Kristen

I never felt good about my body until I became pregnant. Although I was very young and very scared, my pregnancy made me feel complete. My body changed and I began to feel…beautiful. I felt like my life had meaning and purpose. I was only 18, but I had to make myself a woman worthy of being this tiny person’s mother. I gained 30 lbs during my first pregnancy and within 10 days of her birth it was gone. I liked to run my fingers across my stretchmarks and remember the glorious belly that once housed my precious daughter. 13 months later I met the man that would become my husband. We got married a short time later and he adopted my daughter, I also became a step-mother to his little girl. We conceived our son during our honeymoon. I gained 36 lbs during my second pregnancy. The weight didn’t come off as easily afterwards, but eventually I got back to my pre-pregnancy weight. I am now 23 years old. I am happily married with 3 amazing children. Once my youngest child started looking more like a little boy and less like a baby, I began to appreciate my stretchmarks. Not long after my son stopped nursing, he started asking to use the potty and wear underwear. Although the signs of babyhood are fading and my babies are growing up, I can still see the marks on my belly that they left behind. When my daughter asked me, “Mama, what are those things on your belly?”, I answered her with a smile, “Those are called stretchmarks and I got them when you grew inside me.”