The Shape of a Mother

3 Years PP, Just Accepting Myself (Anonymous)

Hello ladies! First of all thanks for reading this, and thank god for this site! I am now 3 yrs pp, and I absolutely have to say time DOES heal! At least for me, and I hope it does for you too. I had a very good pregnancy, I gained a lot of weight but [...]

Frustration (Anonymous)

My story is LONG and exhausting, but I like to tell it. I hope that I can be inspiration to other females that find themselves where I was, and where I am now. Previous to my night of conception, I was a vibrant young 20 year old female. I was nearing the end of my [...]

Is She an Angel (Anonymous)

I’m 22 years old and I’ve had a rough couple of years with love, I started dating this guy and he wasn’t exactly treating me the best, I knew I deserved better but didn’t have the self respect to care. After four months of dating him, we found out we were pregnant, when I told [...]

Struggling (Nicola)

Nicola, age 26 1 Pregnancy, 1 Birth 1 Year PP When I was pregnant, I really believed that I was going to enjoy motherhood. I was sure that I had prepared myself as much as one can. When my baby was born, of course it was difficult from the start. Not only was I recovering [...]

The Shadow Fear Casts is Often Bigger Than the Fear Itself (Anonymous)

My husband told me that I was beautiful every day of my pregnancy, including while I was in the hospital in labor. From day one, I was deathly afraid of the changes that my body would undergo. My mind was filled with all of the horror stories that I had heard about pregnancy and the [...]

Hating My Body (Shantel)

age 23 1 pregnancy 3.5 post partum. I have always loved my body for the most part, I’ve always been attractive and confident. It is very difficult to see myself the way I look after I had my son because this isn’t the me that I see when I think about myself. I honestly think [...]

I Love My Body (Gwen)

I have been so thankful to have found this site; it helped me through a period in my life where the physical changes of my body were difficult to keep up with. My self-image and esteem were in a young, and unstable place when I got pregnant. As much as I have always been thankful [...]

Something I Cannot Fix (Marissa)

Age:19 One daughter (Lily), one birth/pregnancy. I gave birth at the age of 16. Big life change after that moment. I have done great as a mother and as a student. I tried to be perfect in every way and love my daughter to the fullest! She makes my day. =) But many obstacles have [...]

Amazing Stretching Skin (Ann)

When I found out I was pregnant, post-baby changes were one of the more minor things on my mind. That said, I was very careful to eat extremely healthy during my entire pregnancy and ended up gaining about 30 pounds. My daughter was a waterbirth with a midwife, born at 39 weeks. She weighed 6lbs. [...]

Almost 7 Months Postpartum (Anonymous)

~Age: 27 ~Number of pregnancies and births: 1/1 ~The age of your children, or how far postpartum you are: 7 months ~pre-pregnancy weight: 160. Final pregnancy weight: 230 ~gave birth to 9 lb baby girl I have a ridiculously beautiful baby girl. I had a lot of support from moms on an online message board [...]

The Before, During, and After of My Belly (Anonymous)

age 28 number pregnancies: 1 pregnant 25 weeks with next I have always been pretty active and fit, I was 26 when I got pregnant with my son, it was unexpected and my husband and I had only been together for 6 months at the time. I tried and tried to avoid the stretch marks [...]

30 Years in the Making (Anonymous)

My journey from hating myself to, well, not hating myself as much. Age: 30 Pregnancies: 1 Births: 1 via C-Section on 4/26/2011 Stay at home mom I am almost 8 months PP and think I am finally becoming more comfortable with myself after being insecure for most of my life. I gave birth to a [...]

Postpartum Psychosis Survivor (Pinay Mom NYC)

Hearing things that weren’t there was bad; keeping silent about it was worse. For months after my daughter was born via C-section, I felt miserable and pathetic. I had been so independent prior to giving birth at 31; then I saw myself as this needy, ugly thing, financially dependent on a husband who was suffering [...]

No Comparison (Anonymous)

We hear so often that celebrities aren’t comparable to real people because they have things we regular mortals can only dream of: trainers, laser treatments, personal chefs, plastic surgeons on site, maternity fashion stylists, spa treatments, etc. And I guess all of that’s true. And I guess I can accept that and not compare myself [...]

Postpartum Hair Loss (Samantha)

~Age: 22 ~Number of pregnancies and births: one ~The age of your children, or how far postpartum you are: 13 months I spent most of my childhood battling alopecia. I went to some of the top doctors, including Johns Hopkins, and they still couldn’t figure out a reason for my hair loss. By the time [...]

Not Even Halfway (Anonymous)

19 years old. 1st pregnancy. 17 weeks. I’m only seventeen weeks and I have been struggling with my weight gain. My doctors and family say its completely normal, I know I haven’t a lot to be so upset about I’m not gaining more weight than I’m supposed too. But I’m very stressed, I was in [...]

Update (Elivert)

Original post here. PP: 9 MONTHS AGE: 21 After my first post I have had many changes in my life, I have a beautiful baby I love and a wonderful husband that every day brings more smiles and joy in my life and supports me unconditionally with my new body and outlook on life , [...]

Feel alone, but trying to stay positive. (Sophia)

Its been 4 months since i had my baby boy , hes my everything my whole world, But i cant help feeling so upset about my body now and could really use somone to talk to, Im 18 years old and had my boy by c section its left me whole body in a state [...]

What Makes Me Valuable? (Ginni)

I’m much more superficial than I care to admit, even to myself. I’ve always talked a lot about how looks don’t matter, but it’s easy to say that when you’re skinny without even trying to be. When my husband and I started trying to have a baby, I was thrilled, but I secretly freaked out. [...]

Moving On (Anonymous)

Previous post here. 1 Vaginal Birth 1 Pregnancy 20 months PP Age 22 After my first post, I wasn’t going to post again until after having a second child, to see where I was and how I felt about my body after having 2 children. But I feel like I need to share what has [...]

4 Years Later… I Am Still Afraid of Showing My Body (Natalie G)

Age 26 Number of pregnancies : 2 preg. 1 birth Child: 4 years old. 48 months 1 week PP Four years and 1 week ago (as of 11/08/11) I gave birth to the most amazing kid in the world. My son Jacob, who is the sweetest little boy ever, weighed in at 9lbs 11 oz [...]

Sad Moments (Myeia)

Previous post here. Hello SOAM I nvr thought id be writing soi soon, but I’ve been having some real sad moments the past few weeks, where I’ve come real close to giving up hope, with thoughts of me never regaining the confidence I once had. I’m 2 months post partum and felt better when I [...]

Getting There Finally! (Heidi)

Previous post here. 19 years old 1 pregnancy, 1 birth 9.5 months PP When I first wrote back in May, I was really in a rough spot with my weight and self-esteem issues. I still don’t feel I’m at my “ideal” weight, but I do feel a lot better about myself. My Stats as of [...]

Learning (Trying Really Hard) to Accept and Love Myself (Rebecca)

i am 21 and i have had 2 pregnancies and one birth. this is my body 1 year post pregnancy/c section. i was a self harmer before baby, so i have some scars mainly to my thighs, i had almost come to accept them when i got pregnant. the babys father left when i was [...]

Surprise Pregnancy & 3 Weeks Post Partum (Anonymous)

Age: 21 Pregnancies and Births: 1 Child: 3 weeks old January 2011 Plans are moving along, Just ordered my wedding dress and invites, had a wonderful weekend away with my fiance. Next week, got confimation that everything was ordered. End of the week I didnt feel right. (Let the fun start) I took a pregnancy [...]

An Everyday Battle (Grace)

Age: 21 Postpartum: 21 months Number of pregnancies: 1 Everyday my mind changes about my body. One day I will be fine and the next day I’m angry. I have a beautiful baby girl whose 21 months old. Shes happy, healthy, and she knows her momma loves her. I gave birth Jan 4th 2010, via [...]

