I have always been thin – I guess I was blessed with good genetics in that department. Carrying and giving birth to large, healthy babies was also part of that fabulous gene pool. My skin, however, was not so lucky. After having my son (now 15 months old) and my daughter (11 weeks old) my belly is in a sad and sorry state. I’m 25 and I wear granny panties! You know – the kind that sucks everything in and hides that unsightly pooch? I’m only 5lbs heavier than my pre-pregnancy weight, but I’m up 2 sizes in my pants. Talk about a blow to your ego! It’s tough to feel good about yourself when you aren’t the same person anymore, especially on the outside. I become overwhelmed with guilt when I curse my body for looking the way it does – I know it created and nurtured my children, but why did it have to make me so darn ugly? I know I had to give something up to have my little bear cubs (you know, like an actual waist line?), but I wish I was one of the lucky ones…
I understand exactly where you are coming from! I’m 26 years old and have a 17 months old and a 12 week old. Both were over 9 pounds. When I saw your pictures, I had to do a doubletake…you look exactly like I do!
Learning to love every inch of myself is a daily battle. I never think I’m “ugly”, but I often long for my tight tummy, shapely butt and awesome thighs.
However, as you know, I wouldn’t trade my babies for my old self in a million years.
You look beautiful, and mor importantly have two healthy and beautiful children. In life, that’s really all that matters :)
You are not going to magically have a flat tummy 3 months after giving birth. I looked three months pregnant after having my daughter. I stayed that way until I got serious about living healthier. I started eating healthier and counting calories. (If you can’t do that, then eat only when you’re hungry) I also started running 3times a week 30mins a day. Now my stomach is completely flat and I have more energy. I started exercising so that I could be healthier; I wasn’t doing it for looks. I thought my stomach would never look flat again; so, the flat stomach was a bonus.
You are actually much luckier than you think Your belly is quite flat for having two children so close in age! You look great. You just had a baby for crying out loud lol. Wait a year and then compare photos. Take my word for it. You will feel so much more confident. Because… just like I said… You JUST had a baby! ;)
Not ugly at all. And Milk Mama is right, you just had that second baby. Relax and give your body some time to remember what it’s like not to be pregnant for awhile.
You’re only 11 week pp though! I didn’t even start to sorta loose “the pooch” until I was 5 months pp. So give your belly some time. Think of how much it had to streatch- like a piece of warped wood. It takes time for the muscle to flatten itself out and to loose all that loose skin.
I still have a little tummy but it is substainaly smaller than it was a month ago and 11 weeks pp…well I feel like a whole different woman since then!
It will get better! :)
(and anyway, your tummy looks better at 11 weeks pp than mine did then and I only have one child!)