I first want to say that I love this site. I visit everyday to read new stories and get encouragement, thank you all!
I am 25 years old and gave birth to my daughter on Oct 30, 2008. I hated being pregnant… every bit of it. I was uncomfortable the whole time and I gained weight like it was my job. The day I found out I was pregnant I weighed 129. During my last OB appt I weighed 197! And I am only 4’11”, so I was HUGE! I was also given pitocin for 24+ hours during labor to speed things up, and retained a ton of water due to that. Most of the stretchmarks on my legs are from when I was in labor. Within a week of giving birth I had already lost more than 30 lbs. So I thought the weight was going to come off so easily, boy was I wrong! I am now 6 months postpartum and I am still weighing 165, only 5 lbs less then I was 1 week postpartum. I now were a size 16 (I was a size 6 pre-baby), which makes me feel so awful. Large shirts in the womens section do not fit me, so I am still wearing my maternity shirts, which is just sad. Summer is right around the corner and I do not own one article of summer clothing that fits me. I cannot believe I have let myself go on like this for so long. The whole time I was pregnant I kept saying, ‘I can’t wait to be able to diet again’ or ‘as soon as I can I will be exercising my butt off to lose this weight…’ and so on and so fourth. I don’t know why I haven’t. I need to get serious. I hate the way I look and I hate the way I feel about myself. In my title I say I still look 6 months pregnant, but now that I think about it, I probably looked better when I was 6 months pregnant than I do now. I hope to submit and update in a few months and will have made some weight loss progress by then. Wish me luck!
I cant thank all of you enough and especially the initial writer for posting this. I’m 5 months PP and look 4-5 months pregnant..it has been very depressing and a huge shot to any ego I had left! lol! I actually got asked when I was due the other day…got in the car and cried! I’m trying different things now and WHEN i find soemthing that works, I will share. Thanks all, this helped a lot.
hey my daughter is almost 2 years old and i look like im skinny but when i dont suck in i look six months prego and it is hard and i am wondering if that is normal?
My son is 5 months now and I still look 5 months pregnant. I am so upset and I am considering hitting the gym. I now have to buy new clothes to fit my new body
I’m so upset after my kidos birth,it pass 5 month now.but yet I look 6 month pregnant..
My daughter is five months old but i look five months pregnant. The worst part is that i cant wear shorts or pants because it will show how my lower tummy is sticking out and when i team them with shirts, it sucks because, the clothes will be loose fitting elsewhere but tight at the lower tummy area. I really hate it. I usually have camel toes when i wear pants too so i only wear long, tightish cotton dresses and throw over loose tops long enough to cover my bulging belly.
I just recently had a baby 6 months ago and am at work this very second and I had a customer come in and say “girl when are u due” I froze, didn’t know what to say. I’ve tried dieting, diet pills, tried to be motivated to exercise, but just so down on myself and depressed that I don’t even know where to begin. Any suggestions on what I should try, I do have a membership at the gym but where do I start???
ok, so I was 118 pre pregnancy and 160 at labor. im now 131 and it won’t shake off. im fine with THAT … BUT my stomach still looks like I’m 5 months pregnant. I can’t tell you if this is going to work but this is what im doing … TRYING to eat healthy meals, I cut out all sweets and fried foods (foods that go straight to your belly) DRINK LOTS OF WATEEERRRRRR LOTS OF IT. I know for a fact that is key. I have a gym membership i work out as often as I can AT LEAST 4 times a week. I do 30-45 min cardio (good for shedding pounds) then I lift weights (im trying to build muscle so I don’t get too skinny) and I work my abs and legs. NOTE: working your abs TOO much before losing the fat will make your stomach protrude making it look even bigger so be sure to eat healthy foods and do more cardio than sit ups. that’s all I have right now. I haven’t lost the belly but I have way more energy and stronger arms so far. only been at it a month so wish me luck and good luck to you all!
Im 26 and a mother of three so im with you girls 100%. It seemed like the older I got the harder it was. After I had my second I was 130 and my norm was 120. I just had my third baby 8 weeks ago so my body still looks crazy. But the best advice I can give you is cut the soda. I was a BIG soda drinker and just cutting that I lost 15 lbs. I got into taking a multivitamin once a day, do my 30 day shred and drink a glass of water after that and you really get motivated and energetic. Your body may or may not go back to that size 1 jean but I promise if you give it patience you will look just as good. I was a 5 before my second but after I was a 9 cause my hips were bigger but man I looked good!!