My Body After Twins (Anonymous)

Everyone told me when I was pregnant that I would never be able to wear a bikini again because being pregnant with twins destroys your stomach. I want to tell you that that is not always the case. People also said that if your mom has stretch marks you will too. My Mom has stretch [...]

Defeat and Angels (Anonymous)

Age: 22 Pregnancies/Births: 1/1 Age of child/how far pp: 3 months I was 21 when I found out I was pregnant, and though it was not planned we could not have been happier. I had always wanted a baby, and now I was going to be a mother! The pregnancy was very easy and I [...]

My Story (Anonymous)

Pregnancies : 1 Age:19. I had a beautiful baby girl almost three months ago and I am so happy with my life besides one thing…my body. P re-pregnancy I weighed 130 pounds but it looked more like 120 and I am 5’3 I had very toned abs smaller hips and a 34 C bra size. [...]

Tanner’s Mommy (Chelsi)

Age- 20 Number of pregnancies and births- 1 Age of of your children- 2years I was 17 when I found out I was pregnant. I was so terrified, I didnt know what to do. My boyfriend, tanners dad… Was there for me threw everything and still is. When i was 3 months pregnant I told [...]

Be Your Own Kind of Beautiful (Sia)

Most recent post here. age: 18 months pp: 15 months (WOW time sure does fly!) weight: 96 pounds Hello again lovely ladies! This is my last update on SOAM, again I would like to say how much this website has helped me through my struggles with my pp body! All of you woman are amazing [...]

Sad But Not Giving Up Hope (Myeia)

Hi, I’m Myeia (Mya), I’m writing to you all the from Jamaica. I’m 23 years old and 3 weeks 1 day postpartum. Maybe its too early for me to submit my story since I’ve not yet healed properly, but I just wna share my story. Also, I must say that I read the stories of [...]

The beauty of my twin shaped body. (Stephanie M)

This was my first pregnancy and I was 19. I had complication after complication. First I ended up in the hospital at 8 weeks because they thought I was miscarrying, only to find out I had been blessed with not one baby, but two! Now before 19, I was a runner and in shape. I [...]

Learning to Love My Pregnant Body (Anonymous)

Age: 24 1st pregnancy; 25 weeks along I’ve always been naturally skinny. I guess you could blame good genetics. I’m almost 5’9″ and have always weighed anywhere from 124-128. As of right now I am 25 weeks pregnant and I’ve already gained 22 pounds! (150 lbs) I am having such a hard time loving this [...]

I Feel Like a Woman Now, 20lbs Heavier (Ashley)

I have always been a rather thin girl. Perhaps bordering pre-pubescent. I was never one to be hit on or even complimented. Instead I got the, “omg do you need help. Lets get her to a clinic right away.” Standing 5’7″, I was 130 lbs pre-pregnancy and wore a size 7. I had a fairly [...]

The Best Thing About My Pregnancy is That it’s Over (I.L.)

Age: 30 Pregnancies and births: 1/1, my toddler is now 22 months old. I got pregnant a few weeks before my 28th birthday. Pregnancy and birth have not changed my body that much on the outside. I have a hypertrophic-but-fading lower segment cesarean scar on my belly right above the pubic bone, a few stretch [...]

Body Image Issues, Husband Not Helping (Anonymous)

Age: 23 Number of births: 1 Age of Child: 2 months Currently 2 months post par tum My story goes back all the way to elementary school when I started struggling with body image issues. I had precocious puberty which is basically going through puberty way too early. I started my period at age 8 [...]

Obsessed with this jelly belly (B.J.)

I’ve struggled with my weight since I was 9.At one point in time I even became anorexic. I’ve always been one to exercise and diet to stay in shape. In high school I had a really nice body, and for once I was kind of proud of it. But at the age of 16 I [...]

How can I love my new body? (Anonymous)

~Age:17 ~Number of pregnancies and births:1 ~The age of your children, or how far postpartum you are: 4 monnths PP I got pregnant at 16 with a beautiful baby boy. hes my world.. before getting pregnant I weighed 115 pounds and I am 5″6. wasnt fat looking just normal size. After i had my son [...]

Comfortable in a new body? (Anonymous)

I never thought I’d be posting on a website like this. Don’t get me wrong I don’t mean that in a bad way I just assumed I would be one of those lucky few women who bounced right back after having a baby. You know no stretchmarks, toned and taut tummy less than 6 months [...]

The Real Teen Mother (Katelyn)

I’m tired of only seeing the prom queen that just happens to have a baby, pop a bottle in their mouth, and go out to party in their size 0 miniskirt a week later… it’s like I’m supposed to be like that. but I’m not… I was 15 years old (2wks shy of my 16th [...]

If only I loved myself as much as I love my life… (Miss Meliss)

I really do have a wonderful life. I have a beautiful son, a loving husband, a supportive mother, a best friend of almost 30 years. I am a student-nurse. I live in a nice, modern home. I drive a decent car. I have a dog, 2 cats and some fish. I laugh often, I love [...]

They Say it Takes Nine Months (Marz)

Previous posts start here. 23 years old one pregnancy, one birth (an adorable son) I’m now 9 months postpartum. I have a few dresses: size 6, size 8, size 9. I have several jeans: size 8, size 9, size 10, size 13. I have shirts: S, M, L. I am between an A cup and [...]

Jealous of Your Breast Complaints, Terrified of Post-Pregnancy Body (Wren)

pictures: -4.5 months pregnant (closest I have to pre-pregnancy) -6 months -last three are me at 7 months Age: 20 Number of pregnancies: 1 (8 months along) I couldn’t wait until after birth to post something because every time I come to this website I ache to share my own story. I’m not generally an [...]

My body has changed, but I feel better with myself. (Silvia)

Age: 27 Nr. of pregnancies and births: 1-1 Age of my baby girl: 3 months When I learned I was pregnant, I tried a mix of emotions, fear, happiness, surprise … I thought it was a miracle, because I thought I could not get pregnant due to some problems. I was frightened by the thought [...]

Genetics is Everything (Anonymous)

I am 31 years old, my little one was born about 15 month ago, in May, 2010. Before my pregnancy my belly was absolutely flat, I was so proud of it. Although we needed c-section, because my baby’s head did not find its way out and my doctor did not want to risk anything after [...]

Update, 15 Year Old Mother (Terressa)

Previous entry here. This is an update from my first submission here on SOAM. When I first typed this I had this whole long story about what I’ve been through the past year, but I realized it would be a VERY long story. So here’s a summary of my first year of motherhood (although it’s [...]

Worth it All (Anonymous)

24 years old, first baby, 4 months old at the time of this picture. Took 20 months and a miscarriage to get to where we are now. These are what I jokingly refer to as my “tiger stripes”. They do make me sad sometimes, but I try to think of them as a natural form [...]

Suddenly Androgynous! (Jan)

1 Pregnancy 1 Child, eight months old My name is Jan. I am 25 years old and I am currently eight months postpartum. Before my husband and I even started trying to get pregnant, I was concerned about what might happen to my body. I had always been slim, my tummy flat, and my breasts [...]

45 pounds up, 40 pounds down. learning to love my new body… saggy skin and all! (Ruth)

25 years old, first (and only) pregnancy, cesarean, baby boy Pre-pregnancy weight: 110 lbs. (best shape of my life!) Weight gained in pregnancy: 45 lbs. Current Weight at one year postpartum: 115 lbs (5 lbs to go!) Before baby, I was working out sometimes 2 hours a day (don’t worry, I ate a lot to [...]

Learning to Surrender (Anonymous)

30 years old, two pregnancies one birth. Currently 8 months pregnant. 15 month old daughter. I used to be a dancer and circus performer and suffered with eating disorders, self harmed and abused alcohol for many many years. By the time I reached 25 I had recovered and was able to maintain a normal and [...]

Loving My Mommy Marks (Izzy)

Age-20 1 birth baby will be 2 in September Hello beautiful moms!! its been well over a year since I last posted. But I have been a daily visitor for the past 3 years. In my last submission I was 6 weeks pp with my little man, he will be two in September time sure [...]

