I saw this self portrait submitted to our Flickr Group and I loved it right away. Days later I still could not get it out of my head so I begged Denise Perri to let me post it here and she gladly consented. Not only is it a simply stunning photograph, but it speaks volumes about exactly what this website is about. Thank you, Denise. So much.
Click here to go see it at Flickr.
I am 28 weeks pregnant with twins and want to share some of my photos.
I have been SO busy the last few days that I only have time to check comments. I will be back hopefully tomorrow. Sorry! Hope you all are well!
I was a fat child growing up and had stuggled with weight always. I had lost a lot when I got pregnant, but was about 220lbs. was 285 at 41 weeks- the day I gave birth to a 9lb 11oz baby boy named Orion (now 15m and 32lbs!)-I lost 20lbs right away. I had a lot of problems with nursing and that beat me up emotionally, as I planned to nurse for 1 year or longer- when I could barely produce 10oz of milk a day (with the help of meds and herbal remedies-6oz without) I decided to go over to the bottle when he was 6 mos old- I weighed 296lbs at that point. Since April, with the help of a low-carb diet that my doctor endorsed I have lost 86lbs and am 35lbs away from the ultimate goal- at which point I will try for baby #2. I still get down on my body- but I feel more like a woman that I ever have and I appreciate my body so much more- I have wider hips that balance me out (I am 6ft tall and had narrower hips) and my breasts, albeit a little south, are fuller than they were and I love them. I’m still going for the mother’s special when I’m done having children- but even if that never happens, I love my body more than I ever have, because I gave life to the most precious being the universe has seen (in my eyes!!)
For the pictures I submitted-
the first is me now
the second is me @ 6mos pregnant
the 3rd is me @ 9mos pregnant
the 4th is me 10mins postpartum
the 5th, 6th, 7th is me after 86 pounds lost- 15 months postpartum with 35/40 pounds till goal.
My body has never been like other teenage girls or women my age- I love it more now than I did when I struggled with ED and was thin for about 2 mins. My husband loves my body and cannot wait until I am ripe with baby number 2. My husband reminds me everyday about how wonderful it was to see my body do such fantastic work and about how happy I was and am now since I have been able to use my body the way it was designed to be used. I still want to be in better shape for next time- but at least I know that the human machine is a magical thing and that no matter what- I am beautiful!
hello im am 20yr. old female height 5’4 weight 120lb. i have been a type one diabetic since the age of eight, im a medical mystery as i was at a perfect weight for my age , i despised treats and i was in 3 sports every year. The reason im here is because im about to get married to the man of my dreams and he wants 3 kids. The only story ive heard about a diabetic pregnancy where the woman had it preexisting she almost had kidney and liver failure days before delivery. That terrifies me i want to be able to give my future husband 3 kids without the fear of death on my mind. thats why im here i know all the general things to expect with a diabetic pregnancy but i wanted to hear from a real person and not some research journal. Im not talking about gestational diabetes but stories from women with pre-existing type 1 diabetes and have had succesful and relatively uneventful pregnancies. Im planning on starting in 3 yr. as im heading to veterinary school and i want to start having kids before 26 to reduce risks to myself and the baby. So please any women who have pre-existing type 1 pregnancies please share your experiences so i kinda know what to expect and maybe ease my fears as right now im in the state of mind that i might die a horrible death during my pregnancy even with perfectly controlled sugar(im on an insulin pump) and diet and exercise. thank you
There was a long and hard road I traveled down to become a mother and I am extremely blessed & grateful I was granted the gift of bringing our beautiful daughter into this world and that I had her father by my side every step of the way. After years of complications, followed with a year of surgeries, cancer diagnosis, and drug therapies I was informed I may never conceive a child. Instead of writing a short novel, here is a congested timeline of events:
** First period – Lasted 45 days: 1999
** Years of doctors visits & unanswered questions: 6
** Pap test results that changed my life: October 2004
** Given the news I may never have kids: September 2005
** Conception: May 2006
** My pre-pregnancy weight: 104 pounds
** EDD: February 14, 2007
** BD: February 10, 2007
** My delivery weight: 175 pounds
** My current weight: 110 pounds
** Ava’s Birthweight: 7 pounds 13.5 ounces
** Permanents earned along the way: 3 surgery scars, stretch marks, line of pregnancy & an episiotomy scar
** First time Ava Lynne said “Mama”: just shy of 6 months old
Im 27 and i have two wonderful sons, one six years, the newest 9 weeks.I decided to post my pictures, dispite crying at how horrendous i look.I honestly hate the way i look.my husband tells me he finds me sexy and loves me, but how he can find that sexy is beyond me.I have always hated my body and I have always felt fat even when in hindsight i was actually thin.I know theres a deep issue going on.I feel so down and depressed about the way i look.my confidence has hit rock bottom.I dont like going out in public and felt panicky going to the shops yesterday.I just feel like hiding away.With clothes on i dont look to bad, but i feel fat and awful.Christmas is around the corner and if i could have one gift for christmas i would love self acceptance and confidence.I would treasure it forever. And to all of you other mothers out there that love and appriciate the new bodys they have, i have enourmous respect for you and i truely hope to be joining you on the other side soon.
Updated here.
Original entry here.
I am so happy to be posting again. On November 6th of this year I gave birth to my second child; a baby girl named Isadora Saraphina Ruthara. She was born by c-section weighing at a healthy 7 pounds 7 ounces and was a height of 18.5 inches. She is my blessing and a perfect completion to our family. This time around I took extra special care of my body. I gained a total of 23 pounds, and seven days after birth I was 1 pound shy of my pre-pregnancy weight and three weeks after birth I am now 5 pounds under my pre-pregnancy weight. My daughter is totally breastfeed and latched on immediately after I was out of recovery; we’ve been breastfeeding since then and have had no problems.
As for my body, well I didn’t get any new stretch marks this time around; my old ones just slightly stretched a little. I also had to go through another c-section since I had a series of complications with this pregnancy and though I wanted to try for a VBAC I ended up just scheduling a second section based on the fact that I was afraid of any more surprise complications. The best part is that with this pregnancy I was happy with my body; I was ONE with my body. I accepted the fact that it was going to change and mold into something completely new and instead of being ashamed of it I wore my skin proudly. I am so blessed to have a healthy child-bearing body and two beautiful healthy children in my life; I can not think of anything better.
This first picture is of me at 28 weeks pregnant and my 5yr old son Quailin
Second is 4 days after my c-section
Third is my daughter and I
Fourth and fifth are of me three weeks and 2 days after my c-section
Reader Skye sent this link to me of Lisa Marie’s stretchmarks. Thanks!
Being so young when I became pregnant with my son, I assumed that my body would return to its “normal” state with a month or two and minimal effort. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you how THAT worked out. Now I have a new “normal,” though it has nothing to do with bikinis. My body is perfect – perfect for feeding my son when he’s hungry, comforting him when he is upset, and teaching him all there is to know about his new world.
