The Shape of a Mother

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 [...]

Resented Before He’s Even Born (Anonymous)

My age – 29 4 pregnancies, 2 early miscarriages, 1 birth, currently pregnant Oldest son is nearly 6, currently 29 weeks pregnant Last entry here. I came a long way since my last submission to SOAM. Back then, I was overweight (around 75kg), pretty miserable, still caught in the throes of Post Natal Depression. In [...]

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 [...]

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. [...]

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 [...]

Third Pregnancy After Eating Disorder (Anonymous)

I’ve struggled with an eating disorder for about 15 years, now. It started when I was 13. I’ve given birth to 2 beautiful girls, who are 5 and 4 now, and am pregnant again. I reached my lowest weight so far, this past spring, when I dropped to about 110 lbs. I should be 135-150. [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

My Body After 4 Pregnancies With Cesarean (Anonymous)

I am 34 years old, and this is my belly during and after my 4th pregnancy. All my children are born with a caeserean. The postpartum pics are 5 months after birth.

Irish twins and a body that will never be the same (Anonymous)

Age: 24 Number of Pregnancies: 2, Births 2 I have always been very skinny, being a gymnast I basically lived in a gym. I did gymnastics in college, which is were I met my husband. I got pregnant with my first child my jr year of college. She was a surprise as I had an [...]

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. [...]

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 [...]

I Just Don’t Feel Good Anymore (Tawnya)

Age: 20 Number of births: 1 Age of child: 1 year My name is Tawnya, I just turned 20 and I’m a mother of a beautiful 1 yr old girl. I was 120lbs before I got pregnant, I was in a size 3. I gained 80lbs during my pregnancy. I’m just struggling with the way [...]

Deeper Than My Skin (Anonymous)

As I sit here now, needing to reach out to those who may understand, those who may be able to share guidance, I am 27 years old and 6 months pregnant with my third baby. To put briefly what has led me to this point in the simplest way is this: I met my husband [...]

Three Boys (Ashley)

I’m a 26 yr old mother too soon to be three boys. I weighted 96lbs before I got pregnant at 19 and I’m 4’11. I gained 55lbs with my first son Corbyn who is 6 now and he weighted 7lbs 9 oz and was 20 3/4 in long. After him it took a year but [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

Learning to Be (Anonymous)

My story starts in high school when I first started (unknowingly) with anorexia for a couple years. Fast forward to age 21. I got pregnant with my first. I was a healthy weight and honestly didn’t think about weight at that point in my life. I had a healthy baby girl that I had at [...]

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 [...]

38 Weeks and Growing (Katie)

Hi all! I love this website as I have always been so curious to see what other pregnant bellies look like. It is so fascinating to see the many different ways we grow as women during our pregnancy journeys. I agree with the philosophy of the woman who created this site, that the changes motherhood [...]

3 Months After 3rd Child (Kristin)

Previous entries here, here and here. I have posted here after i had my first child and again after my second. I have since then had another baby. I am going to be 24 in a few months, My first is my son who is 3.5 years old now, My daughter is 2 years old [...]

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 [...]

Site Newbie, 2 Years PP (Lisa J)

My Age: 38 Number of pregnancies and births: 3 Pregnancies, 3 Births The age of your children, or how far postpartum you are: 8, 5, and 2. Hi everyone, I’m a newbie to the site. After reading many of your amazing stories, I feel compelled to introduce myself and share my story. My name is [...]

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 [...]

I Got My Second Miracle (Michelle)

Original entry here. Age: 26 Number of pregnancies: 5 Number of births: 2 Ages of children: 3.5 years, 2 months Right around 9 months ago I posted my story… I was 6 weeks pregnant and scared as hell of losing another baby. I am happy to report that our second beautiful princess was born may [...]

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 [...]

My Story (Anonymous)

23yrs old –postpartum 8 months. Angel Jae born to heaven, mum of girl and boy, step mum of girl and boy. I found myself thinking back as I watched my sick child in deep slumber in the early hours of this morning. I couldn’t remember the life I had before one, then three, then four [...]

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 [...]

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. [...]

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 [...]

SOAM Changed Me (Corinne)

Age 33 3 Children; 12 years old, 20 months old and 8 days old. 3 Pregnancies, 8 days PP Previous posts here and here. I still remember the sick feeling I felt when I saw that my post had appeared on SOAM. I very nearly emailed Bonnie straight away to ask her to take it [...]