Same Weight, Different Body (Anonymous)

-Age 24, 1 child -5 months PP My pregnancy was awful. Since college, I’ve been a pretty healthy person at 5’1 and 145 but I’ve slowly crept up in weight from 120-145 but I feel comfortable at 135. Well, when I graduated from college last year, I discovered that I was pregnant–my boyfriend whom had [...]

Perfectly Imperfect (Blondiebroken)

I am a teen mother, I got pregnant my first time having sex at the age of 17. I am now 19 years old and my son is 19 months old. When I was pregnant I had gained around 70-80 pounds and now that I am 19 months P.P. I still have 20 or 25 [...]

Follow Up, A Year After Childbirth (Ann)

Previous post here. When I read over my previous submission from a year ago, my stomach clenches and my chest feels tight. I sounded so sad and hopeless, like pregnancy was an entry into a beauty contest that I had already lost. I have almost zero pictures of me and my baby when she was [...]

Base Kennedy (Jessica)

I was always very skinny pre-pregnancy, now I’m thicker but the same weight. Just padded everywhere. ~Age: 18 years old. ~Number of pregnancies and births: One. ~The age of your children, or how far postpartum you are: 7 months and almost 3 weeks postpartum

(Un)expected Miracle (Proudmama)

Previous entries here and here. Age: 31 Number of pregnancy and birth: 1 Age of child/months postpartum: 20 months I’ve been meaning to post an update for a while. I realized the other day that the reason I hadn’t was because I was waiting for a miracle. I kept waiting for that day where I [...]

Momma of Twin Girls (Danica)

First off I’d like to state that the first picture posted is of me at 37 weeks & 2 days pregnant… it is also the day right before I gave birth to my twins so it gives you a nice glimpse as to how large my belly was. The second picture is of myself 7 [...]

1 Pregnancy, 1 Birth (Anonymous)

I was 16 when I got pregnant. I was just starting to live out my life after years of being shy and to myself. I had met the father of the baby about a year before I got pregnant. Luckily the father of my daughter is really good to me, loves our daughter and where [...]

Hard to Feel Good (Chelsea)

Hey there, I’m a 22 year old first time mother of a 7 month old beautiful little girl. While pregnant with my daughter I gained 80Lbs making my weight a whopping 220. At my age I feel like being a mom has certain expectations, one of them being that you shoudn’t look like you just [...]

Mommy Belly (Sarah)

I’m 26 with 3 pregnancies, 2 births. I have a 4 year old son and 5 months and 2 week old daughter. I was 21 when I had my first child and I weighed 150 pre pregnancy, I wasn’t the skinniest I have ever been but I liked the way my body looked. I wore [...]

Why Me? (Rachel)

Age~18 (17 when pregnant) Number of pregnancies/births~1 Age of children/PP~8 weeks I was 17 and had just started my senior year when I first found out I was pregnant. As you would have guessed I was very scared and cried lots over the subject. Loads of thoughts soared through my head, but instantly I knew [...]

Summer Lovin’ (Kayla)

Previous posts here and here. My daughter will be 3 months old on the 4th of July. That is coming way too fast for me. I really thought 6 weeks after birth I would be back to pre-pregnancy…Seems like every girl I know bounces right back. I lost 35 pounds in the hospital after I [...]

I Control My Body, My Body Does Not Control Me! (Danielle)

My age: 35 Number of children: 2 – Daughter 3yrs, Son 5 months No one ever told me anything about what happens after pregnancy – the fatigue, depression, mood swings, bleeding for weeks, body changes – the list goes on. I was prepared for my baby, but not prepared for what pregnancy did to me. [...]

Closure and Acceptance (Melissa)

Previous post here. Age: 23 Number of Pregnancies: 1 Number of Births: 1 PP: 8 months today I have been keeping up with the readings here, and honestly I do not know what I would have done without this website. Reading your stories, seeing real pictures, have been an eye opener, and an equalizer in [...]

I want myself back. (Anonymous)

I have a gorgeous 16 month old son. I am 21, myself. I feel terrible about my body. I don’t feel like the same person, I literally look at pictures of myself before giving birth and think to myself how I miss that very faraway strange person. it never leaves my mind. If I am [...]

Goodbye beautiful body, hello beautiful daughter. (Elivert)

I have 21 years old. For a long time my body had taken care of no gain, of stretch marks,always look my beautiful belly. Until I met my lovely husband, who has supported me and always wanted, we wanted very much a baby in our lives. Until a year ago gave us the news of [...]

For Ava (Anonymous)

Age: 23 Number of pregnancies: 1, Births 1 4 Weeks postpartum I am 23 years old and had my beautiful daughter 4 weeks ago. When I found out I was pregnant, I weighed 126 pounds, the day I delivered my daughter Ava, I weighed 186. I gained 60 pounds!! I am 5’7 and have always [...]

Picture Me (Lady Tea)

Age: 34 1 pregnancy, 1 child (5 years old) Originally posted at Lady Tea’s blog. This photo is quintessential me: sunglasses on my head, always a sweater handy (layers, you see, are a very important defense against schizophrenic Delaware weather), sandals (not quite as good as barefoot, but close), hanging out in nature with my [...]

Update (Anonymous)

Previous entries here and here. im 24 in july – my amazing son will be 4. I have posted 2 times previous to this… i still have my days where i get down on myself, but overall i know im beautiful as well as my shape of a mother I started using trilastin stretch mark [...]

My Twin Skin (Anonymous)

I’m trying to come to terms with my twin skin. Before I got pregnant I was a little over my prefered weight at about 125 lbs. I gained almost 70 lbs during the pregancy, but most of it was swelling and of course two babies weight a lot too. After my boys were born I [...]

Finny and the ‘Broids (Mel)

I’ll be the first to admit I’m a little vain. It’s definitely not a quality I embrace, but still, it’s there. As long as I can remember I have had body issues. Even when I was a scrawny, adolescent little girl, I remember wearing sweats or shorts over my leotard to my gymnastics classes. I [...]

Save the Mom Jeans (Jenna Moffit)

Age 24; Pregnancies 2; Births 1; 8 months post partum There are too many days I wake up to my 8 month old daughter talking to herself in her pack and play at 5 am. When I look in, she sees me and her face lights up with joy; I can’t help but pick her [...]

Want What You Don’t Have; Hate What You Do (Amanda Romero)

Age: 26 Number of Pregnancies and Births: One Pregnancy, One Birth Postpartum: Three and a Half Months I have been through the entire gambit of physical appearance. I was born a healthy baby. I was in the 90′s as far as my percentile was concerned both in weight and height. By age four I became [...]

First Child, Deployed Husband (Jessi)

I’m Jessi. I will soon be turning 21 and my baby girl is 3 months 1 week and 2 days old. She is my pride and joy and I thank God for her every day for allowing me to have her while my husband is off serving our country. When we first found out I [...]

What I feel on the inside doesn’t match the outside… (Anonymous)

I am 16 months pp and have slowly lost a few pounds here and there. It’s not the weight that gets me down, but how my body has become so misshapen. My breasts are so saggy and the one is double the size of the other. My back side is just a blob of fat. [...]

For Chanel (Dalena)

~ Age: 25 ~ 1 pregnancy 1 birth ~ 5 weeks postpartum I stopped taking my birth control pills at the end of May 2010. I found out I was pregnant on July 17th, 2010. I would say my pregnancy was normal. There weren’t any complications. I gained a total of 45lbs. I was 185lbs [...]

We create beauty. We are beauty. (Kayla)

Original entry here. I put a post on here not too long ago. I have come so far the passed few weeks that I thought I would go ahead and post again. I have been thinking a lot about my body and the bodies of women on this site and I am wondering…how in the [...]

Living it Up (Meredith)

Dear SOAM, Oh man. This site has helped me so so much! I read it daily. No joke, after I had my little man (almost 2 years ago now, crazy) I was shocked/ticked with what happened to my body. No one told me what was gonna happen. No one ever talked about the droopy, saggy, [...]

