy being a mother, and I love [...]

It helps to know I’m not the only one (Anonymous)

I will never ever get “my” body back. If I had the money to get a tummy tuck, I’d do it in a heartbeat! My stomach is the thing I’m most self concious of, but I have plenty of stretch marks all over my breasts, thighs and butt too. I’m 5′2” and currently weigh 134, [...]

My body has definitely changed for the worse but my little girl was worth it! (Sienna)

Age: 22
Number of pregnancies and births: 1 Pregnancy, 1 Birth
I am 8 weeks postpartum
I became pregnant when I was 21 after only 1 month of trying and was absolutely delighted! I loved my body just before getting pregnant - I had just lost a bit of weight and was feeling very [...]

For the love of the fight (Dani)

Age: 24
Number of pregnancies/births: 3/1
Age of child: 10.5 months
I struggled with infertility for years. I suffered 2 miscarriages and finally, in August of 2008, I got pregnant again for the 3rd time. I was afraid, but confident. I carried the pregnancy to term and now have a beautiful daughter. When I saw my body after [...]

VBAC Mom of 3 (Anonymous)

29 yrs old
4 pregnancies, 3 children
picture is from 31 weeks during pregnancy #4
First pregnancy was a c-section while the second and third births were home births.

Pregnancy and Firefighting (Heather)

24 years old
1 pregnancy & 1 birth
6 weeks PP
I am 24 years old and am very short and not proportional. I have always had large thighs, large boobs (36DD), and wide hips for only being 5 foot tall (size 9). I have never really had any big problems with my body. My stomach was somewhat [...]

Ugly is irrelevant (Alicia)

Age: 21
Pregnancies: 1
Births: 1
Children: One beautiful girl that will be three April 13th 2010.
About two years ago, when I would step out of the shower and see my naked body standing there I would cringe. I would try to get out of there as fast as I could so I wouldn’t have to look at [...]

I want to look better. (Sue)

~Age: 22
~Number of pregnancies and births: 1
~The age of your children: 16 months
First of all I want to apologize for mistakes, English is not my language, I’m from Poland.
I’m just 22 and I’m not happy about new look of my body… I’m not hating it only because of my boyfriend who seems to like it [...]

First Time Mama (Anonymous)

I found out I was pregnant in April of last year. My husband and I were very, very surprised but excited none the less! I delivered my baby on Thanksgiving day. We had planned a birth center natural birth but when our sweet little one was a face presentation all plans changed. This was [...]

Loving the new me, sags, stretchies and more. (Christina)

I got pregnant when I was sixteen. But from the moment I knew what was going on with my body I loved it. I saw past the new milk filled boobs, that I loved at first; as food for my growing child. I saw past my ever growing rear end, and the dark mark making [...]

Learning to Love My New Body (Anonymous)

I was 19 when I found out I was pregnant and had my first baby. I wasn’t too happy when I found out because it was unplanned. I have been with my boyfriend for 4 years and he is a great father. I have such a hard time accepting my new body. It is basically [...]

My Story (Holly)

My name is Holly. I am 25 years old and have one daughter, a two year old named Lillian. She was an unplanned pregnancy, conceived at what I used to think was the peak of my physical beauty. I was 23, single, and a dancer with perfect abs, lol. My whole life I have been [...]

Blessing and A Curse (Paige)

My whole life I was in sports. I started gymnastics at 3 years old and didnt stop until I went away to college. I started running track and playing football in the 7th grade and continued until college. While in college I modeled. I was 20 when I became pregnant with my first child by [...]

Different Body, Same Girl (Leah)

22 years old
3 pregnancies, 2 births.
Justin 4, Tanner 2
I am in love. I love my body. I love my babies. I love my life. This body is NOT the body I am familiar with, but I am grateful. I have too much to be thankful for to focus on my [...]

Now 17 months PP and content (Krystal)

Previous entries here and here.
Well, here I am now at 17 months pp!! I can’t believe my little guy is already so old =) lol.
Since my last entry 10 months ago I have come along way. I am still not bikini confident yet but I’m getting there. Maybe another 2 years.
I joined a gym finally [...]

Second Update (Bryana)

Original entries here and here.
Children:
#1) Rayden Wolfgang: Dec 12, 2005
#2) Cairo Sofia: June 23, 2009
Age: 22
I guess this submission isn’t really about me. I have posted twice before because I think this website is nothing short of amazing. It has inspired me to love my body, it’s “flaws” and all. Our bodies have performed miracles; [...]

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! (Elissa)

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” [...]