Im 27 and i have two wonderful sons, one six years, the newest 9 weeks.I decided to post my pictures, dispite crying at how horrendous i look.I honestly hate the way i look.my husband tells me he finds me sexy and loves me, but how he can find that sexy is beyond me.I have always hated my body and I have always felt fat even when in hindsight i was actually thin.I know theres a deep issue going on.I feel so down and depressed about the way i look.my confidence has hit rock bottom.I dont like going out in public and felt panicky going to the shops yesterday.I just feel like hiding away.With clothes on i dont look to bad, but i feel fat and awful.Christmas is around the corner and if i could have one gift for christmas i would love self acceptance and confidence.I would treasure it forever. And to all of you other mothers out there that love and appriciate the new bodys they have, i have enourmous respect for you and i truely hope to be joining you on the other side soon.
Updated here.
Let me just start by saying you are beautiful! and not just on the inside, but really you look great! I would’ve never known you gave birth 9 wks ago. Just every now and then listen to your hubby when he says you’re sexy, obviously if you have 2 kids he really thinks so! congrats on the new baby!
i’ve only had one and i don;t look half as good as you!! and only a few weeks pp?!?! you look AMAZING!!!keep your chin up! you look better than you think. i don;t see anything wrong with your body
You are beautiful! You have a wonderful husband and two sweet children. Enjoy Christmas with them!!!
My dear, you look gorgeous!
I only wish my body looked that fabulous before having my children, let alone postpartum.
Remember your baby is only nine weeks old and it took 40 weeks to grow him. Give yourself some time to allow your body to heal from pregnancy and childbirth, then see if you feel the same way.
Perhaps taking comparative pictures every 6 weeks to see your body changing postpartum will help?
Oh honey, you are BEAUTIFUL. You really and truly are! You have a great shape, especially for being post-partum 9 weeks, and you look like you only have a little bit to go!
That said, I emphathize with you. I am 18 months post-partum and lately I have been disgusted with my appearance. I weigh more now than I did the week after I had my DD! It’s this site that keeps me grounded and keeps me appreciative of my body (mostly). I applaud you for having the courage to share yourself, and I hope that one day I will have the courage too.
Just know that your husband isn’t lying. You are a hot mama!
Let me just say that you are gorgeous and I would kill to look as good as you do.
You look GREAT for being ONLY 9 wks PP!! Remember, it takes time for your body to heal, not just the necessary birth areas, but the muscles and the flesh. If I would have looked as good as you at 9 wks I would have been jumping out of my skin! Kudos to you for posting photos — you really do look great! Happy Holidays — enjoy your bundles this Season!
I know how you feel. But let me tell you, when I look at you, you look wonderful. Im extremly jelous. You see your flaws but I see a wonderful body. Exspecially for being 9 weeks PP. give your self time to lose the baby weight. But know you did the most selfless act, having a baby! that is something to be proud of!
You are so not fat! You are beautiful and I think the best part about you is your legs, they are fantastic!
you are not fat.
you are very slim, and your skin is a lovely colour,
feelings of panic can’t last, that is what i told myself when it happened to me, let it wash over you, hang in there, wait for it to stop, then carry on.
i wish you a very happy christmas, and hope you feel better about yourself soon. x
You look beautiful! I know its tough to watch your body change after having children but honestly I wouldnt be able to even tell you have to children! I know we are our own worse critics. I am loosing the baby weight finally and find Im excited and disapointed all in one. As the weight comes off its a constant reminder that no matter how slim I get I will always have the extra flap at my belly with the deep red stretch marks. Its sad but I try to be happy about it. Anyways I just wanted to say I think you look great. Its hard to love ourselfs but loving yourself is one of the best gifts you can give your child. Take care!
Maybe this isn’t going to help, but I really think you look pretty good! You are only 9 weeks post partum so go easy on yourself. You have great legs, and from what I can see in the photo, no stretch marks. And most important, your husband is loving and supportive. Enjoy your lovely family.
Only nine weeks post partum?! You look fantastic! You need to find at least one part of you that you love, whether it’s your legs, butt or eyebrows. Then focus on that every time you look in the mirror and your confidence will slowly get better. But, for what it’s worth, I think you look great and I wish I had your legs.
I realize this doesn’t mean much coming from a stranger and that its hard to accept compliments when you don’t believe them…but you have a gorgeous body and your a skinny mini! You shouldn’t feel fat at all. It’s only been 9 weeks and I’m sure u’ll lose whatever pregnancy wait you’ve gained (though I don’t think you need to lose any). Keep your head up and enjoy the new baby…i miss those newborn days:)
I think you look great! And not just for having had children. I’m working to get in shape before TTC and would be happy with your figure.