27 Weeks Pregnant With My Fourth Baby, My First Son (Apryl)

With my first pregnancy in 1996 I was 20 years old and have hardly a handful of photos to remind myself of that first beautiful 9 months of my life when I was becoming a mother. With my second and third daughters I took more pictures, I had a digital camera by then and taking [...]

I Finally Feel Sexy Again (Babs)

Original entries here, here, here and here. This was my fourth pregnancy and birth, and both were extremely difficult. I suffered with moderate hyperemesis gravaridum throughout (helpHER.org), lost a significant amount of weight, muscle and nutrients and was on the edge of hospitalization and IV feeds throughout (even with extensive medicating). I also suffer with [...]

In Love with Stretch Marks (Jesi)

Age: 19 Number of Pregnancies/Births: 2 (1 birth and currently 15 weeks with second) Age of Children: 9 months; 15 weeks pregnant I have a loving relationship with my stretch marks… They show that I have created a child and am currently creating another one. Sometimes I do long for that “normal” fit 19 year [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

I Found My Beautiful (Jessa)

Previous post here. Age: 23 Number of pregnancies and births: 2, 2 Age of children: 3 (next month) and 10 months I know my previous post had that confident vibe, but most days the confidence and acceptance of my body just isn’t there. The other day I was very discouraged about my shape. It had [...]

Finding Myself in My Folds (Haley)

Age: 18 Number of pregnancies/ births: 2 pregnancies, 1 birth Age of child: 14 months Let me begin by saying that in my family being overweight is normal and I’ve always been the odd one out. You would think being the healthiest one would be a good thing, but it wasn’t. I was always different, [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

C(section) You in Heaven, My Dear (Krystal)

My third, and what I was hoping to be my final, pregnancy was beautiful in every way. I was always an active Preggo momma and continued this through my third pregnancy with walking, riding bikes and yoga. My first 2 pregnancies were also active and easy, leaving my body in pretty good shape and with [...]

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 [...]

Still Coping After Almost Five Years (Lora)

My name is Lora. This is my story. I was 18 yrs old when I found out I was pregnant the first time, and I found out by having a miscarriage. When I had made it to the doctor’s they told me I was four months along. I had no idea that I was pregnant. [...]

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 [...]

The Story of Who I Am (Corinne)

Age 33 2 children, my first is 12 years old and my second is 18 months old. This is my 3rd pregnancy, currently 36 weeks pregnant I posted my photos and story at 24 weeks and since then my confidence has soared. Sharing on here has helped so much. I simply adore my pregnant body, [...]

I am Blessed with One (Cassandra)

Pregnancies: 6 Births: 1 Age:19 Postpartum: 4 months and counting. This is very hard for me to write. I had my first miscarriage at 15. I was 9 weeks pregnant, it was very hard, no one knew I was pregnant it had to be kept a secret. I had to mourn my loss on my [...]

On How I Bought My Baby (Elizabeth)

Originally posted on Elizabeth’s blog, Queen E The Third. I’m just going to come right out and say it. Before having kids? I was a hot piece of ass. Of course I didn’t see it then, but boy, do I see it now. I would give my first born to have the body of 19 [...]

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 [...]

Confidant… Most Days (February Mama)

I am so grateful to be able to identify myself as a Mother. My DH and I struggled for 14 months to conceive our first child, Ethan. We tried to get pregnant on our own for many months before turning to a fertility clinic for help. After tons of testing we were diagnosed with “unexplained [...]

My Little Fire (Nicholle)

3months PP Age; 21 2 pregnancies, 1 birth O_o REALLY!?!?!? I was a freaking size 5 a size 5!!!!!! I was happy i wasn’t skinny but i wasn’t chunky i was 136 and 5ft 6in the beginning of my pregnancy was anything but easy i had chronic morning sickness for the first 6months , instead [...]

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 [...]

Beautiful Blessings (Leah)

I am 23 years old and expecting my third baby. My children are 1 and 8 months apart ,I have two girls and I’m praying for a little boy. My first pregnancy was a natural birth that lasted 5 hrs. and my second pregnancy was an emergancy c-section. I love my doctor I have the [...]

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 [...]

