Third Pregnancy

Struggling More Than Ever (Lee-Ann)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Breasts, Mom over 30, Postpartum, Submissions, Third Pregnancy 7 Comments

I’m really struggling with my body image, I always struggled but it’s worse than ever. I have never felt so horrible about the way I look. In my mind, I have the worst and ugliest body ever, to the point of tears, incredible sadness and depression. I just had my third and last baby almost 3 months ago and my biggest fear is that I will never lose the baby weight or be able to look in the mirror and be o.k. with what I see. I am nursing my little guy and so I can’t diet and/or possibly revert back to old ways ( starving ).

All this causes a huge strain in my marriage. See, with my first son, I was a single mom. With my second son, my husband died the week I gave birth ( we were in a bad car accident ) and so this time with this baby, it’s the first time dealing with the post baby body with someone who sees how horrible I look. With him, it’s even more difficult because for the first 3 plus years we were together, he wasn’t exactly loyal, there was a lot of damage done esp. in regarding my body image. He was always complementing other woman, looking at other women, saying how hot they were while I got nothing. I remember like it was yesterday, we went to a water park/hotel. Prior to the weekend we went, I told him how hard it was going to be for me to be in a swim suit in front of people and that I’d like it if he complimented me when he saw me in one. Well, I put my bathing suit on and got nothing. When we left our hotel room and got to the water park, he proceeded to drool over every other women there. Several times, I have put on lingerie and literally got nothing or at most a little look at that’s it. These are just 2 examples of MANY and I have such a difficult time letting go of all the times I “wasn’t good enough”. Before you ask me why I am with this man, let me explain something. Before me, his only other experience with a real woman was in high school and after that for about 10 years until he met me, all he had was porn, page 3 girls, magazines, strip clubs and his buddies who weren’t much better. The man was a pig and a thoughtless jerk and because of the porn and other smut, I believe he was a victim of what society does to men ( brainwashing them about what woman look like/what woman are for, just like we are affected by all the crap we are fed ). For the past 2 and a half years, he’s really changed/grown up. (at least I hope he truly has ) He won’t dare ogle other women ( at least not in front of me ), he’s extremely affectionate, he compliments me every day, he’s really attentive, is a wonderful dad and a hard worker for our family. But every time he looks at me, I am thinking of all the women he wanted/was attracted to and I know I can never measure up or be as good as them. And it kills me inside because all I want is for him to look at me and see the most beautiful woman ever ( which he claims I am ). I guess I am really stuck in how he use to be and afraid to trust that he really does love me and my body now or that I am what he wants, in spite of my flaws.

I hate!!! my middle, wish I didn’t have so many stretch marks or cellulite and my nipples look deformed to me…one is much lower than the other. After I gave birth, I was down to my pre-pregnancy weight within a few weeks but because of nursing, I eat and eat some more and have put on almost 10 lbs. So, as most women lose weight after a baby, I am gaining and this messes with my head. It doesn’t help that it’s a bad winter and can’t get out for walks. I am stuck at home, in p.j.’s, covered in vomit and it’s just hard to feel sexy/sexual. I try to look at my children and remember that my body did that….gave birth to 3 beautiful boys. I avoid anything that triggers me feeling worse about the way I look and of course, I am ever thankful for SOAM for showing me I am not alone. I just want to feel good in my own skin and maybe even one day, feel beautiful. Thanks for letting me share and for posting some pics ( I couldn’t decide which ones to post so I am sharing them all ). -Lee-Ann

Age-36
# of pregnancies-7/live births- 3
Ages of children- 18, 9 and almost 3 months

Mother of Four (Anonymous)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Breasts, Mom over 30, Postpartum, Submissions, Third Pregnancy, Twins 14 Comments

I am a 33 year old Mother to four boys. Twins who are 9 1/2, 6 1/2 year old and a 4 1/2 year old. I am posting my pictures of my body as it is now after 4 kids and 3 pregnancies. I am 5′ 7″ and 170 pounds.

