Author: Bonnie (SOAM)

This site has been so inspiring. I cried when I first came here, tears of understanding and finally realizing that its a sign of beauty to have reminders of nurturing babies. All the women who have shared their story, body, I thank from the bottom of my heart.

My story is similar to many women here. After becoming pregnant with my first I had a hard time accepting even that change, little did I know what was in store. In the sixth month of pregnancy I began to get the flames of motherhood. The doctor said he hadn’t ever seen the marks as bad as mine as they cracked and bled. Nothing helped and it was the proverbial straw that broke it all. After the birth I had ripped so bad I needed reconstructive surgery. My breasts swelled so large I didn’t even have a bra that fit, which of course created “love” marks on them also. Pregnancy and child number 2 did not add any other ‘damage’ as I think my body was broke in already and I knew what to expect.

Now 3 1/2 years post partum I’ve returned to almost my pre-baby weight but definately NOT my pre-baby body shape. There are ‘beauty’ marks in all areas as proof I carried my children in my womb. My breasts are marked and literally had the life sucked out of them for 5 years, years I wouldn’t take back for anything. My stomach is like a deflated balloon and not getting any smaller from seperated abs. My thighs show proof of the extra weight to carry them. I was an itty bitty women before and, now, I am as my oldest likes to say: squishy. Being squishy brings and has brought both my children life, joy and nurishment. Now I know its something to be proud of and respected in all women. Having natures tatoos IS something to be proud of, as one has already said, a gentle reminder of the lives they brought into the world.

My name is Andrea and I gave birth to my son Alexander on July 4th, 2005. I gained 30 lbs with him and by my 6 week check up I had lost all but 4 lbs of my pregnancy weight.

This picture was taken 4 days before he was born.

These pictures were taken today, 12.5 months after he was born.

Me at 8 months pregnant, unedited version. This photo hangs in my daughters room above our rocking chair. Please give a photo credit to Jane Bailey Photography.

I have never been so happy as tonight when I was given the address for this site. I have and still am so in hate with my post baby belly, but this site just seems to make me feel SO much better. To know there ARE other women out there with the same body as me, definitely helps!

I have one child. A little boy who is now 2 years 2 months old. He keeps me goin thats for sure..

Prior to my pregnancy I had just lost 30lbs, so I was looking nice, my tummy was quite flat and bam I get the news that Im expecting.

Here I am at about 5 months pregnant. The stretch marks were still to come!

Here I am when I was about 7 months pregnant.

Here I am at 42 weeks pregnant with him.

He weighed 9lbs 6oz when he was born. I gained 46lbs during my pregnancy. I had lost it all accept 10lbs within a couple of days which was surprising to me.

Today my little boy is so worth all the stretch marks and even the saggy boobs from nursing him.

Here I am today, 1lb below my pre pregnancy weight. My belly is definitely not the same as it used to be, but you know what? Thats okay because I have him.

Thank you so much for making this site so everyone can see what a true, beautiful, womanly body looks like!!

Update here!

Hi there,
I am mama to five children ages 20, 14, 13, 10 and 4. I have been pregnant six times in the last 20 years and have nursed four of my five babies for 2-4 years each. I would say that my biggest regret is that I do not have any belly shots while I was pregnant. But here I am, standing in front of my kids dirty bathroom mirror, a 44 year old mother of five.

I sometimes tease my 20 year old that she has my body and I want it back. Yes, she does seem to have the physical shape and size of myself before I became pregnant with her at age 24 but no, I like the body I have today at age 44 as a mother of five. Thirty pounds lighter, 20 years ago, I truly lacked body confidence and did not see myself as beautiful…if I I knew then what I know now! Motherhood has given me the confidence and the strength that makes me beautiful.

About the footprints tattoo, those are an exact replica of my youngest’ feet at birth. He was born 4 months premature. My other children were born at 41 weeks, 37 weeks, 36 weeks and 38 weeks respectively.

This is an amazing undertaking. I applaud your vision that celebrates the beauty of motherhood.

