Still sexy at 5 months post-partum (Anonymous)

It has been 5 months since the birth of my baby boy. I am 23 years old, and this was my first pregnancy. I did not plan on becoming pregnant,but i was excited nonetheless when I found out . My belly grew and grew, and I got very big. People thought I was having twins and thought my doctor must have my due date wrong, because I was so big. Throughout my pregnancy, despite my joy, I always worried about what I would look like afterwards. I always had a nice body. Particularly my stomach was the one area that i liked the most. It was toned and tight before I got pregnant. At my age, I wasn’t ready to give that up, especially when all the other girls my age have such young tight bodies. Now mine is soft, squishy, and there is fat where there was never fat before. Although I now weigh less that pre-pregnancy, the fat is distributed differently, on my mid area. I always had very small breasts. Now, after 3 months of breastfeeding, they are even smaller looking and ‘deflated’. However, in looking at this site, I have gained the courage to post my pictures. I want to post them because I want to show that even though I have a “mommy body” and lots of stretch marks, I can still be sexy. I think sexyness comes from inside. If you feel sexy and portray that confidence, then the more sexy others will see you to be. I still wear my sexy underwear for my husband, even though it looks nothing like it used to on me. I am sexy , just in a different way now. I want all the moms that read this and see my pictures to realize that we are still attractive, even if you don’t see bodies like ours on the covers of magizines. I want to be confident in my own body, which is why i took these pictures at 5 months pp. I was fortunate enough to not get any stretch marks on my stomach, but you can see them on my sides and legs. But I dont care anymore, I refuse to dwell on it – my baby boy is too precious, and he was worth every stretch mark I have!








accepting my sags and bulges…mama of four (Anonymous)

my weight has always been a burden to me…something to feel guilty about if i indulge in a treat, something to obsess over… whether i am thin or not… thinking about my weight makes me miserable. i am 32 now, and a mother of four. finally, i feel i have had a taste of the freedom to NOT be thin, according to society’s depiction, of course. it’s a quality of life thing…i don’t have time to worry about it so much anymore! i run after my kids, my day is so full of caring for them, worrying about myself and my body image HAS to come last. in this i have found freedom. i love my sagging boobs that have nourished all four of my precious children. i have learned to be practical and not browbeat myself for my extra padding and bulges that make up my body. i beauty fades, but the eyes speak volumes…i hope mine speak of the peace, love and acceptance that i have found in loving who i am, from the inside out.



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My Tummy (Anonymous)

Thank you so much for this page! Growing up in Scandinavia, I’ve been used to seeing nude female bodies and bellies of all shapes – in public saunas and other places. Still I was not at all prepared for my post partum body. Just didn’t think that I would be one of those women who changed this much! Now a year after my son’s birth, I’ve grown to love my simmed milk tummy stripes- and so has my partner!

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Photographer’s Request

I received this e-mail the other day (clearly the one which turned me onto the aforementioned Kate Winslet movie) and I thought the project is an awesome one so I am posting this here along with her e-mail address for anyone to contact her if you are interested.

A couple of years ago, there was a movie out called Little Children starring Kate Winslet. I was reading a review of the movie and the writer mentioned “how brave” Kate was to show her stretch marks.

That one sentence really knocked me for a loop. It never occurred to me that people, men and women, might feel this way. Why was such a move brave? Ms. Winslet is quite lovely and I cannot imagine her feeling ashamed about anything.

So I started talking to women I knew and they started telling me their stretch mark stories. I learned from them that men of just about every age have no idea that women have them. They think that women look like the cover of the bathing suit issue of Sports Illustrated or the layouts in Playboy.

Well, yes, some women do look like that. But most don’t and that creates a problem. The real look of the vast majority of women is swept under the rug. I guess there’s nothing inherently wrong with being under a rug….if you’re a piece of dust! so, is that what we are? dust?

My vision of the project is to have all black and white photos. The subjects would wear black pants and white shirts. Each photo would have the woman’s feelings about her body/marks in text next to the photo.

I feel that presenting such a thing to a gallery would create a buzz and this topic would be out in the mainstream, even if just for a few days, where it belongs. I would present this idea to galleries in Provincetown, Cambridge and Northhamptom Massachusetts for starters. There may be locations in California that would be interested, too.

To participate, contact Jen at goldsmithphoto@comcast.net

13 Months After my Daughter Was Born (Anonymous)

Hello, my daughter Madison was born May 3rd 2006. She weighed 7 pounds 1.2 onces. I’m still breastfeeding her and this has helped aid in the weight loss! I was 140 before pregnancy, and at my last check-up while I was pregnant I weighed 191 pounds. I am currently 145. So I’m almost back to normal. I want to be 135-130 before my husband I try to get pregnant again. I added 4 photos…The first one is my belly before pregnancy, the 2nd is me at 35 weeks pregnant. And the last 2 are 13 months PP.






My belly 10 weeks after giving birth (Anonymous)

I always was very thin growing up, 5’6″, 120lbs. My pregnancy wasn’t planned, but was a pleasant surprise. I’m only 20 and my husband is 21, we were scared but excited. I was 124lbs when I found out I was pregnant. It took forever for me to start showing. People never believed me when I told them I was pregnant and couldn’t even fit into a Small in maternity clothes until I was 6 1/2 months pregnant. I started eating tons, hoping that I’d develop a belly, I wanted to LOOK pregnant. I went from 124lbs to 169lbs. I didn’t get a single stretch mark until I was 8 months pregnant, then I just blew up in them. I’m very self conscious about them now.I only have them on my stomach and sides but I hate them. I have a beautiful daughter that I’m so thankful for, but I can’t stand to look at my stomach in the mirror. I went from 169lbs to 148 the day I went home from the hospital, but I haven’t lost a pound since then. I walk daily, and do pilates 2 times a week. I try to watch what I eat, but I admit sometimes it’s easier to get pizza for supper then to cook something. My sister showed me this site while I was pregnant and I just now had gotten the courage to post my pic. I love this site!