Accepting the “mom” figure (Anonymous)

Before my pregnancy I was 115 lbs and stood at 5’8. When I found out I was pregnant I was scared. I was 17 at the time and my boyfriend and I were having problems. When I saw those two pink lines on the pregnancy test I knew my life would never be the same. I broke up with my boyfriend, transfered to a new school and graduated high school on my 18th birthday (5 months ahead of everyone). Having gained 53 lbs and endured 7 hours of labor, on February 20th 2008 at 5:06 I gave birth to my daughter Haylie. 8 lbs 7 0z and 21 1/2 beautiful inches. I credit her with being my saving grace. Since her birth we have moved out of my parents house to a new town where I attend college for Dental Assisting. Haylie is now almost 8 months old and she’s my pride and joy.
I see my stretch marks and while they bother me I’m so thankful my body was able to nourish and carry a beautiful child to full term. I have accepted my “mom” figure, even the good and bad.
I am now 118 lbs and proud of my body.






2nd baby – 6 months pp (Anonymous)

I feel so insecure about my new post pardum body. I looked so much better after my first son, but am having a tough time losing weight after my youngest son (my oldest is 3 1/2yrs and my baby is 6months). I feel so ugly compared to many women around the city. I cannot seem to find clothes that I like, and I am feeling hopeless. I love my children with everything and would not trade them for the world, however, I would just like to look decent.




Beautiful Body (Anonymous)

I’m 22 years old and I got married may 19 2006 and found out I was pregnant in july 06. That was the happiest day of my life.I was like I will never get stretch marks I never put any coco butter on my belly and I swore I would be lucky, I wasn’t

My belly is covered in them and Now my daughter is 19 months and now they are fading, but I can see them.. It bothers me but I’m learning to love them, they remind me of my beautiful Daughter Adonia and seeing other women with the same stretch marks lets me know that I’m not the only one… I have been working out to get my tummy back before I get pregnant again…







2 years pp and finally… (Anonymous)

2 years pp and finally at a “healthy” weight…

I was overweight before my first pregnancy. I all the pregnancy weight plus 20 pounds after that delivery. TWO YEARS after my second delivery I am finally at what is considered “normal” weight for my height. What I should have weighed before conceiving #1. I am generally happy with my body except for my stomach. The faded stretch marks don’t bother me so much. It’s that grossness that hangs over my c-section scar. What’s up with that?




Me after two pregnancies and two c-sections (Anonymous)

I am 26 years old. I have two beautiful daughers ages 7 and 2 years. With my first daughter I was 98 lbs for my first doctor visit at 8 weeks pregnant! I gained about 63 lbs!! I lost the weight pretty quickly and was back down to about 100 lbs.(I am 5ft 5in). Then I got up to 120 and I was happy with that weight.I got pregnant with my second baby and gained about 28 lbs. After two weeks I was back to my pre-pregnancy weight, and into my jeans! I now weigh 116 lbs, but its not the weight that bothers me its the loose skin on my belly. I can even live with the stretch marks on my hips and thighs, but everytime I look at my stomach, I want to cry. I know its not that bad but when you see celebs back into their bikinis after the kids are born, with not one sign of pregnancy, it makes you feel bad. I know I shouldn’t compare myself to them or anyone else, but I can’t help it. Somedays I feel good about how i look and others, not so much. I love this website, because the women here are all beautiful and brave. Before I found this site I actually believed that I was the only women who looked like this. Because everyone around me looked great after having their children. But now I know that everyone is different and this is how I look and I better get used to it. I know I could have plastic surgery, but I don’t want to put myself at risk. To me the risk is too great. I know some women don’t agree, and that’s their prerogative. Here is a picture of me two years pp.



…treatment? (Anonymous)

Stretchmarks treatment?

I was searching on the net and found this site:
https:// michellemarques-tratamentoparaestrias.blogspot.com/search?q= (leave out the spaces)

What do you think? Can this be true or it’s light manipulation? And, does anybody knows something about a new treatment for strecth marks called ROLL-CITTM? Thanks, i’ve participated here before, and i’m looking for some method to make my stretch marks fade, a little at least. Their white but sooooooooooooo visible… Thanks in advance.