I would say I am 50% comfortable in my own skin. My husband tell’s me he thinks I am so sexy yet I don’t feel it because of my flabby belly. I have recently looked into getting a breast lift and tummy tuck. My husband supports me if it is something I want to do. I am so torn. I don’t want to be shallow and selfish.

I guess I am posting my picture on here to get encouragement from other Mothers. I know I am my worst enemy since I feel my stomach is just nasty. The picture of my stomach up close with the black markings of a football shape is the skin the Doctor would remove if I had a tummy tuck.

Mother of Three (Amanda)

Bonnie (SOAM) Postpartum, Submissions, Third Pregnancy 1 Comment

age – 29
number of pregnancies-3
children 3- boy14-boy4-girl2

This site has been such a great inspiration to me through this journey, So grateful that it is here for us to all connect and tell our stories. I have been unable to answer to the comments on my earlier submission. When I had my baby Girl I thought I was never going to get my body back after 3 children and sooooo many pounds. I had always heard that healthy living is 80% nutrition and 20% exercise and now I know its true

my initial program was insanity, and then Hip Hop Abs, ChaLEAN Extreme, T25 and now Les Mills Combat, I eat cleaner and I run I would be more than happy to talk to any of the ladies who had asked. I recently added another t shirt to my collection!! I still have my pouch, I still have my stretch Marks. Im still not completely ok with the fact that I will never have any more children, My scoliosis still bothers me from time to time… Life is a work in progress and I love my three babies, 4 counting my fur baby scrappy please feel free to find me on fb if you ever want to chat.

First pic is my new tshirt :)
Second pic shows the s in my spine
Have a Fit Day!!

Fair to Middling (Shanelle)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Breasts, Postpartum, Submissions, Third Pregnancy 6 Comments

Age:31
Pregnancies:3
Children: 3 (8 y.o,5 y.o & 6 m.o)

Almost 7 months Post-Partum.

Hi all,

I am a Single Mum of 3 from Australia.
I’ve been raising my children on and off (mostly on) by myself as the father of my children suffers from mental illness.
We seperated for good while I was 4 months pregnant with my third and he now lives hours away in another state.
He hasn’t ever seen his daughter and hasn’t seen his older two in almost 8 months.

I am still brestfeeding and brestfed my older two.My eldest boy was brestfed til he was almost 4 and my middle boy til he was almost 2.
I plan to breastfeed at least two years with my youngest.

I had an eating disorder from 11yo pretty much up until I fell pregnant with my first (at 22) and didn’t change weight (50 kgs at 5″8) up until I was pregnant with my first.
I only put 8 kilos on while pregnant with him and was vigilant with getting the weight off as soon as I had him.
I don’t know if it was age,having something else that genuinely mattered (my son),my abusive relationship with his Dad or a combination of both but by the time my boy was two,I no longer cared so much bout being able to feel my bones.

Now,almost 9 years and a hell of life experience later,I do wish I fit better into clothes (I hate how waistbands give me the spare-look) and I’m not dancing in giddy circles of glee at the cellulite and double chin that are creeping on me,But all in all-I am pretty ok with how I look.
Considering all my babies were big -8.3p,9.1p & 9.2p,- and I have breastfed for quite awhile,I think i’m holding up alright ;)

For me personally,my kids have shown me what is really important in life and that is good health and happiness.I’m lucky to have both.

Mom of Three (Amanda)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Postpartum, Pregnant, Submissions, Third Pregnancy 5 Comments