3 Years Later (Anonymous)

I’m coming up on my daughter’s third birthday and it was sort of a shock to realize that this was also (obviously) the three-year anniversary of my c-section. I hadn’t planned on a c-section and was pretty upset that I ended up having one. I had figured that my body would be different after pregnancy [...]

My New Self (Dee)

~Age: 17 ~Number of Pregnancies and Births: 1 ~Age of Child/Postpartum: Almost 6 months I tried to make this short, but failed miserably. I saw this website when looking for something to help with my stretch marks. I think this site is absolutely wonderful and I am very excited to post. If you’re a mom [...]

Underneath it All (Heidi)

19 years old 1 pregnancy, 1 birth 3 1/2 months PP In March of 2010, I met the man who would give me our beautiful son. I was the epitome of the typical (stereotyped) 18 year old, I stopped going to school to party all night and sleep all day. All I cared for was [...]

My Belly Has Stripes Like a Zebra’s (Stephanie)

Every day I see in the magazines, and on TV all of these women/mothers that are perfect 6 weeks after having a baby (if not sooner) and after reading this site, and everyone’s stories it made me realize, we are taught to think so badly of our stretch marks and our pooches because we don’t [...]

My Story (Anonymous)

At 19 I found out I was pregnant. My boyfriend (now husband) and I were scared and shocked but we knew we wanted our little Angel. I worked for the first 7 months of my pregnancy as a Driver at a plumbing company. This kept my body in great shape and know one could even [...]

Five Years Later and Still 20lbs Heavier and Loving It – Confessions of a Skinny Girl (Anonymous)

I love what pregnancy has done to my body, beforehand I was skinny as a rail and super self-conscious of my body. People used to say that they were afraid to hug me because they thought I would break. I wore long sleeve shirts and pants my entire life to hide my “chicken arms and [...]

After But Before (Colleen)

My previous submissions are here: (oh no I’m becoming a serial poster!) One Year After a Cesarean Ode to my Scar Coming to Grips With a Cesarean My age: 27 One pregnancy, one birth My daughter is 21 months old. I have to apologize; I like to take a few days to tweak my entries [...]

Wish I Knew Then What I Know Now (Kayla)

Number of pregnancies and births: 1 3 weeks pp- 2 weeks pp in photos. I am 21 years old and had a baby 3 weeks ago today. I have always had issues with my body. I was anorexic in middle school and part of high school. Now looking back…I can’t figure out why! How crazy [...]

Almost a Year Post C-Section (Anonymous)

Pregnancies/Births:1/1 11 and 1/2 months pp I have posted a couple times on here, and each time has shown a more positive outlook and attitude! Partly,, thanks to this site!! I encourage every mother to FIND/MAKE at least 2 hours a week to do something active that you really enjoy! Doesn’t have to be all [...]

Pouch Tummy and Tons of Stretch Marks (Melissa)

Age: 23 Number of Pregnancies: 1 Births 1 PP: 6 months So I stumbled across this website by chance looking up different support groups for weight loss and cesarean sections. I have been reading the stories and have found them so compelling and inspiring that I thought I might share mine. I did not really [...]

Beautifully Destroyed (Sia)

Previous entries here and here. age 17 months pp 9 The other day I ran into a girl who I went to school with. She is a little younger than me and has always been kind of rude. She was telling me how she saw pictures of me before I had my daughter and how [...]

Appendix Removal Update (Fiona)

Original entry here. I had my appendix removed when I was fairly far on in pregnancy, and it was a fairly traumatic experience. I have enclosed some photos of how my scar is looking now, and also a little update on me. Some negatives which have come from my experience – 1. Only one big [...]

A New Outlook on Life (Kayla)

Before I was pregnant, I was actually 100% happy with my body. If someone would tell me that I’m fat (mean people) or could lose a few pounds before I get too old and can’t lose the weight (my parents), I would let it roll of my back for the most part. I liked my [...]

Young and Blessed (Cara J.)

I got pregnant at the age of 18 and I remember everything so vividly. It was November 29th (my birthday) and my bestfriend and I went to go get piercings. I already had the top of my belly pierced so I wanted to get something different and get the bottom done. I remember on the [...]

Forever Hiding Behind My Clothes (Amanda)

Pregnancies:1 Age: 19 Hello my name is Amanda I am ONE WEEK postpartum from having my beautiful daughter. I had a great pregnancy with no complications up untill I was due I went 4 days over my due date and then I had false labor when I got to the hospital they checked my amniotic [...]

How do you forgive yourself? (Anonymous)

2 pregnancies 1 birth Age 6 boy 4 years postpartum I am 24 years old I was 17 when I found out I was pregnant with my first child. More excited then ever, I told the father right away but knew deep down my parents would not be happy so I hid it from them. [...]

I am just starting to like myself ever. (Alice)

24 years old. 2 pregnancies 1 live birth 1 abortion My daughter is 5 years old in 2 months. I am almost 5 years pp. I got pregnant with my daughter a week before my 19th birthday. I was in love with a boy who was “out of my league” but it seemed he was [...]

My Body is a Battlefield (Anonymous)

18 months post partum 1 pregnancy 1 birth by C-Section Age:24 First I have to say – THANK YOU so much to the creator of this site and everyone who has participated. You have all made me feel sane and normal when I thought for sure I was losing my mind. Women are real, strong, [...]

Teen Mom (Jessica)

In January of 2010, I had just turned 18 and was just starting to feel really secure with my looks. I had started to loose weight and was very happy with the way things were going. Then I met a boy. One thing led to another and I got pregnant. Before my pregnancy, I weighed [...]

My World Changed When He Entered It (Samantha)

21 years old, 2 1/2 year old son As a teenager I was always very self conscious of my body. I was constantly striving to maintain that “perfect” look. I was modeling and working hard to break into that extremely difficult world. I never had to work out or diet to stay in shape, I [...]

Young Mom to Two Gifts (Kathryn)

I had my sons close together my oldest will be 2 in June 6/16/09 3:16pm 6 pounds 6 ounces 21 inches long! My pregnancy with him was horrible I was nauseous from 6 weeks up until I delivered at 39w 2d I threw up frequently but really didn’t loose much weight oddly. I had him [...]

Almost 5 Years Later (Anonymous)

I became pregnant at 19 and gave birth 2 months after I turned 20 to a little girl. Didn’t know till I was over 3 months along that I was even pregnant. Had NO symptoms at all. Peeing a lot and vanishing period were normal for me haha, so thought nothing of it, till I [...]

The Beauty of Natural Childbirth to a First Time Mother (Anonymous)

Age: 22 Number of Births: 1 Age of my child: 8 months The first time I found out I was pregnant I was scared but excited and looking forward to bringing a new addition into the household. Unfortunately, I miscarried in the first trimester. I was completely devastated and for months it was the only [...]

Did you know? (Jill)

Previous posts here, here and here. My baby is 20 months old. My body is 20 months postpartum. We had a natural birth. We breastfed for 13 months. I’m 23. ……………………………………………………………………………………… I didn’t know you could “give it 9 months, 12 months, 18 months, etc” and still not be where you want to be. I [...]

Winter Update (Vi’s Mama)

Hi everyone. I posted an entry here over the summer, but a lot has changed since then. I’ve been continuing to struggle with my body image. I constantly obsess over it, and i don’t want it to rub off on my daughter. Recently i got my belly button pierced and a tattoo designed by my [...]

27 with 2 kids, 1 c-section and dealing with the scar left behind (Marie P.)

I am currently 27 and 3 months and 1 week post c-section. I have 2 children a 5 year old and now a 3 month old. My son was a c-section and needless to say I, like other women have had struggles with my new body and scarring. Our bodies not only change but they [...]

Really Very Bad Timing (Ann)

1 pregnancy, 2 children 14 months postpartum, twins My twin boys were perfect timing. Our fertility doctor had just finished telling us we would never conceive naturally. I had just told him that through the grace of God I believed that we would. 3 weeks later some routine tests came back to tell me I [...]