3rd pregnancy of a plus-sized 20-something (Anonymous)

I’ve never been very skinny. The only point I can remember being so was when I was 13 and 5’6″ and maybe 90-100lbs. After that I plumed big time. At the age of 15 almost 16 I started having really bad pains that made it hard to walk, it was found that I had ovarian cysts, a month later I stopped having a menstrual cycle. When I turned 16 I was put on birth control pills to regulate my cycles and help with the cysts. In that time frame, age 15-16, I packed on around 30-40lbs and was around 170 at 5’7″. Not horribly overweight but still higher.

I was on birth control pills from 16 to just after 18 when my last pack ran out(June 2005). My OB/Gyn said that I may not be able to get pregnant, so part of me though why do I need pills then. In July 2005 I had a cyst burst, while at work, I crawled under my desk and cried till my boyfriend and boss found me and my boyfriend took me to my mom’s house, and she took me to the doctors. A month after that I found out I was pregnant. Just by chance too. I had a friend that we knew was pregnant, she had to be she was more then 2weeks late, but she refused to take a test unless some one did with her. Her older sister had never been with anyone and I was the only one around, so I bought her a 2 pack, I went first, looked and threw it out all with in seconds, she peed and handed it to me not wanting to look. Hers instantly was positive. I went back somewhere between 5-10minutes later and got mine out of the trash, to my shock it was positive.

Over the next few days I took 2 more tests each positive. Then August 12th, 2005 I started bleeding. I went to the ER but there was nothing that could be done, we’d lost the baby all within a week of finding out. It was hard, I was only 18, living in the not best conditions with my Fiance(no house), but in away I think it was a slight blessing even though I still cry about it to this day. My cycle never came back after that. My OB gave me a shot of progesterone in October and it started a small cycle, light bleeding for 2 days, nothing then spotting the day after, I’d never had light periods in my life so it was odd. My Fiance and I had an appointment set in November to get the depo shot, but I had to have a cycle first. Instead of going to get the depo shot, it turned into my first prenatal visit of sorts. I found out in early November 2005 that I was pregnant again. Sadly we were planning a move to Texas where my then fiance’s family lives so I didnt’ get a real prenatal appointment.

The move to Texas didn’t last, we were there from Mid December to early February. I was horridly sick, severe HG morning sickness, I couldn’t even keep water down and was in the ER a few times in Texas. I also missed my mom too much. So we moved back to Idaho in February. And I got my first real parental appointment at around 18 weeks. It was such a relief to be able to go to the doctors if needed. We found out just 10days before my 19th birthday that we were having a boy(March 2006) to the joy of both of us. I was diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes in late April 2006, which is partly why I had been so sick before. My blood pressure started going up too in late May early June, and became Pregnancy Induced Hypertension, and was being watched for pre-e.

My son, Seamus was born on July 18th, 2006. I was induced at 39weeks 5days because of the GD and PIH and he was born just barley at 39weeks 6days (10:12pm). He had a little stay in the incubator for jaundice and we got to come home on July 21st.

In September 2006 I had Mirena IUD placed. It was ok except for it caused me to gain 25lbs in a month. The weight gain made me mad sense I was already way past my prepregnancy weight and thought I’d actually get under 200lbs. I struggled with my weight over the next 2yrs. From November 2007 to May 2008 I lost 20lbs of that weight (I went from 200lbs pre IUD to 225 after, then to 250 a few months later) but it wasn’t much. In May 2008 I had my IUD removed in hopes it would help me to loose more weight. I had bleeding (not really a cycle) from May 17th to the 20th and slight spotting on the 21st. That was the last time I had real bleeding. I had some spotting in early July but it wasn’t any more then what could lightly be seen on toilet paper. I was getting frustrated in late July early August sense it had been almost 90days sense I had any type of bleeding. I went to the clinic they ran tests for thyroid problems which came back normal, and the doc just said it was PCOS a term I’ve herd many times in regards to me. They did a pregnancy test on August 1st just to be sure. Then told me it was negative and that I’d need medical help to get pregnant again, much like the progesterone with my son. They gave me a script for it and my husband and I decided we’d fill it but not use it till December.

