~Age: 16.
~Number of pregnancies and births: 1 pregnancy, 1 birth.
~The age of your children, or how far postpartum you are: 4 months.
Like most teen girls, I obsessed over the way my body looked. My stomach was never flat enough, and my boobs never seemed to be the shape of those in the movies and magazines. It was always a though in my head. If I had my time back I really would have appreciated my body type because I know now that there was absolutely nothing to worry about.
I got pregnant when I was pretty young, just 15. Fortunately I am blessed with an extremely supportive family who are behind me 100% in everything that I do. When I found out that I was pregnant I was confused beyond belief about what to do. Many questions ran through my mind, none of them having anything to do with the toll a pregnancy would have on my body. I decided to keep my baby, and I never looked back. My pregnancy was a fairly comfortable one, I had none of the symptoms I researched online and I was still fairly small. A few stretch marks made their way across my belly but it was not anything I couldn’t handle. By nine months I was still fitting into some of my pre-pregnancy shirts so I thought I would bounce back fine. I defiantly thought wrong. My angel came out weighing 9 lb 7 oz, and if you had seen me the day before labour you would have not believed she could of came out of me, she was so big and beautiful. My stomach immediately went flat and I went home in a pair of skinny jeans. I thought that I would be back to my 117 pounds in no time. Again, thought wrong. No matter what I do I just can seem to lose this extra jiggle. And it’s everywhere! I’m only 16 and when my friends come over to see the baby and me, I can’t help but look and be envious of their bodies. My baby girl was defiantly worth it but it still makes me sad. I know I’m only 4 months pp and there is still plenty of time for me to regain my shape but sometimes when I look in the mirror I just feel overwhelmed. I wish I would of loved my body before the pregnancy. And I wish even more that I could love my body AFTER the pregnancy! I’m sure someday I’ll learn to love myself, but I just hope that the day will hurry up. This site is such an inspiration. The stories of these women are truly amazing, and you all look beautiful!
First photo is 8 months pregnant
Second is 4 months pp
Girl for 4 months pp you look great! those dark stretch marks will fade (try not to tan for awhile) and you will get smaller as it goes expect AT LEAST 9 months if you eat healthy and workout.. congrats on your baby and supportive family! ( i am the poster of blessed&tortured) it took me almost 2 years to get there and stay where i am now, and still working on it)
u look GREAT they say 9months up 9 months down & lookatu already huh? good girl x
I’m 15 years old and just had my baby girl (who was 9lbs 2oz) 6 months ago and you already look better than I do! I know what you mean about feeling envious about other teenage girls’ bodies. I was about 115 pounds before and never appreciated my body. I ended up gaining 60 pounds during my pregnancy (from gestational diabetes) and I feel like I’ll never get back down to 115 again. But you honestly look great. You just have to remember that your body did something that no other of your friends’ bodies have. And you should be proud.
Beautifully written! I share your sentiment about postpartum bodies, having had a high fitness lifestyle before my son and then afterward feeling frustrated with how slowly my body was recuperating. It’s even more aggravating having friends without babies who have bodies I envy although I would never trade my son for having mine back. I became pregnant when I was 23 and thought I was young enough to bounce back quickly but that was not so. Perhaps genetics are involved? Anyhow, though it is difficult to accept our bodies after having a baby, knowing that we are not alone in this sentiment helps sometimes. :D
I think that too often we look at the numbers and want those numbers back. But is it really the number we want back? I thought it was after I had my 2nd child at 21. I weighed a whopping 107lbs before becoming pregnant with her. I got back down to 107 rather quickly, but didn’t look anything like I did before having her. It’s really not about the numbers. You might be happy at 130 with a toned body as opposed to 115lbs untoned. Think about what you want your body to look like, not how much you want it to weigh, because these 2 things rarely come hand in hand. :)
You look wonderful for 4 months pp. I was 18 when I had my first child, so I know what it is like to look at your tiny itty bitty friends and want their bodies, but really in the end, that’s not important.
Be proud of yourself for what you have accomplished, and love yourself as you are.
i am 4 months pp as well right now and i wish my stretchmarks and belly looked as good as yours!
I can understand(as a teenager mother myself) how difficult it can be to place yourself, and your body against other non-mother girls your age. But our society is strange. Once we have our periods we are ready to become mothers. Our bodies, even at 16, are bodies of WOMEN! So it would make more sense for 35 YR old women who have never had children to compare themselves to your peer group them for you to. You are beautiful. More beautiful then you probably even realize yet. I wish more young mother had your maturity and willingness to grow.
Peace and blessings to you mama.
I just wanted to agree with Bryanna – before I had my son I weighed 134, and four months PP i weighed 134 and my jeans were not CLOSE to fitting. Also, when I started law school, I didn’t eat enough or work out a lot, and went down to about 125 but my clothes weren’t baggy at all and all the clothes I bought then fit the same even when I put on about 10 lbs. Don’t worry at all about numbers!
You look great! I am 17 and had my beautiful baby girl 7 months ago and you look amazing! I was 93 pounds before I had my daughter and was 156 when I gave birth and now I am at 127. Your belly is going to be flat in no time!! Every month I notice a differnce so give it time hun, I promise it gets better. YOU LOOK LOVELY <3