Thank you for this post! I’m 6.5 months postpartum after my fourth baby (all by cesarian) and I am stuck at the same weight as many of you. 130lb at 5’5 easily after every single one of my kids without trying….. Until baby # 4. Losing the weight at 30 is much harder than it was in my early twenties. My self esteem has disintegrated completely. I have a huge closet full of clothes and only 16 things that I can wear and 80% of them are maternity from my 6month range or pjs. I don’t have the money or the time for a gym membership. I just feel lost. It’s nice to hear there are others just like me with the same issue.
We’re all here reading this article because we have same problem going on. I’m 27y.o. Almost 28. I feel how I’m getting older. Had a baby 6 months ago. Can’t loose any weight. Probably looked better being pregnant. That makes you really depressed. Used to go to the gym every day. Had perfect body. All before marriage. Now just have no time for gym. But I dnt give up. I do short workouts from YouTube. 10 min each time baby takes nap. It might be not enough but still better than nothing. I didn’t lose weight yet but it gives me energy. I’m hoping one day I’ll have more time on myself again. Like before I started all this family life and used to look good. Not fun when your husband tells you how skinny you were when he met you and not anymore. Sure, he didn’t have to give birth, plus he’s skinny and tall all his life. Can eat all and never get fat. I have to work a lot to get any better. I really want to be perfect again. I’m tired of feeling so down all the time.
I am early 30’s and had my first child 20 months ago. At first the weight seemed to cone off fairly quickly but it has not changed much since I was 5mths pop. I am 5’3″ and was 140 before being pregnant and 210 the day I went into labor. I had a cswction and retained a lot of water. At first I looked bigger coming out of the hospital than I did going in. I started using my fitness pal about 4 myths ago and lost about 15 lbs just changing the way I eat. I’m in a size 12 and weigh about 164. I feel like my stomach is still huge. My self esteem no longer exists and I have a hard time finding clothes to wear and hate going out anymore. Before my baby I was health concise and exercised a lot. Now I don’t have as much time and I feel like i lost myself even though I gained a wonderful child and should just be over the moon. It depresses me that I worry so much about how I look when all my son cares about is how much I love him and how important he is to me.
Wow I feel like a small weight has been lifted just by writing all of this. I feel like I don’t have anybody that understands what I’m going through and everyone I talk to just brushes me off and says I just shouldn’t worry about it. Its been over 1-1/2 yrs and I’m still struggling with my weight and body image while ironically going through the best time of my life.
I was in the exact same boat as you guys. At 5 months pp I was weighing more than I did at labor. I was even taking prescription diet pills and it still wasn’t working. A friend of mine told me about juicing. So I tried it. I didn’t have a juicer so I just used my blender and added 1 cup of water to whatever raw fruits and veggies I put in there. I did this three times a day. The first week I noticed I was going to the bathroom a lot like my body was detoxing. I added in an hour of walking everyday then 2 min squats, 2 min crunches 2 min push ups and 2 min jumping jacks every morning and right before bed. In two weeks I noticed a huge change not jus with my body but with how I felt. I was more energized and sleeping better at night. My appetite also changed for the better. I craved more healthier and lighter food. After 30 days of doing this I lost 20lbs. I also continued taking my prenatal vitamins everyday and my hair has grown an extra three inches. I’m going to continue doing this as a healthier way of living and staying in fit. Try it ladies it might work for you too :)
Coincidentally, I came across this article because I was looking for someone, something, somewhere to tell me I am not the only one 4 months postpartum and still looking like I am 6 months pregnant! I weighed 140 lbs and was a size 8 before becoming pregnant and 5 or 6 months into my pregnancy I started gaining weight like crazy!! It was no surprise to me where I have several health issues but just as the story above; I kept telling myself that I cant wait to feel good again, I am going to work all of this off and eat healthy and get into shape again and I need to do more of all of that! I have been trying to cut portion sizes and trying to go waling but my stomach wont go down at all! I ordered a Large Bellefit Girdle and it would not go on, not even close, it was too small! I a now a size 16 and have to wear maternity clothes still as well. I am lost and I feel terrible the way I look. People keep asking me if I am pregnant again and it makes me feel worse. I see other girls drop weight so so fast and I have dropped maybe 20 lbs in 4 months after birth. It is good to feel like I am not alone but I do not feel any better about myself. I need help. I am all out of confidence.
