~Age: 19 almost 20
~Number of pregnancies and births: 1 pregnancy, 1 birth
~The age of your children, or how far postpartum you are: 2 1/2 months postpartum
After nine months of trying, starting almost imediately after our honeymoon ended, my husband and I became pregnant for the first time. It was very shortly after my eighteenth birthday that I conceived. I had a relatively easy pregnancy, not a whole lot of morning sickness or heartburn. I was very uncomfortable, what with round ligament pain and other aches. So much so that I would sometimes remain in bed all day. I did feel beautiful and fertile, all rounded and plump. And I treasured every little kick and movement that ensured me of the healthy, happy little one that was growing inside my womb.
Today marks the day when my son Raydon turns 2 and a 1/2 months old. He is the most beautiful little boy and I wouldnt trade him for anything in the world. I was 38 weeks to the day, June 14th, 2009, when my water broke. I had been pulling an all nighter with my uncle and husband and therefore had had absolutely no sleep. Unfortunately, that left me facing a 16 hour labor exausted. My original goal had been an all natural birth, with no chemical pain relief. In my case, that was not going to be an option because I totally panicked at four centimeters and begged for an epidural. After the epidural kicked in, I was finally able to sleep. Midway through the labor, my son began to have difficulties and was showing signs of distress. His heart rate kept dropping too low and the doctors were worried that my labor was too vigorous for him. They proceeded to flip me all over the place, without explaining what was going on, to try and raise his heartbeat. They also administered a drug to stop my contractions. As you can imagine, I was frantic. I still feel sick to my stomach thinking about the entire ordeal. The delivery itself seemed to be going well until the doctor thought my little boy was stuck. I had a nurse on top of me pushing on my belly while two others pushed my knees to my ears and the doctor pulled and twisted my poor baby around. My husband was unable to cut the umbilical cord and it was nearly ten minutes before I was even allowed to see my baby for they thought they had dislocated his shoulders. After all was said and done, both my son and I were fine and dandy and headed off to our room. Only a few short hours later, I hemoraged and had to receive the most excruciating treatment that I could ever imagine. The doctor had to use his hands to clear out the blood clots that had formed in my uterus. You can only imagine how painful that was. I am not completely sure if I want to have any more children. I am thoroughly traumatized.
Fortunately, I have recovered well and my son is growing rapidly. I am pumping for him because I have disfunctional nipples ( I have flat or inverted nipples, making it very painful to breastfeed ). I gained a total of 45 pounds throughout my pregnancy and within the first three weeks, lost 30 of it. In the end of my pregnancy I weighed somewhere around 213 pounds. I am now down to 179, only nine pounds over my prepregnancy weight. I really hate the way my body looks… I have stretch marks that start two inches above my belly button and extend all the way down to approximately 5 inches below my knees. I feel as though I am disfigured and I fear, at times, that my husband will not find me desirable… I am self concious and sometimes feel awkward undressing in from of my husband, though he assures me daily that I am beautiful and sexy, that he loves my badges of honor ( stretch marks ). Even so, I feel ugly and floppy and I trully regret the fact that I never appreciated the body that I had before getting pregnant.
I know that with the proper diet and exercise, all will get better. I was recently in a car accident, so Im in physical therapy and I am afraid to pursue a more vigorous exercise regime.
This website has shown me that I AM beautiful and that I should wear my scars with pride, because with them, I brought the most beautiful little man into the world. My son is my life and I strive to be the best mommy for him. I just wish I felt more confident looking into the mirror…
Photos # 1-3 : 2 and a 1/2 month postpartum tummy
Photo # 4 : stretch marks on my leg
Photo # 5 : Side stretch marks
Photo # 6 : My little man
Photo # 7 : Mommy and Baby!
Hi Chrissy, your leg looks just like mine so you are definitely not alone there! At 2 1/2 PP you still have alot of healing to do and your stretch marks will fade alot :) You look great and have a beautiful baby to show for it. I have been told that the stretch marks on your legs are caused by fluid retention during pregnancy (that made me feel beter that it was beyond my control and not due to too much weight gain) and that explains the rapid weight loss afterwards, I lost the exact same amount as you in the same few weeks! Only I gained 80 pounds so it only made a dent in it ;) Your looking great and things will improve even more in time :)
First off, 2 1/2 months pp, you look great! After I had my first child, Rayden, at 18 I had the exact same stretch marks on my stomach and sides. They faded A LOT and I mean more than you would ever expect. He is turning 4 in December. However, I had a little girl on June 23 this year, and now have a lot of fading to do again! Either way, you look awesome, and your little man is gorgeous! :)
Give it time, everything will even out and fade with time. Sorry to hear about such a harsh delivery, hopefully if you have more children, your body will handle it better :)
You look great! Your tummy is really flat looking and those stretchies will calm down in the months to come. And your son is sooo cute!!! congrats mommy!
