My name is Jessica, and i had a beautiful son 6 weeks ago today. Having a child has been the most fullfilling event to ever happen in my life. Before becoming pregnant me and my boyfriend of 4 years got married, and we never planned on having kids, only dogs! Six months after our wedding i found out i was pregnant and to both of our suprise we were both very excited. I was very scared because i suffered from anorexia and was underweight and feared gaining weight. I knew i was going to have to so that my baby could be happy and healthy. I ended up gaining 35 pounds by the end of my pregnancy. I was very sick the last 8 weeks, and was unable to keep anything down including my vitamins, water and any kind of food. I didn’t gain any weight in the 8 weeks and was very worried for my childs health. I was induced on November 26th, 2 days before my due date because my blood pressure had been skyrocketing and the doctors were worried about my baby and I’s safety. My son, Hayden, was born at 3:46pm on November 28, 2008 after 44 hours of labor and 3 hours 6 minutes of pushing. It was a vacumn assisted delivery due to the fact that his cord was wrapped around his neck and shoulders. I wasn’t allowed to see him right away and it felt like hours before i heard his first cry. I was put on magnesium during my labor and delivery and since it had been passed through him he was very lethargic and they took him right away and i was unable to see him for 8 hours. That was the toughest thing, i watched A Baby Story religiously during my pregnancy and just thought that would be how my delivery would have went. I would go through it all over again because the outcome was all worth it. I’m still working on recovering from my eating disorder, but it is so difficult with a body that have changed and the extra skin that i now have. Everyday is a struggle in that department. I still have an extra 22lbs of weight on me, but i can live with that for now. Here are some photos of me before i was pregnant, 38 weeks pregnant and 5/6 weeks postpartum
omg that’s LITERALLY my dream body! you go girl!
just curious how olda are you?
you look great, i wish my belly button was as cute as yours :)
seriously, if those two bottom pictures are you post-baby then you have NOTHING, and i mean nothing to complain about. there is barely anything there to show you even had a baby. most people would just count themselves very lucky and/or blessed.
we in america are so over exposed to airbrushed and starved women in magazines, television and movies that we think we’re supposed to be perfect, tiny, barely-there women.
but you know what’s more important than weight??? your beautiful son or daughter. your family. the people who love you and care about you the most in the world. it’s one thing to be healthy for them so you can live a long life and be around for them. but it’s another thing totally if you are starving yourself to look like something that God didn’t intend you to be.
I’m not saying i’m perfect. i struggle too with dieting. I guess i’m just so darned sick of seeing the images that make me feel horrible about how my size 8 body with tons of stretch marks looks. what a waste of time–for everyone, really. Society can really mess with you. can i get an “amen”?
Wow, I know you are “some what” aware that you have a warped perception of your body, because you are aware that you have an eating disorder, but YOU DO NOT HAVE AND EXTRA 22lbs! You might weigh 22lbs more then you did pre-pregnancy, though it doesn’t look like it from your pics, try not to look at it as “extra”. I can’t believe those pics are 5/6 weeks postpartum! You already look skinny (but a healthy skinny) I can’t imagine that you could lose another 22lbs and still be anywhere close to the healthy range for your body :(
I’m proud of you for being able to gain the weight you needed to be healthy for your son during your pregnancy, I’m sure that wasn’t easy for you. Just remember, that you need to be healthy for him now too :) It sounds like you’re doing a good job of that, so stay strong!
On a personal note, my mother suffered from anorexia when she was younger too. It took her 4 years to get pregnant with me because of her unhealthy weight. Thank God her desire for children was so strong, I think that is what finally helped her to over come it. She is 52 now and looks fabulous for her age, or for my age for that matter! But whats most important, is that she is healthy, and has a healthy relationship with food and with her body! I’m SO proud of her!
You might need to get some help, and that’s OK, but you can over come this too! If not for yourself, do it for your baby boy :)
You look wonderful! In order to be able to raise your children without them suffering from the same disease you did, you may want to get some help for your anorexia. You are beautiful on the outside, but it is the inner beauty and peace that your children need the most.
i am 23 years old. Thank you everyone for the postive feedback.
Your postpartum photos look great. You look very fit, and you do not look like you have an extra 22 pounds, or even an extra 2 lbs on you.