Ashley
Hello all you wonderful mothers,
I am 39, and after my second child, at 6 months postpartum, I am still far from my prebirth weight, but I have read now in many places, that it is normal, and that, especially for those who are breastfeeding, weight will get off over time, in due time, esp. Those of us who are small. Nature needs to make sure that we have enough reserves to feed our babies. I find sad that magazines and conventions give curves a bad rap, because only women with loads of obey have the time to hit the gym all the time with a personal coach. However, we can focus on building upper body strength by carrying babes, doing the plank (best, quickest, cheapest way to flatten tummy) at any point in the day, take walks when baby is fussing, and steal moments to do things that make us happy, beyond shopping and reading Beauty magazines!! Mothers are all beautiful and powerful because of the simple fact that they have given life, and anyone who does not see that is missing the point of our precious lives. Our babies love us just the way we are, so should everyone else, ourselves included, even if it feels good to have a strong body. Oh, and don’t forget keels, they are one of the most important ways to keep your body in shape for many years after giving birth :) Happy mothering! I love us.
I’m so glad I found this! Someone else mentioned that we all wound up here by Googling the same thing: “still look 6 months pregnant”. It’s SO nice to know I’m not the only one! I look exactly…and I mean EXACTLY… like the original poster’s photos of herself. I really want to know how she is doing! I was skinny before like her as well. I have stretch marks in the exact same places (yay thighs!). I have the exact same looking back (except for I have no tattoos). I’m just so glad I’m not alone! That’s what I’ll take from all this :)
Hi. I am depressed about the way I look! My head looks like a watermelon with a HUGE double chin that only goes away when I weigh under 130. I am 5’3 and I look my best at 135-140. However I now weigh 186 after my second baby who is now 9 weeks old…. and I will be 41 in three months!! I can’t take this. I’m old and fat and ugly now lol. But I have two beautiful healthy awesome kids!! So yeah – here is my story… I was about 150 BEFORE my first pregnancy with my daughter who is now 4. I was 36 when I had her and I had gone through 3 miscarriages in a row before we had her. The miscarriages alone put on about 8lbs on me as I was around 140 – 142 steadily before that and looked great. Anyway – Baby 1 – I started at 150 and went up to 207 at delivery… it took me literally 3.5 years to get back to 150 … but I wasn’t killing myself to do it and I wasn’t in a rush… and truth be told… I work full-time and am in a PhD program as well so… I have a lot going on… plus like I said.. I am OLD. :P…. now fast forward a few years and I get pregnant at 39 after suffering two more miscarriages… those brought me from 150 to 165… which is what I got pregant at… 165… I gained a ton of weight again despite walking 3-5 miles everyday and watching what I ate!! … that’s because I am OLD people… it gets harder to lose the weight! blah. Anyway… I went up to a gawd awful and shameful weight of 215 lbs on my little frame of 5’3… w…t…..f….. it was so hard to walk and my feet hurt so much I couldnt even bend over to put my underwear on… it was torture… plus I had so much water retention that I had carpel tunnel in my hands and potassium or magnesium imbalance that made it impossible for me to hold an ink pen or write my name withouth my hand cramping up. Girls I was GIGANTIC. it was not pretty…. well at least I walked away unscathed by stretch marks… none here to speak of. I can’t believe it. But that labor and delivery was torture… and traumatic… ventouse delivery and the doctor stuck her entire arm up to her elbow inside me to get the back… plus episotomy… ouch… never again people! But I am so happy to have my son… he is a big baby and healthy and awesome…
Still here i am 3 months away from 41 – I am 3 months post partum… and I look like a HUGE big tummy with big head double chin… I hate myself… I hate the way I look. I don’t feel attractive and … I am old and matronly with a huge belly still and I hate it.
This isn’t me.
Plus I am WIPED OUT. I am literally so wiped out from working full-time and getting pounced on when I come home by two little angels… one who talks NON STOP and the other who is attached to my breast 24/7…. I am talked out. I am touched out. Then I am up until 4am trying to get my research done… I can’t handle the stress… I know it is temporary… I am almost finished with my phd… will be ABD this May and then my disseration…. I am so close but I honestly dont know if I will make it this semester with the work load and a newborn and no time to think or read or write….
Oh yeah… plus I hate my fat body and how ugly I feel. :(
Wah.
Too tired and mentally beat down to work out for now… guess I will tackle it in the summe rwhen I have time… also not happy about the condescending looks from female coworkers who glare at my tummy…. !!! Really? Back off ladies… back the f… offfff… give a sister a break!!!
