Author: Bonnie (SOAM)

My son was born by unplanned caesarean three years ago. It was a terrible birth – induction and lots of intervention eventually requiring a caesarean. After such a terrible birth, there was no way I was going to give up on breastfeeding. My son breastfed until he was almost three years old, so I am very proud of my body for providing such amazing nourishment for those years. I did gain a lot of weight while pregnant, so I have quite a few stretchmarks, but I consider them to be marks of honour. They are a reminder of the amazing job our bodies do as women and givers of life.

Hello fellow beautiful women. As much as I suffer from body image issues like most women, I decided throughout my pregnancy to scrap them and take a ton of photographs. I’m 15 months post-partum currently, and have the same soggy stretchmarked belly and pancake boob issues that we all appear to have. But, like it seems we all agree, I wouldn’t have changed it for a lifetime of the “perfect body.” Here are a couple of pictures. I hope you enjoy them.

This was me near the end; around 34-36 weeks if I remember correctly. I was pretty much against photos of me pregnant for the sake of other people’s enjoyment, but I let a friend take these ones. I love them. Afterwards; well, I don’t have any shots of the after-body, yet. There are a lot of stretch marks, jiggly stuff all over where it was toned before, and my torso seems to have been shortened by sagging DD breasts (which were DD before, and H while I was breastfeeding). Thanks for the website! It’s wonderful to see that real bodies exist, and that women all over are celebrating them. Wendy

my pregnancy was a big surprise to me and the father, when i told him he broke up with me but we got back together a week later…big mistake Throughout the whole time i was pregnant i felt alone, going to doctors appts alone, shopping for the baby alone, feeling happy alone. Sure we were together but he was not there for me! He didn’t understand pregnancy at all and all the aches and pains i had along with it. He would throw in my face” well you shouldn’t have gotten pregnant then” for the whole 9 months and afterwards.My mom would always ask me why i wasn’t happy, she would say cause i’m young and having a baby, but it was hard to be happy when i felt like crap. Her father was there for the birth and 3 months after, since i told him i was pregnant it went downhill and fast, so he left when she was 3 months, he does still see her but its funny cause he sees her more now, (which is only 16 hours a week,) then before when he was living with me, maybe cause he was never home and always sleeping or out smoking pot. After all that stress and shitty ness he brought apon me i couldn’t be happier then i am right now.I’m single,going back to school and have the help of friends and family whenever i need

First a “thank you” to all you lovley girls out there. This page is a joy for so many people, but to be truthful it is scaring me to, i realy love my boddy, my preggo boddy is a blessing shure, But i had trained and shaped my body to perfection and i`am determend to go back, ok maby a nudge or two will come in the way but hell, a challenge is a challenge. My story in short, 37 weeks ago i was standing in my bathroom with “da stick” and had my nutty love in my life sitting outside whating for the more than obvious result,(due to the medical expertice that i culdent bear a child and shuld look in to adoption) funny how you can feel kinda slapt in the face and freking joyful att the same time, off course my 1 month old boyfriend dident understand my answer to the result due to his rather shocked state of mind,(mine to) but to make a long story short, a fiew arguments a little tears and a whole bunche off laughts here we are at the end, funny we only had known ethother for 2 months, it whasnt a planed thing to happen and i can werry well understand his chock and grudge to it, but we tackled it with a fiew bumpiness and here we are, in the best relasionship we have evere been in, living togehter and the love we have is the best thing in the world. Hell in some whays it seems like it whas “ment to be” not in the hippie kindaway but we are as one person, hell we even have the same birthday. The stomach is streching but no visseble strechmarks yet, and iam happy for that, only gaind 8kg (swedish think its about 16 pounds uk) iam healthy and the child i werry healthy to(in what test can say ) i will send a post later post preg. Now i will go and kiss my boyfriend, without him i whuldent be the happy gal i am now. And thanks to you all.

When i got pregnant i never imagined my body would change so much.and it has taken me a long time to finally accept the changes. I thought i was the only one. so i love this website and check it almost everyday. i love reading everyones experiences and that makes me stonger as a woman. and more confident.

Hello all……what a beautiful website-I love it. My sister in law sent in to my via email, and I look at it everyday, reminds me of my pregnancy years, newborn years, and how I loved it, and now miss it!! My children are 7, 9, and 12….and that brings all new joy, it really gets better and better, mothering is the best role in life, and being a mom is the light of my life. I look at all you young mommies and how lucky you are to have this forum where you can all express yourselves, wish i had that years ago!! I love your stories and pictures, and the reality this website brings, we are not models, we are better!!! Any physical markings from childbirth, nursing, or mothering are reminders of the miracle we performed (pregnancy, labor and delivery), and all that we do after (nursing, carrying baby, etc…) My children were born in 1995, 1998, and 2000…..unfortunately I did not know anything about midwifery and doulas and all that, so i had the regular hospital births, my children are just fine and so am I, but I sure wish I had more knowledge back than, oh well….We are all happy and healthy, and I feel so blessed every single day to have had 3 children…..watching them grow is amazing, as you all know. I try to remind myself that our children are not an extension of us…..sure, there is DNA and genetics, but it is amazing how all 3 of my children have differences in personality, interests, etc…..I was merely their vessel into earth…. Motherhood is something we learn to do along the way, relying mostly on instinct, and eve more just what our hearts tell us to do-there is no better place to be!! Such an intimate relationship between our babies and us, and it is beautiful that we get to be their first nurturer, teacher, friend, etc…..Enjoy it all you beautiful mama’s out there! The picture of me was taken last summer i think, I am 36 and one of those people who left the hospital in prepregnancy clothes, right back to shape-HOWEVER-it’s all coming back now!!!!!! Being 36 I am noticing I have to work harder to maintain weight and shape-that underarm hang, the belly is coming back, so don’t let this picture fool ya!! It takes work, and I haev always exercised, but remember, I am no longer waking for feedings, so my workouts are a lot easier to accomplish! Also, since I didn’t have a digital camera when I was pregnant, I cannot upload any pregnancy photos-MAN that makes me feel old!! Love Jen

I had six children during my 20s. I was pregnant and/or breastfeeding for over 12 years. It’s amazing to have my body back, even if it’s not the body it used to be. I have lumps, bumps, curves, dimples and stretchmarks. Parts of me sag, droop, bounce and sway. I try really hard to see my body as ‘different to’ rather than worse than it once was.

I had 5 natural deliveries, 1 caesarian and 1 late miscarriage. My children self-weaned between 1.5 and 3 years of age. At times I felt like I hadn’t slept for years… Now that the youngest is four, life is hectic in another way.

i gave birth to my whopping 9 pounder when i was 17 years old. my other 2 were 8 pounders and i didnt get any new stretch marks but the chub is harder to loose each time. im ok with the way my body looks now. ive been wrinkly for 10 years now and am coming to accept it more and more, although ide still like to loose the weight. my last child was born almost 8 months ago and im 30 punds over my pre pregnancy weight still. my stretch marks remind be of my babies and how connected we are as the first and the last were placed in adoptions and so my body reminds me of the sacrifice and serive of motherhood. i love them in that aspect.