Miracles Happen (SCS)

Previous post here. age 30 number of pregnancies 4 and births 2 age of children 3 ½ and 5 weeks how far pp 5 weeks First I wanna apologize for the long post, I wanted to say a lot. As everyone says, I love this site. I think I’ve read every entry on it. 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 [...]

The Rewards of Patience (Amanda)

My husband and I have been together for almost nine years, and married for nearly seven. Having children was one of the first things that we talked about when we first met. I naively assumed that it would be easy, being that both sides of my family are very prolific. How wrong I was. Our [...]

Birth is a privilege and every scar is a testament of what we’ve been through and it’s made us who we are (Simone)

I went through my first pregnancy comparing my damaged body to all the other women I believed came out of it completely unscathed! It seemed like just about everyone had a washboard unblemished stomach just weeks after giving birth. It took me a long time to accept my post pregnancy body and to realise it [...]

To Love Thyself (Jessa)

Age: 23 Number of pregnancies and births: 2 pregnancies, 2 births Age of children: almost 3, 8 months I have never loved my body. I was a skinny child, but I never paid attention to my body at that age. By the time I actually became ‘self-aware’ and started nit-picking about my appearance, I had [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

Accepting Change (Anonymous)

Age: 26 Number of pregnancies 3, Number of births: 2 Kids ages: 10 and 4 months 4 months postpartum I was 16 when I had my daughter. Before I had gotten pregnant I was 116 lbs. Quickly after I gave birth, I returned to 116 lbs. I got a few stretch marks and dealt with [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

Blooming Second Pregnancy (Anonymous)

This is my second pregnancy and I am 33 weeks now and as with my first pregnancy I am absolutely massive. I am a proud 32 year old mummy of a lovely 6 year old girl delivered via emergency c section and hoping for a natural birth this time round. Must admit not relishing the [...]

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 [...]

38 Weeks, 4 Days (Bethany Actually)

Originally posted over at BethanyActually.com back in November. I’ve said it more than once: I don’t do belly shots. I’m grateful to have had two healthy pregnancies. I have seen too many friends and relatives struggle with infertility and grieve over ectopic pregnancies and miscarriages to ever take my relative ease in getting pregnant and [...]

25 Year Old Mom of 2 (Emma)

Being pregnant is one of the most beautiful experiences a woman can ever experience. I never felt more feminine as I did when I was pregnant and expecting. and, nurturing my child after-wards by breastfeeding, I’m curvier than I was pre-pregnancy (with both) – I had a home birth with my second, and it was [...]

The Shape that Love Built (Amanda)

Age: 23 Number of births: 2, soon to be 3 Ages of children: 5 years old, 18 months old, and yet to be born It started with a comment on a photo I posted on facebook. For the record, I am not nude in the picture, nor am I anywhere NEAR naked. I simply have [...]

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 [...]

Finally In Love with My Body (Corinne)

33 years old 2 previous pregnancies, 2 children aged 12 and 15 months Currently 25 weeks pregnant I got married at 20 and had my first baby 10 months after we married. I went from a UK size 10 to about a 16 during my first pregnancy and got what I thought were the most [...]

Progress, Not Perfection (Anonymous)

First of all, I would just like to say that I love this website, and I have visited it nearly everyday since I found it. It is truly amazing the giant gap between the body images we are fed in the media and the REALITY of what healthy women really look like. But of course, [...]

Here We Go Again (Anonymous)

Previous submission here. My age: 31 Number of Pregnancies: 2 Children: 21 months and 1 month 4 weeks post partum I was surprised to find myself covered in stretch marks at the end of my eighth month of pregnancy. My previous submission shows an almost blemish free belly. Yet I am not upset about them, [...]

Pregnancy and postpartum with twin girls (Shelly)

Age: 35 6 pregnancies that included 5 live births, including full term twins. Would be 15.5 yrs old (Passed away sadly), 14 year old, 5 year old, and ten month old twin girls. 10 months postpartum In the pregnancy pic I’m almost 33 wks with twins. (I grew MUCH MORE by 37 wks. when 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 [...]

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 [...]

Trying to Accept My Body (MJ)

hello my name is MJ i am 23 years old have a beautiful daughter who is 4 and a handsome son who is 2 and i am currently 25 weeks pg with baby #3!! i have looked at this site on and off for over a year and it has helped my self asteem and [...]