My Journey to Motherhood (Carmel)

These photos were taken by my supportive and amazing husband Nathan. The photos are at 34 weeks, 39 weeks and the day of Arthur’s Birth. I had a wonderful pregnancy. Even though I am a large woman I felt amazing when I was pregnant. The fact I had a life, our little miracle, growing inside [...]

My Story (Anonymous)

I have always been worried about the day I would find out I was pregnant. Not because I didn’t want a baby or a joy in my life but I had always felt insecure about my weight. I come from a family where weight was a big issue and both me and my brother were [...]

Whose Body is this Anyway? (Lisa)

I posted this on my blog about a year and a half ago. It was my way to make amends with my body. I didn’t take any photos of myself during that time. I actually hid from the camera by always being the photographer. I was 34 years old when I wrote this (now almost [...]

Disgusting Stomach, But I Was Blessed with a Beautiful Daughter (Jen)

I’m 27, 1 Pregnancy (so far) and 1 Birth, Daughter will be 3 in May I am working on being happy with my body. It was extremely hard for me at first. Pre-pregnancy I was a bikini model and I never had to work on my stomach very hard and I could eat what I [...]

8 Months PP (Renee)

Previous post here. Age 24 ~1 baby boy, 8 months old Pre pregnancy 135lbs, @ Pregnancy 192lbs, After birth 162lbs, 8months PP 150-154lbs. I want to start off by saying thank you to everyone for all there comments and support. It has been about 5 months since I have posted last. I still am not [...]

Loving Myself (Jessica)

Having my son was the best thing that ever happened to me. It changed me in a million ways, but unfortunately it changed my body too. I was slightly overweight when I found out I was pregnant, and I wasn’t happy with my body to begin with. I’ve always struggled with my self esteem and [...]

Wondering if I’ll ever be able to wear a bikini again (Anonymous)

I’m 20 years old, almost 21 and I use to be 110 pounds and very confident. I gave birth 10 months ago and I feel quite depressed about my body. I don’t fit into any of my old clothes, I am 20 pounds heavier than what I use to be. I want to enjoy this [...]

On My Way (Ashley)

Will I ever be 100% comfortable with my body? When I was a child I had nicknames like stick. As I got older my woman body started to develop. I got breast and a nice, round bum. I was always so self-conscious about it. It became what I was known for, my bum and I [...]

Hard Work Pays Off (Georgia)

Previous entries here, here and here. Hello there ladies. I wanted to share my update. I have a few others on here. Although I said I wasnt going to have another post until 1 year postpartum, I thought it was time. I am 10 months PP. Total I have lost 50 pounds. I work out [...]

Finding beauty in every imperfection (Jordan)

21 years old 2 pregnancies, 1 birth 13 months pp I want to start off by saying this site is amazing, I love reading all of the posts on here. However, i don’t like seeing that it is such a struggle for some women to love the bodies that their children gave them. I know [...]

Blessed and Tortured – Update (Anonymous)

Previous entry here. I am re posting new pictures, i got alot of compliments on the previous ones, thank you. But i felt they didnt portray the way i see my body acuratly. 4 year old son current weight 136. Updated here.

11 Weeks Postpartum (Marz)

Previous entries here, here and here. 23 years old 1 pregnancy 1 birth 11wks postpartum and -30lbs I decided it was time to finally write my postpartum update. I ended up carrying to 41 weeks and giving birth completely naturally on November 28, 2010. And before anyone congratulates me on that, I did not want [...]

15 Year Old Mother (Anonymous)

I just wanted to start off by saying that I have a lot of respect for all of the women who have posted on here. All of you have made me realize that I shouldn’t be ashamed of my new motherly body, even if I’m the only 15 year old I know who has a [...]

I Like Myself (Rosie)

I see a ton of ladies hating on their post-baby bodies, and some very genetically blessed ladies who are rockin’ it. I’m right here in the middle. I gained some weight, and I lost it. I started my pregnancy around 170 lbs. I struggled with hyperemesis in my first trimester and dropped to 145 lbs. [...]

5 Weeks PP, Almost There – Update (Anonymous)

Previous entry here. Ahhh where can I begin? Its been 16 weeks since I welcomed my beautiful baby boy into the world. I feel very happy about the place I’m at. So far since my last update I lost more weight and I’m back into my pre pregnancy jeans once again. My tummy is completely [...]

Sometimes I like it sometimes I hate it (Anonymous)

~Age: 27 ~Number of pregnancies and births: 1 ~The age of your children, or how far postpartum you are: 6 month This is my first pregnancy and I should admit I was not quite ready emotional to things happened to me. I love my little girl who is 6 month old now but there are [...]

5 yrs Fibro and Autism (Anonymous)

age: 27 number of pregnancies/births : 1/1 age of child: 5.5 I am a plus size mom and wanted to represent more of us bigger moms since it is a little lacking. I am 324lbs at 5yrs postpartum. I am comfortable with my body, I deal with the constant pain of fibromyalgia every day and [...]

Getting used to the new me (Anonymous)

Age-23 Number of pregnancy’s,births- 1 ,1 4 1/2 months Postpartum c-section I have been having a pretty hard time dealing with my new body after having my baby 4 months ago. I am just now starting to be some what ok with how I look. I gained 40 pounds during my pregnancy and have lost [...]

Without my belly, I wouldn’t have hers. (Anonymous)

age-17 7 months pp I posted on this site about two months ago. I have lost a little more weight since then, but all together I am feeling great. I was 93 pounds when I found out I was pregnant with my beautiful daughter. 156 when I gave birth. I am now down to 128 [...]

Not Myself Anymore (Morgan)

Age:18 No. Of Pregnancies and Births: 1 8 Months PP No one realises how hard it is to be a mom. I’ve had so many friends say to me, “I want a baby so bad, you must be so happy!” But it’s not like that. I got pregnant to my ex after one week of [...]

Update (Kat)

Original entry here. I switched up my workout (flirty girl and carmen electra got too easy) so now I’m doing hip hop abs. Once I’m done with the 4 week plan for that, I’m going to start p90x. I have started doing modeling jobs(I have a model mayhem account now! under the user girl08er). I [...]

I Hope to Someday Love My Body (Anonymous)

~Age: 16. ~Number of pregnancies and births: 1 pregnancy, 1 birth. ~The age of your children, or how far postpartum you are: 4 months. Like most teen girls, I obsessed over the way my body looked. My stomach was never flat enough, and my boobs never seemed to be the shape of those in the [...]

Ode to My Boobs (Miff)

I was directed to this site by a friend of mine after I emailed this “Ode to my boobs” to my closest girlfriends who are also mothers. Before I was pregnant I was a 34 B or C, during my pregnancy I was a 34 DD, and once I started breastfeeding I got up to [...]

My Striped Tiger Body (Ashley)

~Age: 21 ~Number of pregnancies and births: 1st pregnancy and 1 birth Im 21 years old and i feel as tho my body is completely ruined and ill never fit into my old clothes or be happy with my body again. Let me start by saying that i love my daughter with all my heart [...]

Skinny, fat and somewhere in between! (Bex)

I have always struggled with weight, going from Anorexia to Bulimia or having both at the same time. Since I can remember I have hated my body, it has completely consumed my life and thoughts, it’s always been the wrong shape, too fat, my legs too bulky and muscly, my arms too flabby and fat, [...]

8 Months Post C-Section (Anonymous)

I LOVE this website,, and all you wonderful mothers out there! This is my third submission. I had my first child May 2010 via unplanned C section. A wonderful, beautiful, healthy little girl! She brings so much joy to all that she comes into contact with,, ready with a huge grin for everyone! She makes [...]

The Name’s Ashley (Ashley)

im 21 years old 5 months post partum with my first child when I found out I was pregnant I was so extremely happy. being only 21 I was really nervous at first but I had a lot of positive people around me, and my boyfriend is one of them. he was definitely more ready [...]