number of pregnancies-3
number of children-3
age 29
2 years PP

My name is Amanda, Im 29 years old, Ive always been “healthy” but not healthy, im a chocoholic and never put much thought into what I was putting into my mouth, if it was deep fried even better I ALWAYS had a struggle with my size, my shoulders are too wide, my ribcage too big…. I used to box a bit, would go to the gym but was never what you would call “fit”. I had my first baby at the age of 15, I gained about 70Lbs with my first pregnancy (im 5’2″ was about 110 to start) not too many stretch marks I lucked out. 24 hour natural delivery 7lbs 13.5oz. A lot of people had a lot of things to say about my age but here we are. He saved my life in more ways than he could ever understand. I was a single mother for 8 years, finished highschool ontime, went to college, got a job and moved out to support my son and myself (my parents are two amazing people not many would do for their 15 year old pregnant daughter what mine did for me) I was in and out of relationships with men who just weren’t ready to be parents, and that’s ok, I understand that now. I was barely ready myself but my son and I grew up together and we still are. I FINALLY reconnected with my first love from when I was 13, we were separated for 12 years because I moved a few provinces away. He moved to us and immediately we were a family, something “clicked” I got pregnant with my second son I was 130lbs, gained only 30 lbs walked every day to take my oldest to and from school, and worked on my feet. only 6 hour natural delivery, 7 lbs 10oz. not so lucky this time in the stretch mark department I got some on my belly more on my legs, My breasts shot from a D to somewhere in the F range. My hubby and I got married a year after he was born I was 146Lbs. And then Came bebebgirl… We got pregnant October 2010 I somehow managed to hit 160 within 3 months and just…bloomed from there, I was put off work early because of damage that was done to my hips during my first pregnancy (I was still growing yadda yaddda) so my legs were falling asleep at random. I have OCD so all I did was clean, eat, play with my kids and lay on the couch stuffing my face. that was my day, every day. take out daily, July 21 2011 weighing in at 210Lbs after two and a half “blissful” days of natural labor I gave birth to bebegirl 8lbs 3 oz. LOTS of stretch marks LOTS of extra skin… fast forward 8 mos pp and heres where the fun begins, my husband gets a promotion and moves to a different city while I stay put with all three children so our oldest can finish out the school year. Im somewhere around 195lbs have tried EVERYTHING, nothing works, I get bored easily and quit easily!! I cry in the mirror, I know im not this person, I want to be able to run with my kids again, I want my daughter to grow up without all my hangups. Finally a friend is trying this new program and I decided to try it too. And I saw results, I would have to stop half way through to feed my dd so some nights I would be working out until 1030 or so, but I LOVED IT. It was ME time and I was getting stronger!! fast forward another 16 months and I have lost 101 lbs, from my 210, have totally changed my lifestyle, my eating habits (slowly) and even became a fitness coach!! I work from home, get to be here with my babes and am heathier than I have ever been, I still have my stretch marks and my extra skin on my belly but Im HEALTHY and my babies are healthy, I still sometimes think of maybe a tummy tuck, but im scared silly. I want my kids to see that healthy is the way to be no matter your shape or size being healthy is the key, eating clean and staying active. mommy has muscles and that’s ok, I can hug them tighter and hold them longer. I can run and play and do handstands and summersaults with them. Best of all, I can out push up their daddy (shhhh that’s our secret lol)

1st is me pregnant with my first
2nd is me pregnant with my 2nd
3rd is me at my highest of 210
4th is me in labour with #3 lol
5th is our wedding day
6-8 are my transformation pictures and my recent
Have a Fit Day!!

(Anonymous)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Breasts, Postpartum, Submissions, Third Pregnancy 10 Comments

3 pregnancies. 2 Children. A 7 year old girl and a 5 years old boy. I am 33 years old.

I’m not sure where to start. I love this web site and it has helped me a little to know there are other women who feel the same way I do. I am completely ashamed and hate How my body looks since having children and losing 70lbs. It’s so frustrating to look totally normal with clothes on but underneath I feel I look anything but normal. I have a wonderful boyfriend who loves me and says I look perfect but I still cringe when he touches me or looks at me, not because I don’t love his touch, but because I’m so disgusted with my body. I feel gulity that don’t look better for him and I can’t even do things like wear a bathing suit. I thought with time my feelings would change and I would behind to feel better about it but I only feel much worse. And then I feel guilty because it seems so vain of me to be so worried about How I look when I have my beautiful children, boyfriend, family and health. It’s a never ending cycle. anyway, that’s my story. Thank you for reading and I think you are all so beautiful!