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

My Ever-Changing Body (Ashley)

Age 24 3 pregnancies 2 births Children- 4.5 and 16 months It all started when I was 19 years old. I found out I was pregnant with our daughter sometime during the end of August 2005. I was around 140-145 before I got pregnant with her and gained 51 pounds during my pregnancy, she was [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

Fourth Baby, Mixed Feelings (Elizabeth)

I am 28 weeks pregnant with my forth child, I never thought I would have a forth child. I met a man a year ago who I really fell for after being alone for 2 and a half years after a bad relationship.I was even going to marry him last September. A few weeks after [...]

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 [...]

Update Baby #2 (Anonymous)

Previous entries here and here. Since my last entry I have had another baby! My little girl was born 4 days early so that was exciting for us and she weighed 7 lbs 4 oz. With my first pregnancy I gained 55 pounds and found it took alot of hard work to get my body [...]

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 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. [...]

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 [...]

Struggling With My New Body (Alexandra)

age: 19 2 pregnancies 1 birth 4 weeks postpartum pre-pregnancy 142 lbs delivery aprox 200 lbs current 170 lbs In October of ’09 my then boyfriend and I found out we were expecting. He proposed, and we planned the wedding for 2 weeks later. On Halloween I was at work and started spotting. I panicked [...]

2 Kids in 2 Years (Anonymous)

Age: 26 5 months pp Children: 2, 5 months I am having a hard time adjusting to the new “me.” Everyone tells you that you can not imagine how changed your life will be after children, and it is, down to the smallest detail. Suddenly your time is not your own, your identity and worth [...]

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″ [...]

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 [...]

Looking at My Future With Fear (Anonymous)

My age: 31 Number of pregnancies: 2 Age of my child: 18 months 31 weeks with second pregnancy I had made it to the ripe age of 28 without giving the though of having children the time of day. Then my husband broached the subject after his younger brother celebrated the arrival of his second [...]

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 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 [...]

Aussie Mum of One! (Anonymous)

Age: 23 Pregnancies: 1 abortion Births: 1 beautiful boy Postpartum: 22 months Growing up, I was always a tiny build. People always assumed I had an eating disorder because I was so little but I guess I was just lucky, I could eat anything I wanted and my body couldn’t seem to store it. When [...]

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 [...]

I Love My Boys, I HATE My Body! (Christina)

Age: 20 # of pregnancies/births/cesareans: 2 Age of children: 2 1/2(born:2008) and 13months(born:2009) Postpartum: 13months as of 10/10 I got pregnant for the first time at 17, before then i had always worried about my weight and at 5’6″ 147lbs i wasn’t over weight. Now i am 286lbs and i cant stop thinking about it. [...]

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 [...]

It’s Not Luck (Ashley)

age: 22 2 pregnancies/2births 23 months and 4 weeks Hi. My name is Ashley and I’m 22 with 2 beautiful girls. Before I got pregnant with my first daughter I was working out regularly and at my heaviest (in my life) had weighed 145 at 5’5. I was closer to 140 when I got pregnant [...]

Update – I Had My Baby! (Anonymous)

~Age: 24 ~Number of pregnancies and births: 3 pregnancies, 1 birth ~The age of your children, or how far postpartum you are: 2 1/2 weeks postpartum My previous entry is here – Since then, I’ve had my baby! The day that I turned 36 weeks my water broke. It was about 6 am. We had [...]

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 [...]

Motherhood Shaped Me (Joni E.)

~Age: 36 years old ~Pregnancies: 5 pregnancies/4 living children (one fetal demise at 21 weeks) ~Childrens ages: 15, 12, 10 and 5 weeks Highest non-pregnant weight: 183 Weight 3 months prior to pregnancy (lowest adult weight): 125 (I put on 20 lbs before becoming pregnant at my husbands request) Weight just prior to pregnancy: 144 [...]

Hoping for a Miracle (Michelle)

Age: 25 Pregnancies: 5 (3 miscarriages, 1 a set of twins) Births: 1 Age of children: almost three, 6 weeks pregnant Growing up I was never sure if I wanted children. I was not sure if I had the patience. I met my husband my freshman year of college. We dated for about 7 months [...]

Being a Super Mom (Bree K)

Pregnancies: 6 Births: 3 Children: Twins 3 & a baby 2 months I know there are many women on here. You come from all walks of life. However there are two things we have in common… we are unhappy or saddened by our bodies and we love our children. Being a mother at a young [...]