Beauty = Found! (Anonymous)

Age: 21 # of pregnancies: 1 Weight pre-pregnancy: 110 lbs. Weight gained during pregnancy: 50 lbs. Weight 3 years post partum: don’t know! I stumbled on this website quite by accident but I am SO glad I did! It is so important for women to see images of REAL bodies, especially mothers. My relationship with [...]

My Story (Erin)

I am a 23 year old mother to 5 month old Claire. My journey began with the heartaching realization that at this young age, I have fertility problems. Fighting not only with doctors who would help diagnose and treat a young woman with PCOS (polycystic ovaries) but also fighting with myself, with my body- for [...]

Fire Marks Almost Four Years Later (Cheri)

In two weeks my moon face girl will four years old. I remember being madly in love with her father and asking the Goddess to let us have a child if it were meant to be. 9 months later there she was. I don’t recall the birth much due to a sedative they gave me [...]

My Body the Hand Grenade (Suzi)

Age: 28 Number of pregnancies and births : 1 Age of my child : 14 months Height and weight before pregnancy 1.60 cm tall & 49 kilos. Weight after pregnancy: 45 kilos I found out that I was pregnant in the beginning of Febuary in 2009. It came as a suprise to both me and [...]

16 Months Postpartum (Tessa)

Previous entry here. It is over 6 months later, and since my previous entry I’ve only been able to lose 10 lbs. My husband has had surgeries, I picked up a second job and am working 45 or so hours, 6 days a week. I cannot afford a gym membership, and wouldn’t have the time [...]

9 months up, 9 months down (Anonymous)

When I gave birth I weighed 224lbs, nine months postpartum I weigh 244lbs. ~Age:27 ~Number of pregnancies and births: 1, 1 ~The age of your children, or how far postpartum you are: 9 months

Scared Mother 25 Weeks (Mini)

~Age: 19 ~Number of Pregnancies: 1st One This is my first pregnancy and I have always been a little bit self concious. I do everthing I can to make sure after birth I have my good body again far as jogging and applying lotion on my stomach. I kind of scared. All that matters is [...]

Breast Envy (Kerry)

1 pregnancy/birth 20 months pp Age 20 34b to 42 D to 34b So I posted at 1 year postpartum and was pretty sure I would not post again until I was pregnant or pp with my second child, (we are going to start trying in the fall!) but I’ve been having some insecurities with [...]

My Mother Shape is Beautiful (Melissa Ann)

My life has been so enriched by my identical twin daughters, but my body… for a long time I thought it had fallen to shreds. Yesterday I challenged myself to find the beauty in the way I’ve been stretched. This photo is my result. ~Age: 26 ~Number of pregnancies and births: 1 Pregnancy 2 Births [...]

My body has been destroyed, and I’ll have nothing to show for it: Update (Michelle)

Pregnancies/Births: 1 pregnancy/birth Age: 18 7 weeks postpartum If you haven’t read my previous post, please do so, otherwise this one might not make too much sense. I thought after I was no longer pregnant I would be devastated with how my body looked, but now I’m finding that I just don’t flat out care. [...]

22 and 2 Kids Later (Jenny)

My children are definately the best things to ever happen to me. I first got pregnant right before my 19th birthday and had a beautiful 8 lb baby boy. Before i got pregnant i only weighed 97 lbs and ended up 139 lbs when i gave birth. After i had him it didnt take too [...]

One Year and 60 Pounds Down (Jess)

Original entry here. 20 Years Old 1 Year PP Pre Pregnancy 124 End Of Pregnancy 194 Currnetly 135 This has been the fastest year of my life… I’ll be honest… I thought i would be in better shape by now… Some days I think I’m looking pretty good and with a little toning maybe even [...]

Blessed and Tortured (Anonymous)

Im 23 years old. I have a 3 year old son. I was 165 before pregnancy. 135 now. I am blessed with an amazingly handsome 3 year old son and an equally amazing husband who I struggle with myself everyday. and hate that my stomach looks like a road map. Since finding this website, i’ve [...]

Trying Not To Be Sad, But I Just Can’t Help It (Anonymous)

Age:22 1pregnancy/1birth 4 weeks PP I was 21 when I found out I was pregnant. The father & I had only been serious for about 6 months at the time, but he being 6 years older than me was ready to settle down & took the news better than I did. I never had a [...]

Why can’t I see myself through his eyes? (Anonymous)

age:17 number of pregnancies and births: 1 postpartum: 5 months I honestly have no idea where to even begin this post. I was always the “skinny girl” growing up. I got alot comments on my weight, and they were not always postitive ones, but I loved my body and who I was. I started dating [...]

5 Weeks Postpartum and I No Longer Believe in Genetic Destiny (Kat)

Age: 21 Number of pregnancies/births: 2 pregnancies/1 birth Age of baby/how far postpartum: 5 weeks I was born short and fat, and stayed that way for my entire childhood and teen years. I started middle school at 4’10″ and 160lbs. Both of my parents, as well as most of my family in general, are overweight, [...]

Sady

AGE:25 1 CHILD, 1 BIRTH, 14 MONTHS when i first became pregnant the first thing i worried about was the fetus, as the pregnancy went on i worried about the high dose of vitamin A i was taking, then I worried about the low dose of folic acid i was consuming, then i worried about [...]

The Evolution of a Body (Anonymous)

~Age: 26 ~Weight & Height: 5’2″-ish and 120-ish pounds (I hover) ~Number of pregnancies and births: 1 ~The age of your children, or how far postpartum you are: 4 years Previous submissions: 5 months postpartum, 1 year postpartum, 2 years postpartum I thought it was important to update my story for a number of reasons. [...]

So Many Scars (Audrey)

I’m finally healing on the inside as well as out. I am 18.5 months postpartum. My daughter Shannon was born via cesarean after 46 hours of labor and it was quite the blow for me. She also had an unknown birth defect (omphalocele) that required surgery the day after her birth. I didn’t hold my [...]

The Guilt of Hating a Body That Birthed an Angel (Amanda)

It has only been three and a half weeks since I gave birth to my beautiful daughter. I should be applauding myself and my body for being able to create such a perfect angel, and yet I am not. Instead I find myself hating the mirror because the mirror shows what I look like now. [...]

16 Weeks Later (Anonymous)

age: 19 1 child this is my first entry. its been 16 weeks since i gave birth and my body hasnt gone back the way i thought it would. my baby was 8lbs and 6 ounces. during my pregnancy i gained about 50 lbs and have almost lost it all but my body is just [...]

Will it ever get better? (Anonymous)

My biggest body-related fear once I became pregnant was stretch marks. I oiled and lotioned my belly as often as I could. I was hopeful that I’d escape stretch marks altogether because my mother never got one throughout her six pregnancies. And I almost made it. Around 37 weeks they started to appear. A few [...]

Cognitive Dissonance (Eden)

age 33 one birth, 32 months ago I love this photo because it’s a hot girl in a bikini and also shows my loose belly skin. I’m surprised by how unselfconscious I feel about that part of me – I’m more inclined to touch it absentmindedly and enjoy how soft it is than to lament [...]

How my life has changed (Anonymous)

Age: 27 Children: 1 I found this site about 3 years ago while having a hard time with my postpartum body. I had always been thin and weighed about 103 lbs before pregnancy. During my pregnancy I gained about 50 lbs and also developed gestational diabetes. At 33 weeks I developed a rash referred to [...]

I have all the battle scars of carrying a child for 9 months, yet I am a childless mother. (Anonymous)

Age: 22 7 1/2 months postpartum 1 pregnancy I found out i was pregnant on Aug. 5th 2009. I was 20 years old and my husband and I couldnt be anymore excited. Most of my life i had mange to stay skinny even though it was very much a struggle for me. Im 5′ 1″ [...]