You have an adorable son! And a wonderfully positive attitude. My daughter is 9 weeks old and I’m already seeing the stretch marks on my thighs fade (they weren’t nearly as dark as yours, but still…fading so early is nothing to complain about!). I’m sure yours will fade to nothing eventually–and leave you with an awesome texture on your tummy! It must be cool to feel!
Have you talked with a lactation consultant about your nipples? Mine are also flat, and nursing was painful up until just a week or two ago. This might be TMI, but I kind of have to squeeze it flat and shove it into my daughter’s mouth to get her latched properly. But good for you for pumping, your little guy is getting so much good stuff from your milk!
I’m so sorry that you had to experience such a traumatic delivery. You look fantastic and your little one is adorable!
Oh my gosh, you may think this is the weirdest thing you have ever heard. But I LOVE your stretchmarks. That was my first thought when I saw your photos I swear on my life! They are quite beautiful. I have an affinity with the marks my daughter created on me (so much moreso than the ones I already had :P), so that might explain why I find yours beautiful. Your son is beyond gorgeous and looks like an old soul (I bet people say that to you all the time). Congratulations on motherhood in general :)
Congrats on your new little baby boy!
First of all, you are only 2 and a half months PP! Girl, 9 months on, 9 months off! And our bodies do go through changes to create life.. nothing we can really do about it!! Honnestly! I think your stretch marks are beautiful! They honneslty look like hands hugging your belly!!! I would treasure them! :)
My first thought was Wow, you got married at 17!
You’re still really in the early PP days and you have lots of time to recover. I found babywearing an awesome way to help my body get back into shape, and it was a very convinient way to look after a baby. I also have flat nipples, and with a nipple shield you should be able to nurse. When I got engorged, there was no way I could nurse, but there actually are ways to avoid getting engorged when the milk first comes in, and it is very possible to nurse with flat nipples :)
Also…it is very possible that the stuff that happened with the labour/delivery is a direct result of the epidural. Heart rate changes are a normal side effect of epidurals, and the position they make you deliver in (particularly with an epidural) encourages babies to get stuck. So, the next time, things could be totally different :)
Wow!
your tummy looks EXACTLY like mine…
I mean.. I thought it WAS mine.
(go back a few)
Your son is beautiful
You did something amazing
I know its EXTREMELY hard to think of that when you look at your body and remember how smooth it was before
I struggle every day, but than I look at my beautiful child
and think… hell, i KNOW it was worth it
I think you look lovely. I’m with the others – I think your stretch marks are neat! I’m so sorry you had a rough delivery experience. I can relate to the hemorrhaging and doctor digging out clots thing – that happened to me, too. A horrible experience. I’m so glad you’re okay! Enjoy your beautiful baby.
I agree, my first thought was those are just beautiful. I know it’s contrary to what we’re trained to think is beautiful (thanks hollywood), but your belly is just gorgeous. And your little boy is adorable. Congrats, and own your beauty, because you are beautiful.
Im sorry about your traumatic birth :(. About the stretchies on your legs, I got them too, down to my ankles. They have faded almost completely and I have been told numerous times that my legs are my best feature and nobody seems to notice the marks. I hope you can get the chance for a better birthing experience next time!
I think I’ve found my stretchmark twin, lol! I’m at 11 months pp now and they have faded a good deal, but they are still very noticable. They’re definitely not as red any more, except when I get out of the shower. So, give it some time and they will improve.
I pulled an all-nighter right before my water broke. WOW was that rough. I literally felt like I was going to die after the all-nighter plus a 24-hour labor!
Hi!
Congrats on your baby! I also got the same stretchmarks on the inside of my legs and on calves. I was so pissed too cause I rubber palmers all over me during my whole pregnancy and I swear it made them worse lol.. The more I put on the more i got lol.. well either way they do fade as i have learned.. not completely but they do alot!.. I have them real bad too.. spray tanning works lol.. tanning beds and sun make mine darker cause im fair skinned but spray tan is great.. PS ur baby is beautiful and good luck girl!
Hello lovely… i always browse this site but am yet to comment… anywho your stomach looks just like mine did. I was 20 by the time i had my girl and was most upset by it but you know what she is 2 and a half now and you can hardly tell i once had stretchmarks that bad.. maybe i should post my own story…
p.s. never forget how beautiful you are x
Hey you! im in the same vote no worries!!!…i got em on my upper arm a teeny bit too. EW lol i hate them but they have faded .. my lil one is 7 months..they are still there though and i hate them :(
I think your stretchmarks are infinitely beautiful. The pattern is hypnotizing. I can just picture those being the exact spots that you and your husband placed your hands and dreamt of your baby. I absolutely love them.
my stretch marks were deeply purple and HUGE now they are barely visible…so jes give it some time;)