At the end of it all (Nicole)

Previous entry here. ~Age: 30 ~Number of pregnancies and births: pregnancy #3/Birth #2 ~The age of your children, or how far postpartum you are: 16 months and currently 36 weeks My first was born shortly afer my first submission. She was suppose to be our last, our only-but there were other plans in motion. At [...]

I Made Them and They Made Me (Tanya Rose)

There was a time when I pranced around no bigger than a minute and cute as a button. Then at 15 years old, I became pregnant with my first son. I was 92 lbs. and throughout my pregnancy I was forced to gain weight by my Dr. because I was “underweight”. I did as I [...]

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 [...]

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′. [...]

Update (Babs)

Previous entries here, here and here. When my first son died, shortly after birth, I found too late that the only prints I’d been given from the hospital staff were barely worth calling prints… they didn’t even try to unfold his fingers before taking them, and even inked his knuckles rather than take the extra [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

My struggle, the stretch marks are totally worth it (Anonymous)

I have an incompetent cervix. This means that my cervix opens way too soon, resulting in a miscarriage or stillbirth. My first pregnancy I lost at 9 weeks when the baby was discovered to have passed away. My second pregnancy I lost at 4 months, when my water broke and I was dilating. The baby [...]

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 [...]

Do I have Postpartum depression? (Autumn W)

Age- 30 Number of Pregnancies – 2 Number of Births- 2 Daughters- 8 years and 2 months I have always been told that if you have postpartum depression, you feel resentment towards your baby but I do not resent my baby in any way what-so-ever! I love and adore her but I hate myself! After [...]

I Don’t Think I Will Ever Come to Love this Body (Carrie)

~Age: 23 ~Number of pregnancies and births: 3 pregnancies and 3 births. ~The age of your children, or how far postpartum you are: 6 1/2 year old daughter, 4 year old daughter, and 2 year old son. So, where do I start? I found out I was pregnant at the very young age of 15. [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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. [...]

Dreams Come True (Anonymous)

Age: 25-years-young Number of pregnancies: 4, 1 abortion, 2 miscarriages Number of birth: On the way…I am 25 weeks!!! Yea! After a horrible relationship with a best friend of more than 10 years, I never felt so betrayed. I had to end my relationship with her last year. She manipulated and instigated between my husband [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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, [...]

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 [...]

Round 2: Here we go again! (Ashley)

Previous entries here and here. ~Age: 28 ~Number of pregnancies and births: 2 pregnancies, 1 birth (currently 15 weeks pregnant) ~The age of your children, or how far postpartum you are: My daughter is 26 months. So here we go again. I’m 15 weeks pregnant with baby number 2! I’m a little worried about weight [...]

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, [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 them saying…”nah, it’s not that [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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.

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 worked.) I got married [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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, [...]

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… everything. [...]

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 back and then [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 – [...]

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 was [...]

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 [...]

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.. [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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, [...]

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 confident! [...]

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.

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 exterior. In [...]

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. [...]

Regarding Scars and Stretch Marks (Amanda)

Age:23 Pregnancies/Births: 2/1 (girl, 18 mos) I anguish over my loose skin and stretch marks. I have not gotten to a place of comfort or acceptance of my body, much less a place of pride over the story my ravaged body tells. I don’t understand how my husband can love such damaged goods, or how [...]

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. [...]

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, and that was from [...]

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 [...]

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 vividly [...]

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 [...]

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 I got pregnant [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 after… [...]

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 [...]

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 a little [...]

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 [...]

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 more alike than we [...]

pregnancy weight gain, sex & fear (Anonymous)

I found your site because I am 30 weeks pregnant and shocked that I am having such a hard time adjusting to my changing body. I am 31 years old and this is my first pregnancy. My partner and I decided this July that we would stop using birth control. We were so in love [...]

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. [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 abortion clinic. I wanted [...]

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 [...]

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″ [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 only got a few [...]

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 [...]

My right to choose (Lucia)

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 [...]

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. [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 my [...]

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 [...]

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 to an [...]

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. We had just celebrated [...]

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 [...]

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 pregnant [...]

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 [...]

Loving who I am now (Hannah)

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

Mother of two, 4 months PP (Anonymous)

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

20 year old mother of three (NCB)

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

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

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