Fair to Middling (Shanelle)

Age:31
Pregnancies:3
Children: 3 (8 y.o,5 y.o & 6 m.o)

Almost 7 months Post-Partum.

Hi all,

I am a Single Mum of 3 from Australia.
I’ve been raising my children on and off (mostly on) by myself as the father of my children suffers from mental illness.
We seperated for good while I was 4 months pregnant with my third and he now lives hours away in another state.
He hasn’t ever seen his daughter and hasn’t seen his older two in almost 8 months.

I am still brestfeeding and brestfed my older two.My eldest boy was brestfed til he was almost 4 and my middle boy til he was almost 2.
I plan to breastfeed at least two years with my youngest.

I had an eating disorder from 11yo pretty much up until I fell pregnant with my first (at 22) and didn’t change weight (50 kgs at 5″8) up until I was pregnant with my first.
I only put 8 kilos on while pregnant with him and was vigilant with getting the weight off as soon as I had him.
I don’t know if it was age,having something else that genuinely mattered (my son),my abusive relationship with his Dad or a combination of both but by the time my boy was two,I no longer cared so much bout being able to feel my bones.

Now,almost 9 years and a hell of life experience later,I do wish I fit better into clothes (I hate how waistbands give me the spare-look) and I’m not dancing in giddy circles of glee at the cellulite and double chin that are creeping on me,But all in all-I am pretty ok with how I look.
Considering all my babies were big -8.3p,9.1p & 9.2p,- and I have breastfed for quite awhile,I think i’m holding up alright ;)

For me personally,my kids have shown me what is really important in life and that is good health and happiness.I’m lucky to have both.

6 thoughts on “Fair to Middling (Shanelle)

  • Friday, October 11, 2013 at 12:15 pm
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    I think your body and your outlook are both beautiful.

    Living with mental illness is hard, being close to someone with mental illness can be just as hard or harder. People with mental illness really need to have the drive to find help, all anyone else can do is try to offer support and understanding.

    Of course, there is only so much you can do when someone won’t help themselves.

    As a single mother I firmly believe a healthy, single-parent household is better than an unhealthy home environment with two parents.

    I hope he can find some help and stick with it, so he won’t miss his children growing up.

  • Friday, October 11, 2013 at 12:46 pm
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    You look beautiful!!! It’s hard to believe you’re only 6 months pp! You look great. Thanks for sharing your story. :)

  • Friday, October 11, 2013 at 1:28 pm
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    You look great! It’s hard to believe you had 3 babies. :-)

  • Saturday, November 2, 2013 at 6:19 am
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    Thanks a lot ladies,it means a lot that you not only took the time to answer but said such lovely things.
    When I read my post I was a bit worried that I came across as a bit conceited but what I meant to share was although our bodies are different after babies,it needn’t be a bad thing. It’s awesome how our bodies do what they do & how they change through our experiences.
    Charley,thanks for your concern & support. For the sake of my kids,I’m hoping for the same things.
    Anyway,thanks again x it was great to find some comments :)

  • Wednesday, December 18, 2013 at 6:42 pm
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    Kudos to you for breastfeeding for so long. You look beautiful and you seem like a really strong person

  • Wednesday, February 19, 2014 at 3:58 am
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    OMFG, you’re a goddess! What a beautiful figure, and wow, your breasts are amazing!

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