I second the ‘go easy on yourself as you’re only 9 weeks post partum’. I looked about like you at that stage. I’m 4 1/2 months pp now, and I can fit back in a few pairs of my regular pants. For myself, I have found that the best antidote to depression and negative body image is to do some good, strenuous exercise a few days a week — fast walking, running, biking, dancing, or swimming. It makes me feel like I am doing something positive to take care of my body and stay in shape, and the endorphins or exercise high you get from raising your heart rate, heating your body, and really sweating for an hour is better than a medication antidepressant. Plus, if I exercise regularly, I feel strong, and that makes helps me feel good about myself. Anyway, I don’t know if that would be an answer for you, but it might be worth giving it a try for a few months (if you can do 2-3x/week for at least 6 weeks, you’ll get into a routine and start feeling better on a daily basis). Of course, for moms, the biggest challenge is finding the TIME to do this!
Also, this sounds dorky, but affirmations — giving your body love and gratitude for nurturing two children, and complimenting yourself on body parts you do like (maybe you love the shape of your fingernails, or you can honestly thank your skin for stretching out so wonderfully that you didn’t get any stretch marks), can start you appreciating your body anew.
Big hugs, Mama!
I am 9 weeks pp tomorrow, 27 years old and look very similair! This is my second and I am actually feeling like I look pretty good! You look great, your legs are awesome, the rest of the weight will come off, give it time. With my first it took me a good six-nine months to get back to my prepregnancy weight and a full year to get back to a similair shape. You look lovely, congratulate yourself on being a mum and give your body time to adjust :)
a little something I learned…
9 months on (the weight, the growing), 9 months off (the weight and the baby wearing). In other words, it took 9 months on to put the very much needed weight on, and it’s going to take 9 months to take it off. That’s the facts. But if you’ve already had body images, than you already had a battle before this. Look beyond your body into your heart and soul…there’s where you will find the real you.
And if you’re breastfeeding, you NEED the weight, that’s how the milk get’s produced…that’s where all the good fat comes from!
I wish you peace of heart,
Lil
Man, I WISH I looked like you!
But, I completely understand that you’re not comparing yourself to others, you’re comparing yourself to what YOU think YOU should look like, because I do the exact same thing.
I, too, have battled with low self-esteem and depression. I’m doing well with depression now, but my self-esteem still isn’t great.
I’m sorry that you are feeling low, and I hope that you find peace with yourself soon.
Have you considered belly dancing? Or another form of dance? I started belly dancing last January, and it has done WONDERS for my self-esteem. I even show my belly!! (just not below the navel! lol)
hello, its the poster here.Wow what can i say, thank you so very much for all your kind words and support.It is truely great that websites like this exist and that we can all share our experiences of motherhood and support each other.Thank you to every single one of you for taking the time to comment on my post.
And at the moment im feeling pretty good and intend to value my ever loving family.
Happy holidays one and all..xx
I have respect for you. Not many women are honest and put there feelings out there. I have the same feelings you do, i am 3 months pp and you look much better than me. life is to short to worry about what we look like. You have a loving family, in the end that is all that matters.
Hi…just a thought, you may want to talk with your doctor about how you are feeling. You sound like you may be suffering from Post-pardum depression or baby blues. If looking at yourself makes you sad, stop looking and just take your husbands word…enjoy the kids!
wow… it’s never easy to struggle with those issues, even with other people telling you you look great, but I’m going to do it anyway. I wish my legs looked like that before I got pregnant, never mind after! Time will be a big help- you’ll lose more weight, feel like being more active, AND your hormones might give you some relief from the emotional ride they give us all. Good luck with everything!
You have shapely legs, lovely hips, and big bountiful breasts! You are gorgeous just how you are. I know someone else saying that doesn’t change how you feel on the inside, but maybe all these ladies leaving comments can see something you don’t see so easily!
Momma, you look amazing. I’m currently 6 weeks PP and I would love to look as great as you do in only 3 more weeks! Although you may not feel it, trust that others see your beauty, and that hopefully you will see it soon too.
wow, you sound totally different than you look. you don’t even look like you’ve had a child, just maybe a little bit outta shape is all… you obviously have very high expectations of yourself… so if you take a few months of kick ass work outs and eating super well, you’d have like the perfect body. you’re only a few months postpartum and you look great, please please please give yourself a friggin break! and love that body- not only is it a miracle what your body has done, but it also looks good! confidence is beautiful, let yourself feel that… i’m very proud of my pre-pregnancy body so I’m very paranoid about what it will look post-partum (i’m 29 weeks with 1st baby) so i understand your emotions, but seriously you really don’t have to worry like that, just put that energy into working out and in no time you’ll look the way most women would kill to look…
Hun, you look pretty good to me! Just exercise and eat right! And before you know it, you’ll be lookin’ great. Have confidence…tell yOurself you are sexy…then you’ll start believing it!