Will I Ever Be Happy? (Renee)

Original entry here. 25 17 1/2 weeks postpartum 1 pregnancy, 1 birth I am now almost 18 weeks postpartum, and have 7lbs of the 65lbs I gained left to lose. It seem I am stuck. But, I look absolutely nothing like I used to and it makes so depressed. No matter what I’m doing, it [...]

My Story (Anonymous)

My 1st child I am 26 yrs old I had a c section due to my baby heart rate dropping. I am not proud of my body at all. I had a really good doctor deliver my daughter. You cant see my incision. I am 2 1/2 months postpartum but my daughter will be 3 [...]

Admitting It (Anonymous)

I found out I was pregnant on Thanksgiving Day 2009. I just kind of knew, and I took a pregnancy test early that morning. I then ran to the store and took several more — all positive. My emotions were all over the place, as the father was someone I was only casually dating and [...]

5 Weeks PP, Almost There (Anonymous)

I’m a 24 yr old women who just had a beautiful baby boy on october 1st of this year via emergency c section due to fetal distress. My c section was very painful I never been in so much pain and I was a little sad I didn’t deliever vaginal. I’m five weeks pp and [...]

One Day at a Time (Lu Ella)

The hardest part of dealing with my postpartum body? For me is the bipolar-ness of it all. I gained 52 pounds while pregnant with my daughter, and about half the time I am comparing the body I have now to the one I most recently inhabited: one that was 9 months pregnant. During this half [...]

I Wish I Would Have Known (Khanna)

~Your Age: 23 ~Number of pregnancies and births:1 ~The age of your children, or how far postpartum you are: 7 months ~Pre-pregancy weight- 113 pds ~Weight gained during pregnancy- 35 pds ~Post- pregnancy weight- 106 pds I had my twin boys at 38 weeks they were 6 lb 7 oz and 6 lb 2 oz, [...]

Five Years Postpartum (Stephanie)

age 33 1 pregnancy I really loved this website when I came across it. It is great to see what real moms look like not what the media makes up feel like we should look like. I gained 40 pounds with my son but have since lost all the extra weight but my body will [...]

Shape of a Loss (Nicole)

First entry here. In a parallel universe, I am just weeks away from the birth of my second child. I am more confident about the impending labour than the first time around, but a bit nervous too. I am even more nervous about managing life with two kids under two! I am unpacking, washing and [...]

Closing in on D-Day (Marz)

Previous entries here and here. Age: 23 Pregnancies/births: currently pregnant with first Hello again. This is gonna be a long one… I’ve been checking this site nearly every day since I first found out I was pregnant. I thought it was great, especially since I had so many fears and hangups about what I would [...]

My Story (Anonymous)

Age:23 Number of Births:1 Post Partum: 2 months On August 23rd I delivered a beautiful baby girl. My husband and I had gotten pregnant accidentally, but decided that we would start our family a little earlier than originally planned. I was pregnant during the summer and was absolutely miserable. I hated seeing all the other [...]

My body has been destroyed, and I’ll have nothing to show for it. (Michelle)

Age – 18 Number of pregnancies – 1 I’ve been on this site countless times, reading other women’s stories because I am trying to cope with how much my body is changing, and have been debating for months now on whether to post my story or not. Well, it’s a bit long, but here goes! [...]

11 Weeks PP (Melissa)

Age: 21 Number of pregnancies and births: 1 pregnancy, 1 birth 11 weeks PP Emergency cesarean So I am 11 weeks PP and like most women am finding it hard to get used to what I see in the mirror. I don’t hate my body but I’m far from loving it. I had a pretty [...]

I CAN Love Me, Finally (E)

This is a story about love,loss,,discovery and my young body’s journey through motherhood. I guess you can say my journey to motherhood has not been the easiest, but I wouldnt trade the expeirences I’ve had at my young age for anything. I found out I was pregnant with my first child a week before my [...]

8 Months Postpartum (Pamela)

8 months postpartum. 20 years old 1 pregnancy and 1 birth. My daughter is eight months one week and one day. I’ve been having a lot of issues with my body. I still have dark pink stretch marks all over my stomach, hips, lower back, inner thighs and breasts. they’ve lightened some since delivery. but [...]

My Doctor Makes Me Feel Bad (Anonymous)

Age: 27 # pregnancies and births: 1/1 34 weeks pregnant I’m currently 34 weeks pregnant with my first child, a boy. Ive struggled with my weight throughout my entire life except for a brief time in college. Before I got pregnant I was 5’7″ and 200lbs. I had recently had to switch OB/GYN providers because [...]

Your First Home (Proudmama)

Previous entry here. I didn’t intend on updating so soon, but something happened that I wanted to share. First of all I come here regularly because I feel like I’m a part of something when I read your stories. Some of your stories I relate to more than others, some stories make me want to [...]

Stretch Marks 101 (Anonymous)

Number of pregnancies – 1 Pre preg weight – 118 Height – 5 7 Ending weight – 160 post preg – one year and a month I have payed soooo much money to get rid of the hideous stretchmarks. Im talking thousands. no FRACTIONAL laser has worked for me…. trust me im living proof ive [...]

My Husband Kissed My Stretch Marks (Anonymous)

20 yrs old 39 weeks and 6 days pregnant I have been looking at this site for a few months now, and I am so thankful for it. I keep seeing these women who look like models (probably because they are models), celebrities, or just everyday women who don’t have physical changes from pregnancy and [...]

Tied to the Past (Anonymous)

~Age: 25 ~Number of pregnancies and births: 1 ~The age of your children, or how far postpartum you are: 4 years I’ve only had one child,only one, she may be the most amazing little girl I’ve ever seen but where did I go? I gained 40 lb.s with her birth and then kept gaining after [...]

The Nonexistant Dating and Sex Life of a Single Mom (Anonymous)

Age: 23 Pregnancies: 1 Births:1 My Daughters Age: 3 I had my daughter at the age of 19 a month away from my 20th so I guess I should say I had her as a “Teen” Her dad and my relationship was a rocky one but I stuck it out because I didn’t want my [...]

Final Update (Jeanne)

Previous entries here and here. My daughter is now 18 months and I never thought I would feel the way I do about my body as I do now. I love my body now more than before I had a child. I love the way my hips have widened…I just feel more feminine and like [...]

Finding a Body that I Love (Quila)

I was very excited when I ran into this website while surfing the web at work! I’m having a very bad experience with my post baby body. I’m 21 years of age, a full-time student, and I work a full-time job(life). I was never a “skinny girl”, but I have also never been at the [...]

Post C-Section Belly at 7 Months (Shaunna)

I am a 25 year old woman, who had her first baby delivered back in March via c-section. After 12 hours in labor and a dropping fetal heart rate, the doctors decided c-section was the way to go. Since the c-section, I have had the hardest time trying to get my stomach back to where [...]

Unsatisfied (Renee)

#1 pregnancy 3 months Postpartum First of I am glued to this site. I love this site. I am so happy to have a baby boy. He is the cutest baby ever. I got pregnant when I was 23 and Had my baby when I was 24 on July 4, 2010. He was a healthy [...]

My entire story…hoping it will give somebody hope or simply put a smile on somebody’s face. (Anonymous)

~Age: 17, almost 18 ~Number of pregnancies and births: 1 pregnancy, 1 incredible birth ~The age of your children, or how far postpartum you are: 23 weeks I was 16 years old when I found out I was 2 weeks pregnant. My boyfriend, who was/still is my best friend, was 18 at the time and [...]

4 Weeks PP (Heather)

Pregnancies and births: 1 1 month old son Gabriel Hello SOAM. This is my first entry. My name is Heather and I am 4 weeks pp. All in all I had a very smooth ride with my pregnancy and labor and delivery. I was in early labor for 3 days.The night before I had my [...]

Getting Back the Old Me (Victoria)

I was terrified of what could happen to my body when I was pregnant. I was put on bedrest at 27 weeks and was not kind to my body gaining 50 pounds. I have finally lost most of my pregnancy weight now at almost 2 years postpartum and am so thankful that I have relatively [...]