Gaining Confidence (Anonymous)

Bonnie (SOAM) Before Pregnancy, Belly, Breasts, Mom over 30, Postpartum, Pregnant, Submissions, Third Pregnancy, Vulva 11 Comments

I recently discovered SOAM and was happy to see a forum for discussing the changes women go through after childbirth. There seem to be a lot of younger women (20s) with beautiful bodies who post on this site, I wanted to share my story and pictures too. I’m 35 and have given birth to three children, with my recent child being born less than 6-months ago. I actually cried when we found it we were having our 3rd because I was finally happy with my body after our 2nd and the 3rd caught us by surprise. Now that we know we’re done having kids, I want to look the best that I can. I was worried about all aspects of my body: stomach, butt, boobs, and the taboo topic area (vagina/labia). I’ve been very self-conscious about my body, even though I’m back to my pre-baby weight of 125lbs. I just wish things were tighter than they are. My husband is very supportive and tells me frequently how good I look and how I turn him on. It’s nice to hear but I still miss my pre-baby body. Our sex life is still good too. I was worried what a 3rd vaginal delivery would do to me, but things still look the same down there and I can still orgasm like before. I’m posting these pictures, in part, to show other women what a women can look like after three pregnancies. My husband also encouraged me to post, telling me that I should be proud of how I look so soon after giving birth to our 3rd. Still nervous to submit but if you’re reading this…..I mustered up enough courage to hit the send button. Thanks.

Age: 35
Pregnancies/births: 3

080613-anon-1

More intimate photos here.

25 Year Old Mother of 3 (Anonymous)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Breasts, Postpartum, Submissions, Third Pregnancy 8 Comments

at 20 yrs my first girl, who is turning six in a couple weeks
second daughter is 2 yrs old, she is turning 3 soon.
my third lovely boy is 4 months old now.
~~~simply put 3 babies in 5 yrs~~~

I have become super busy lately, but i wanted to take some time and put myself out there in front of others like me.
My children and taught me so much, literally changed my life for the better.
Being a cancerian, i love family and home. I havent worked in years thanks to my husband. which gives me opportunity to dedicate to them and focus on home and health. Since my first daughter alot of changes have been made: GF, non GMO, Organic, meat every other day, non processed snacks. I have become a home chef :) and very likely will be vegetarian soon. We do not buy any premade sweets, I bake. Lots more fresh foods here lately
.
These changes have made a huge difference, and now to add on to it, I am putting myself through CoDA, and my life is changing.
I know once i find the time to workout with the new baby I will transform as I have with every child.
.
speaking out is new to me, but here goes some pictures i just took
no sucking in, tucking up, pushing out, honest pictures of me standing for the world to see
all my physical body is right there, neither excited nor bummed.
Right now I simply am and that is ok with me

This is Me… And That is Okay (Stacie)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Breasts, Positive Body Image/Words of Enouragement, Postpartum, Submissions, Third Pregnancy 11 Comments

I am a 28 year old mother of three children, all born vaginally. I have never been skinny or in shape. I will never be a size 4. And you know what? That is okay, this is ME. It has taken me a long time to be okay with my body. Sure, I use self tanning lotions when I know that I will be wearing a dress. I even bought some hand weights to tone my arms a bit for the Summer. But I won’t look like my thinnest of friends and that is okay: this is ME. I know that not everyone has that outlook, and some days neither do I. But when I truly stop to think about why my body is this way, why I have that stomach flap that seems like it just won’t budge, I smile. Tiger stripes. Cliche, maybe, but they’re mine and that is okay: This is ME. My husband loves me the way I am, so do my children. It is time that I do the same. And I hope that one day you are able to have the same outlook that I do. Because that is you, and that is okay.

~Age: 28
~Number of pregnancies and births: 3
~The age of your children, or how far postpartum you are: 7, 3, 1