I am a 25 year old mother of two. My son is 3 and my daughter is 1. Prior to the birth of my son I weighed 115 pounds. I had it in my head that my belly would grow into a perfect basketball shape and that right after birth my tummy would flatten back out. Haha…I was rudely awakened. My 115 pounds eventually grew into 215 pounds by my 9th month of pregnancy. My body had changed in ways I had never imagined. My face, finger & toes, my back, my breasts…Stretch marks covered my body. Legs, arms, belly… My 9 pound 5 ounce baby boy was born via emergency c-section. I had a very hard time accepting my “new” body. It took me about 2 years after the birth of my son to be able to look at myself naked or to touch my scar. I had only lost about 25 pounds by the time I was pregnant with our daughter. I went into this pregnancy overweight. I had no idea what my body would do this time…Our 9 pound 15 ounce daughter was welcomed into the world via c-section. My body didn’t change too much that time. My breasts now hang even lower, as does my belly. I have now come to accept my loose skin, scars and marks. I would not trade them for anything. For without them, I would not be a mommy to the loves of my life….

-Anonymous

This is what I looked like prior to baby number three.

This is me laboring in the water with my third baby.

This is my belly 4 1/2 months after my third was born. I got remarried between babies 2 and 3. My husband is 6 years younger than me (he’s 23 and I’m 29), so now I’m extra self conscious about my tummy. My belly wasn’t perfect when he met me, but baby 3 did even more damage. I’m also holding onto the weight a little longer this time. When I met him, I was a size 6, but right now I’m holding at a size 9. Some size 7’s will fit if I squeeze. He’s a breakdancer, so we do go out to clubs when we can. I have resorted to saran wraping my tummy under my clothes so I can compete with those flat bellied 18 year olds. Nothing deflates my self esteem like going to a nightclub and seeing all those bare flat bellies. This is the first place I have come where I feel comfortable showing off my badge of motherhood. If only the world would honor motherhood in this way, I might feel comfortable going to the pool in a bikini again.

Here’s a picture of Adrianna (baby 3) nursing when she was a few days old. I like my larger breastfeeding boobies. I didn’t get many stretch marks on them, but they do sag naturally with the extra weight. My nipples are also much darker now to make a great target for baby.

When I got pg with my first baby I weighed 108 pounds and was a former long distance runner. I was proud of my body. I gained an unbelieveable 65 pounds. After I started pumping milk for my baby (she never learned to latch right) I went from an A to a D cup. In the next nine months after her birth I lost all but 4 of those pounds, and all of the breast tissue, and they looked like deflated balloons for awhile. But my skin was still young, I had some major tummy stretch marks but I still had a flat tummy, and that’s all that matters under clothes, right?

Enter the 30’s and baby number two. I only gained about 45 with her, but I was on bedrest and not active at all. Those abs that separated with first baby separated even more with the second. My skin is not as young. More stretch marks. Okay so I did get some hips with baby #2, at least a wee bit of a hint of hips. And a butt. Never had that before. Now at 2.5 years beyond the birth of baby #2 I am only 12 pounds heavier now than I was before I had any kids at all. But my body is oh so different. My arms are fatter, my butt is bigger, and my hips have expanded. I cannot even begin to fit into the same size 6 shorts. I look back at old photos of myself and wonder who that was, and if she appreciated her thin-ness as much as I appreciate the priveledge of becoming a mother.

I am not ashamed of my body. I am, on most days, secure with it now. If I can find clothes that flatter me, I’m happy. I have stretch marks. I have flabby skin. If I lose another 12 pounds and become thin as a stick again, I will still have flabby skin. Some of us get the great skin and some don’t. Oh well.

Quite frankly, I’m damned proud of those stretch marks. I earned them. I think they are, in their own way, beautiful. When I’m 80 years old I will still be able to trace my finger on my tummy and know exactly where my babies curled up within me. Time will never take that privilege away from me.

Here are some photos:

This is my tummy at 4 and 5 week pregnant with baby #2. Looking pretty good huh?

Front view 6 weeks pregnant with #2, old stretch marks from #1

Front view at 25 weeks pg with #2,old stretch marks coming in handy! I didn’t get new ones until last month with #2.

Top view at 30 weeks with #2, separated abs and baby pushing against my belly

Current photos of my belly, 2 years after giving birth to baby#2.