Your Age: (19)
Number of pregnancies and births: (1 pregnancy, 1 birth)
The age of your children, or how far postpartum you are: (8 months)
I am now 8 months postpartum with my sweet baby boy. It was the summer after I graduated high school that I got pregnant. My parents were not to happy to say the least. My mom was always very cautious with me starting me on birth control at 15. I guess I was very lucky through high school but for some reason it did not work this time. I would not change what happened even if I could. I love my little boy and my parents love their grandson!
What I would like is to lose these last few pounds in my stomach and belly area. I try sit ups and crunches but it just does not seem to work. Does anyone have any advice? I had to have a C-Section and my doctor said my stomach muscles are just weak from that. I have had good luck putting lotion on my scar to reduce the look of that. Has anyone reduced the color of the scar completely or does mine look good? Also anything I can do for the stretch marks?
I have been reading stories on this site for a while now and thought it was time to contribute. It has definitely been helpful reading all of your stories and comments!
Hi there Emily, I am currently pregnant with my first child and I have the exact same story as you. I got pregnant right after I graduated high school. I am on this blog today because I am afraid of what my body will look like after the baby is born. I’m afraid of saggy breasts and stomach skin.
After looking at your photos, I am here to tell you that you do not look bad at all! You dont even look like you have had a baby. You dont have loose skin or saggy boobs! My body right now looks similar to your postpartum body. And I see zero stretch marks. Are you sure this is your after baby body? Lol, just kidding. I read what you said about trying situps and let me just say that working to lose stomach fat really takes dedication and a lot of time. I believe that the key to stomach fat loss is as follows:
1. Eating right. (Seriously! No fried foods, sweets, or sodas. I live in the south and it’s SO HARD to stay away from fried food. Sometimes I forget that I’m eating it…..But with dedication you and I both can eat clean!)
2. Working out (And by working out, I mean extreme abdominal workouts. You’re not supposed to be able to do this right from the beginning, so please don’t be discouraged. Simply do as much as your body can do, but don’t forget to push yourself a little bit each time. If you set your goals and keep pushing yourself, you’ll reach the point where you’re doing the intense workouts that will give you results. It’s all about building yourself up to become better. You can do ab workouts at home, but you have to do ALOT of them. You can do it!!! Work your way up there!
3. Another thing I believe you have to incorporate with your muscle training is cardio. (The best is running. It doesn’t have to be included with your workout every time, but I definitely believe that it is critical and you should be running 3 times a week with your muscle workouts. This is another time when you should try and push yourself to become better and keep running longer!)
I know you are a busy mom, but if you have the time, consider joining a gym with a personal trainer or a Crossfit gym. They will help you with your goals and get your body where you want it to be. Good luck to you and I wish you the best with your son. You can contact me at any time for anything! I feel like we have a lot in common. Email me at katelynvanderwater@gmail.com
It takes a long time to regain muscle strength. Be sure that you have no more than one finger’s width of space between the abdominal walls before you begin a challenging ab routine. You can actually make the situation worse if you do too much too soon. Consult your doctor if you are unsure. You may need special postpartum exercises to close the gap before you try anything more aggressive. P.S.,you look great!