I’ve really enjoyed reading all the posts. I got a good laugh and can co-miserate for sure. I had my 2nd baby at 36 and breast fed him for 6.5 months. I can’t lose the last ten pounds and it sucks. I can’t fit into most my clothes. What I can squeeze into looks ridicoulus. I now have a gut that hangs down OVER my pants. I blame breast feeding for the weight retention. With my first, I had to formula feed after severe mastitis requiring surgery. I stopped breastfeeding and the baby weight vanished and then some! I’m glad I was able to breast feed this time but it seems like my hormones have helped me retain weight. I was so smug after the first pregnancy because I dropped my weight quickly. Now I know why Mom’s complain about “baby weight”. I believe my hormones are to blame and hope the last 10 lbs magically disappear now that I have stopped breastfeeding. On the flip-side maybe I can’t lose weight because I’m older and my metabolism has slowed down…either way it sucks. I may have to stop being shallow and accept my muffin top as permanent until I can find time to work out more.
I am going through a very similar situation with my body but you have to remember that the weight is going to take time to come off especially if you are breastfeeding. I just try to remember that pregnancy is a long journey and its going to take just as long as pregnancy to get your body back. Sometimes this is easier for woman than others, everybody’s body is different. You are beautiful and don’t let anybody tell you otherwise. Your baby thinks you are the bomb and that is all that matters. Sometimes its helpful having a gut to help with the babies legs gripping around your waist. As a mother I try to embrace my curves despite the moments when i get really down on myself for not looking the way that I did pre-baby. Stay positive and take the road to losing weight slow, don’t force your body into a crazy diet plan, allow your body to heal.I know 6 months postpartum seems like plenty of time to get in shape after a baby but all women are different. Sometime depression or exhaustion can get in the way and the unwillingness to want to leave your baby to go workout . All women are beautiful no matter what shape and size!
Hey,
I just gave birth to my daughter on May 1st 2016. As the in tial poster my pregnancy was horrible. It had all the issued one can have. GD, PUPPS,severe nausea and vomitting upto 26 weeks. I was size 2 before being pregnant and weighed about 108 lbs on a 5’2 frame and then I gained 46 pounds. I was induced had a horrible long labour of 30 hours before th3 decided to do a c section because baby won’t come out. Then they found out I had an enlarged uterus and I could never have done a normal delivery. In fact it was harmful for the baby. I fail to understand how my high risk clinic did not catch that given that I went for ultrasound every other week!
Anyhow I dropped the 20 pounds in one week and th3 edema all over body went away. I’m breast feeding and jow in my 3rd month. I look like I’m 5 months pregnant. I can’t fit into normal jeans. My belly is sticking out. My arms are huge. My ass is big lol. I’m not at 130 lbs and not eating crazy either. I’m eating like I did normally before as well. My chest is huge like 2 times my original size. Makes everytjing I wear look not so great. And then getting comments like “oh u got fat after pregnanxy” doesn’t help!”. Even though I know that it will take atleast 9 months to loose this weight and even longer if I do bf, it’s hard to look at yourself and feel comfortable. Let’s see how this goes.
i had a son two years back n my stomach is a nightmare, i look like i’m 6 months pregnant and my stomach is so flabby. Both my kids were born through c-sec. ive started drinking apple cider vinegar diluted, hoping to see results soon.
3 months before I got pregnant I decided to loose weight, so I did I lost 20 pounds in 1 month. With very strict diet plus gym Monday-Friday! I was 185 & then was 160 when I got pregnant. So my thought was “oh man I’m going to have to this all over again when I give birth” yea right. I had a very depressing pregnancy. My belly was huge. From 160pounds – 210pounds .I gave birth of an emergency c-section I dropped to 185pounds ass son baby came out, so then 3 weeks after I was 175pounds. I try to breastfeed but my baby didn’t want it. So I pumped for about a month & it didn’t work, so then I quit. I was vey depressed. I’m a First time mom is so hard. So I weighted my self 3 hours ago & im 179pounds but I look horible my belly is so ugly ,I hate the way I look I hate it none of my jeans fit is supper tight. I look ugly when I take pictures. I have to wear leggings all the time. I try getting on a diet but is so hard for me I’m home all day bored & stress & sleepless. I can’t deal anymore. I’m 6 months postpartum. & that belly I have is killing it I just can’t.
My baby is 5 months and I am a size 10 I used to be a zero I feel huge so hearing other mothers talking about what they’re going through makes me not feel alone and I appreciate it so I guess we all have to be patient it took awhile for us to get pregnant and become big so it’s going to take awhile for us to lose the weight
I had a baby 6 month ago and still look pregnant what should I do.
My baby is 7months n I look six months pregnant, what do I do?
I was 125lbs and ended at 187lbs. Belly feels like a waterballoon. Impossible to shake off this belly, and the stretchmarks aren’t fading. I feel like a gorilla >:\ I didn’t even get to experience motherhood because the hospital didn’t think blot clots were a big deal on superbowl sunday so now I get to live with this body and nothing to show for it.