One thing had been on my mind though the whole time. How sore my breasts were. I had a digital test lying around from when my IUD was taken out and I decided sense we were going to be trying any time soon that I’d use the test to get it out of the house. I peed and put the lid on it and set it down. I picked it up a couple seconds later expecting to see “Not Pregnant”…..thats not what it said…it said “Pregnant” I freaked, my 2yr old son was in there with me and was confused why mommy was being weird. My husband was still asleep and I took the test to him and shoved it in his face and woke him up, he laughed! I didn’t believe it so I made him buy me another test, took it and it was also positive right away(line test this time) it was a shocker (all this August 17th, 2008). I went to the doctors 2 weeks later sense we didnt’ know how far along I was and found out I was 6weeks 2days, and due April 19th, 2009.

So far things are going ok this time around, I haven’t been puking near as bad as with my son, and actually its getting better at this point, 12weeks 4days. I’m having to have my Gestational Diabetes testing done between 17-18weeks this time sense I was on insulin with my son, and they are watching me closely for pre-e this time. So far so good.

I really wanted to show some pictures of me, the not skinny plus sized, 21yr old mommy thats pregnant, and really you can’t tell because of my gut. I want ladies to see that not everyone is small :)







When he smiles (Anonymous)

I want to lie and say that I am comfortable with my body.
I want to say that I don’t give it a second thought.
The truth though…
The truth is that I think about it often.

I can be honest and say I think about it less now than I ever have.
This website helps.
Trying to maintain a healthy outlook helps.
Knowing, now that I have a son who has rocked my world, that love for a child…your own child…kicks all other types of love in the ass.

The emotion I feel when I look at my son conquers all.
If you are a mother, you know that.

You know that you would jump in front of ten speeding locomotives for your child.
You know that you would sacrifice all for your child.
You know that watching every first, step, bite and word is better than…well…is better than anything for which we have words.

I know that I am “lucky”.
I didn’t get stretch-marks (well, not many)
My body handled pregnancy well.
I carried small.

But, in reading what I have written, that “luck” seems trite and selfish and trivial.
It.
Does.
Not.
Matter.

What matters is growth and adaptation and health and happiness and love and memories.

Juicy watermelon running down my son’s chin.
Laughter as he splashes through a puddle.
His assuredness as he navigates his first steps.
That sweet smell of his milky breath first thing in the morning.

When he smiles.
When he smiles.
When he smiles.

I want to lie and say that I am comfortable with my body.
I want to say that I don’t give it a second thought.
The truth though…
The truth is that I think about it often.






Updated here.

12 weeks pp with first baby (Anonymous)

i am 19 years old i found out i was pregnant what i was 18 it was scary at first but i got used to the idea even was fine that i had left her father and would be a single mother, and now here i was have a beautiful 12 weeks old baby girl who i wouldn’t trade for the world… but i wish i could be happier with how my body is now i do miss my old body a lot and i wasn’t all that happy with it when i had it but now that i’m 30lbs heavier and 3 sizes bigger i realize how much skinnier i was i don’t think i thought about how much having a child changes your body until i had one of my own… i’m very glad that i have found this website it makes me feel much better knowing that there are women who feel the same or have gotten back to the body they had before i sure hope someday i will but for now i’m not to worried about it i have my little girl here and that’s all that matters.. my pictures are working backwards from now to before i got pregnant.









I need this site (Anonymous)

I have 3 beautiful children whom I love more than anything. I nursed each of them for a year each. However, I have been left with a body I am so embarrassed of. My husband does not get to see my “banana” breasts, my skin on my stomach sags despite being only 15% body fat. I have become so body obsessed, that it invades my nearly every waking thought. I see magazine pictures of postpartum celebrities and I yearn to look like that again. I have beat my self up every day, since I have not been able to achieve that goal. this is the first site I have felt empowered and part of a sisterhood I should be proud of, not embarrassed by. I don’t have a picture, but I want to thank all of you fabulous women for making me realize I am perfect just like I am! Just exactly like each of you are perfect just the way you are too!