I Love My Son, But I HATE My Body (Anonymous)

Age: 20 1 pregnancy, 1 birth 8 months postpartum I was so glad i found this site, and see that there are many other women like me out there. Well to start off i’ll start my story in the few months pre-pregnancy… i was 18 turning 19 in a few weeks, my boyfriend (husband now) [...]

It’s Hard Not to Notice the Changes (Mary, Mother of Samson)

age: 22 Pregnancies:1 Births :1 My Son Samson is 7 months old Delivered C-Section First of all I love being a mother and would not change it for the world! My son is a blessing and I take these scars with pride…most days. Samson was 9lbs 5 oz when delivered, and I am 5 2′. [...]

It’s Not the Same Body, But it’s Fine By Me (Anonymous)

Pre-pregnancy weight: 107 Labor weight: 160 Post-pregnancy weight: 104 I am posting because this site helped me so much. I came here mourning the body I used to have and wondering if I’d ever get it back. The answer is: it’s not the same body, but in some ways it’s better. I first came here [...]

Update: 7 Weeks Postpartum, 7 Pounds to Go (Anonymous)

Previous entry here. Well I am now 7 months postpartum and have managed to get ride of the last 7 pounds. I am now realizing that I am lucky to have lost all of my pregnancy weight so quickly and to have gotten most of my old body back. Breastfeeding has certainly taken a toll [...]

In Better Shape – Update (Anonymous)

Previous entry here. Age :31 1 pregnancy/1birth a Baby girl,, 4 mo pp I posted on here for the first time a month ago,, grateful for this site,, but a mite obsessed with getting back into shape as quickly as possible. And even though im still not where i want to be physically,, the condition [...]

Upset With My Body at 21 (Anonymous)

Hello everyone!! Im so glad I found this site where I can post pictures of my body and no one will be negative about it. After 9 long months I reached 38 weeks and nothing…No contractions, Cervix was closed, So on my 40th week appoiment My doctor gave me and iduction date. However a few [...]

Lost and sad (Anonymous)

Age: 20 Number of children: one I am 13 months post postpartum. Hello, currently i am struggling with body image. I had my child 13 months ago, and my body has slightly improved since then. I am 5 ft 4 and weigh 130 lbs. I gained 96 lbs during my pregnancy and had pre-clampsia. I [...]

Take 3: Getting There (Anonymous)

Previous entries here and here. 1 Pregancy & 1 birth 9 months postpartum I’ve purposely left it till today to do this post; I’m exactly 9 months post-partum. Don’t they all tell you, it takes you 9 months to put it on and 9 months to lose it??!!! Well I’ve lost it all, in fact [...]

Trying to Deal With This New Body (Nicole)

I have known my childs father for as long as i can remember it seems. Ive never been a person that loved kids. I was the one in the family people knew not to call me because of how i was with children. I was 20 when i found out i was pregnant so i [...]

New Found Respect for My Body (Proudmama)

Age: 31 Number of pregnancies and birth: 1 Age of my child: 10 months old Cesarean birth Almost 10 months ago I finally realized my biggest dream: to be a mom. Most kids grow up wanting to be rock stars or doctors, I wanted to be a mother. From the moment I met my husband [...]

Learning to Love it Again (Anonymous)

I used to love me body, I loved it pre-pregnancy and throughout the entire nine months I was pregnant I felt beautiful. I have never felt more sexy than I did while I was pregnant. (Blame it on the hormones, I guess) Because I was only in my mid-twenties when I delivered (via c-section) I [...]

My Self-Esteem is Shattered (Ann)

Age: 26 1 Pregnancy, 1 Birth 4 weeks postpartum (post partum pictures taken at 2 weeks) I have always been a thin girl without trying, my weight was a complete non-issue and I have always been very confident. When I found out I was pregnant I wasn’t worried about gaining weight, I thought it would [...]

I Hate Myself, My Body (Anonymous)

Age:22 Number of pregnancies:1 It has been a year now..since I had my little one…he is so cute and I love him to death ..but behind this smile is an unhappy person…I’m so unhappy with my body…I never weigh myself because I’m scared of what I will see…I work out..eat right..but it just won’t help..I [...]

Can I Get a Do-Over? (Megan)

One pregnancy, one baby, 13 months old. I’m currently 22, 13 months postpartum. If I could go back and do my pregnancy over, KNOWING WHAT I KNOW NOW, I’d do so much differently: * I’d keep working out daily, just like I had been doing up until the moment I peed on the stick. * [...]

Is there hope or am I going to be in these shoes forever? (Emily)

I am 19 years old/ 18 when pregnant/ 19 when i gave birth. number of children:1 born july 8th 2010. birth: c sec. pre pregnancy weight:105 Wheight right before birth: 175 Wheight now: 144 Weeks pp: 7 Hello. I started this entry knowing exactly what I wanted to say but suddenly…I dont know where I [...]

Learning to Love It (Anonymous)

Age-21 Pregnancies and Births- 1 Months PP- 5 months postpartum I have ALWAYS wanted to have kids. So when I married my husband, I knew someday they would follow. We figured 4 or 5 years, so I was on birth control. 4 months after we got married, I felt pregnant, took a HPT and all [...]

Learning to Love the Body I’ve Gained (Gwen)

Pregnancies: 1 Births: 1 beautiful boy! Postpartum: 19 months I submitted an entry a number of months ago but never saved the link to it, so my pics from around 12 months PP are lost somewhere. The pictures I submitted were before I gave up pumping through my work day, which I did at 12 [...]

Update (Anonymous)

Your Age: 20 ~Number of pregnancies and births:1 ~The age of your children, or how far postpartum you are: 1 boy, 2 years and 2 months. ? Hello again shape of a mother! Its been 19 months since my last entry. You can find it here. I’ve meant to do some updates here and there [...]

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. [...]

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 (Lucia)

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 [...]

Happier Now (K’s Mom)

I used to be self conscious. I always thought that being skinny was the most important thing in the world. When I was younger, I only weight between 114 to 120 pounds. I was even asked to model before because I was tall and skinny. As I got older, I found it harder and harder [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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

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 teh [...]

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. A few months [...]

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 [...]

Finding the strength to keep moving forward (Brittany)

Brittany, 23 1 pregancy, 1 birth 12 weeks postpartum I have always been a plus sized girl and struggled with my weight. Finally i felt like I had my weight problem under control for the first time in my life i lost 70 lbs and felt great about my life and the direction it was [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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. My stomach is ugly [...]

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, [...]

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 [...]

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 Feb. [...]

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. [...]

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 awhile there [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 to [...]

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 [...]

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, [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

Will I ever feel beautiful? (Catherine’s Mommy)

Age: 21 # Pregnancies/ Births: 1/1 Catherine is 2 1/2 months old. I’ve read some wonderful stories about finding yourself beautiful AGAIN. But what do you do if you’ve never felt beautiful. I started feeling terrible about the way I looked at age 5. My father who was very mentally and physically abusive always said, [...]

7 weeks postpartum with twin boys (Ash)

Age: 25 Number of pregnancies and births: 1 pregnancy 2 births The age of your children, or how far postpartum you are: 7 weeks I had my twin boys at 38 weeks 1 day they were 6 lb 2 oz and 5 lb 5 oz, and perfectly healthy. I gained about 35 lbs with the [...]

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, [...]

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. Here [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

The Day After (Maddy)

This is a photo of the day after I had my daughter, Abby. My husband took the photo to show me how much my belly had shrunken so quickly, and at the time, I was so pleased that I was so much smaller than I was before. A few months later, I looked at this [...]

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 [...]

Behind Enemy Lines (SMS)

Age 30 1st pregnancy, 1 year postpartum My body has always been the enemy. This shape which outlines the whole of who I am, encapsulating the parts of me both seen and unseen. Somehow, with time and age, it had come to represent me, a personal definition of who I am, carefully crafted for the [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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. [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 just be honest with the [...]

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 was cute but of course love [...]

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 [...]