Your body is a warrior. Creating a human. Birthing it. And it healed its self, letting you do your job. Try telling yourself that everyday. Giving yourself a break. Your amazing. Now get that juicy booty you’ve got moving. Everyday. Everyday!!!! Love it, loose it. And imagine your 75 year old body. I bet it would love to trade places with you. Enjoy yourself as much as you can stand……
My baby is 6 months n I look seven months pregnant, what should I do i m very depressed I hate the way I look. I don’t feel attractive.. I really want to be perfect again. I’m tired of feeling so down no confidence all the time.
Ladies, before you get too down on your selves about not being able to lose the weight, PLEASE know that it might not even be “fat”. It could be something that happens to a lot of women called “Diastasis Recti” which blows my mind more OBs dont check us out for when we complain about these issues!
.Some things, like crunches and planks, can actually make it worse!
In Layman’s terms, this means your ab muscles have split from pregnancy, and now there is not enough muscle to hold all your guts in. This gives you the “belly bulge” look.
It is super common for women to have after pregnancy; some are able to heal from it over time, however others, such as myself, were stretched beyond repair and may need special work outs or surgery.
You should check out https://thecrazyoutdoormama.com/my-journey-to-recovery-from-diastasis-recti-pt1/ and google images for diastasis recti It looks like you have it! I had it, and got sick and tired of all these people telling me that I’d “Bounce Back” or that I just needed to work out more… so I investigated deeper into why I still looked pregnant.
I saw a physical therapist and she told me I had it, but there are self diagnosis ways you can do to see if you have this condition without having to go out. Youtube has some great videos, but here’s a basic explanation.
The easiest way is to lie on your back, slightly lift your head and then feel around the middle of your belly, starting at your belly button with your fingers. If you can fit more than around 1/2 finger or 1 finger in, you have diastasis recti. I was able to fit 4 fingers inside my “gap”. You’ll know the gap because on each side you will feel the hardness of the muscle; there’s alot of good videos on you tube about it if you want more in depth info.
There are specific work outs you can do to help the condition, however you will have to always do them and be aware of how you do certain motions such as lifting and getting out of bed and chairs. I did try this for a couple of months, but opted for surgery so that I could regain full functionality. My back was killing me, I had tons of GI issues and over all just didn’t feel good. I’m pretty active, and if you are too, you may want to look into this.
Let me know if you have any questions! I’m fairly experienced with what to expect from the work outs as well as surgery.
Hi,
Same here , I weighed 70kg at the beginning of my pregnancy , and now after 6 month of delivery I weigh 84.5 kg soooo…
What am I supposed to do, I can’t stick to a diet plan, I don’t have the will, I I don’t excercise at all and I don’t even go to work, I guess I have to make a strict plan of eating healthy and excercising and studying and taking care of my children including the baby.
Ohh I have a lot to do , life is harsh and you are always judged for your life style
I am looking to see an update on this blog. I am feeling the same way as all of you mamas; I hate the way I feel and nothing fits right. Just like the initial mama posted about someone commenting about when I’m due. I wanted to punch the lady in the face but I just stated that I had a baby and she said oh thats what it is. Anyways, I am just looking to see what happened? What is some updates. Anyone??
I am 6 months postpartum and I weight 160. I was 145 pre. I can’t lose the weight and I’m breastfeeding. It’s like the more ab workouts I do the more bloated I end up looking.
I’m so frustrated. Thank you ladies for your stories- it makes me feel less alone.
I’m 42 with hypothyroidism. I was 159 when I got pregnant. Got up to 194 and then down to 171 lbs after I had the baby 4 months ago. I actually then gained 6 pounds breastfeeding but then lost it. But at 4 months postpartum, I did not expect to weigh the exact same thing as after I gave birth!!! I exercise every day. I really watch what I eat. It doesn’t matter what caloric level I eat- my body just won’t metabolize its fat stores. I’m so embarrassed – I actually had to buy more maternity clothes because I’m too sad to shop regular sizes, plus they don’t accomodate my postpartum body. I look like I’m pregnant still. So embarrassing.
I literally have the same story and my body looks the same as you. Thank you for sharing!!! I have started losing weight very slow but have to be very intentional and workout daily. A healthy weight loss is about 1lb a week. I was 160 when I started and then went to 235 which was insane I’m now 199 I dropped 30 right away and the last 5 have been super intentional I’m 4 months postpartum. You’ve got this!!