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

I am 22 years old and have 2 children under the age of 2! I got pregnant with my first child when I was 20 years old, other than getting stretchmarks, I had never really though about how having a baby would change my body. I figured I was still young, and everything would bounce back to normal….boy was I wrong!! 9 months and 60 lbs. later I gave birth to a healthy 8lb. 4oz. beautiful baby girl. Despite having used cocoa butter for stretchmarks throughout My pregnancy, I was shocked to look in the mirror for the first time after giving Birth, and see the changes that had taken place. Not only was my tummy covered in stretchmarks, but my skin was rippley and sagging I also had stretchmarks on the backs of my legs, and side of my breasts. I thought for sure there must be somthing wrong… I am only 20 years old and my body should NOT look like this. throughout the months after my daughter was born, I tried hard to be accepting of my “new” body, but it was hard. In june of 2009, i was surprised to discover that I was pregnant again. I was not to thrilled at the thought of more stretchmarks, and feared that my body would be even worse after the next baby. I tried to eat healthier with my second pregnancy, and even lost wait the first few months due to morning sickness, so I only gained 20 pounds with my second pregnancy.
In January 2010 my baby boy arrived by cesarean.
right now I am 3 months post partum. Although I still have stretchmarks, most of them have faded, other than a few that I got from my secod pregnancy. I am surprised to say that I actually feel better about my body right now than I did after my first pregnancy. My skin is still sagging, and rippley in some places, and I have this horrible flap of skin that hangs over my pants, but I am still working on accepting my new body because, if I didnt have the body I have now, I wouldnt have my beautiful babies, and I wouldnt change that for the world! I have attatched pictures of me at 3 months post partum :)