Author: Bonnie (SOAM)

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 was 24 years old when we found out i was pregnant! A bit shocked but excited. 8 weeks into the pregnancy i started having severe pains on one side when i moved. Panicking i went to the doctor but she reassured me things were probably fine but to come back if it continued, which it did! So i went back and she arranged a scan. I had to go alone as my partner could not get out of work and no-one else knew about the pregnancy. The lady doing the scan suddenly says to me ‘have you got any twins in your family’!!! All i could say was ‘oh my god’. I had to phone my partner and tell him, we was really pleased thank god! Anyway, the pregnancy went well until my 35 week check up when it was discovered my blood pressure was sky high, with the onset of pre-eclampsia! I had to deliver the babies that day! Yikes!! After a 9 hour induced labour i gave birth naturally to 2 perfect baby girls, 5lb 4 and 5lb 8 oz. We spent a week in SCBU untill we could go home and now they are doing brilliantly. My stomach is covered with stretchmarks and is real squishy! But, i guess they are worth every mark even if i do have to get the super pants out if i want to get the flat stomach look! 1st Pic 16 weeks Pregnant, 2nd pic on day i gave birth, 3rd pic the girls straight after birth, 4th pic the girls now and 5th pic me now!!

I’m 23, and currently 28 weeks pregnant with my fourth child. I was 18 when I had my first, 19 when I had the second and 21 with the 3rd, they were all good sized babies, the last 2 weighing over 8 1/2 lbs. With my first I gained 30 lbs, the second I gained 50 lbs, but the weight somehow came off right away (back down to my normal 95-100 lbs, I’m 5’3″), leaving stretch marks behind on my stomach, breasts, hips and bum, I gained 60 lbs with the 3rd and it took about a year to get rid of all of the weight, and I was left with even more stretch marks.. it looked as though I had a belly button that was about 3 inches long because of the sagging skin and stretch marks. I breastfed my first child for 15 months, the second for 22 months, and and currently still breastfeeding my 22 month old.. though my breasts look as though they got quite large because of all the stretch marks and sagging, they didn’t! I was a 32 A before kids.. and the biggest (even after gaining 60 lbs!) I’ve ever been was a 36 B.. and that didn’t last for long! I’ve gained somewhere around 30 – 35 lbs this pregnancy and I think I’m still an A cup.. possibly a small B.. I only go for the padded bra’s so in those I’m a B 34-36.. but I find it so hard to find any bra that fits right because of the sagginess. I’m a little nervous about the changes my body will take after this baby… I don’t think it’s possible for my breasts to get much worse than they are (figers crossed anyways!) but my stomach is another story! The pictures dont really do my belly any justice, my fundal height measurments are actually on the large side! I’ve had quite the struggle with accepting my post-baby body… but this site has definately helped me to see that I’m not the only one with stretch marks or a little sagginess.. and even though the mirror isn’t my best friend, I’m still proud of my body for creating such beautiful, healthy little humans, and wouldn’t trade my stretch marks or saggy skin for anything!

Hi. Im the mother of two beautiful little girls who are 7 and 4. This is my body after two c-sections and a weight gain of about 50lbs during each pregnancy. Even though ive lost all the weight and then some, i feel so self conscious of my stomach. If people only new what was under my shirt. Just kidding. My babies were well worth it!!!

I had my daughter exactly 10 months after I got married (honeymoon baby) I was 20 when she was born. I was all baby, so I’m down to my pre-pregnancy weight. I’m 5’1 and about 95lbs (145 before I had a c-section). Pregnancy was a hard time for me. I had morning sickness for 6 months, I could hardly walk by the end of it, and I was completely miserable. I got stretch marks on my stomach, breasts, and butt. I am thankful for the flat belly which I owe thanks to the ace bandage I wore tightly around my stomach for the first month post partum and genetics. My husband went to Iraq when our daughter was 2 months old, so he’s not around to tell me how I look and I get down on myself a lot. But I look at my daughter and know that all the pain, suffering, and misery is worth it to see her smile.

On other websites all I ever see is perfect round bellies without any stretch marks or imperfections, so I was beginning to feel like something was horribly wrong with me and my belly. So many people on this site have inspired me and made me feel more normal… This is very embarassing to me :(( I have always had body image issues, and I think I cry almost every day about these stretch marks that keep growing. I really wish I could love my pregnant body … I know it will never be the same… and it makes me so sad :(( It’s so hard to accept the way that I’m carrying, the marks on my stomach and even some on my thigh. It feels like I am carrying so low that I look horribly strange… Well here I am. I hope that bye sharing photos of my belly maybe I can help another woman people feel more “normal” too.

This picture was taken when my daughter was 13 months old and I was actually on my honeymoon. My husband and I were goofing off and taking stupid pictures of each other on the beach, but I happened to really like this picture of myself. I have saved it because I am now 8 months pregnant with my second child, a boy, and I have already gained over 40 pounds! I have always been self-conscious about my body, even battling an eating disorder for 4 years. This picture gives me hope that I might be able to look like this after baby number 2. I worked hard to get back into shape after Savannah was born but I am afraid that with having two children under 2 years old, I might not be able to meet my goal this time. Either way, I know that my husband loves me no matter what. After seeing all the beautiful mothers on this website who are willing to share their stories about their bodies, I wanted to be a part of it. No matter what, as long as I have two healthy babies it doesn’t matter what I look like. I have the rest of my life to work on my body, but my babies will only be young once. I’m going to enjoy them!!!