I married a wonderful man and we were excited to start our family relatively quickly. First baby was a healthy, full term girl.
I was quite sure that I had done well to stay in a healthy range, after all, I had always been slim and I believed, based on my genetics that pregnancy would be no different.
My baby came out smaller than average, but perfectly healthy however when I looked in the mirror after the birth I was surprised to find that nothing looked the same. There were stretch marks and a flabby distended stomach that seemed far too large considering the baby that had just exited it.
I chose to cover it all up and think about it at a later date. I had much better things to do, like enjoy being a mother.
I didn’t worry about the weight, and I happily breast fed for 14months. When I stopped the weight had (almost) all dissapeared (somewhere in the 14mths it happened but it was so gradual I couldn’t pin point when).
We tried for number 2 at about this time, hoping to have a 2yr gap between babies. Hah, the best laid plans….
I took a test and it was negative, then after some tears (hormonal, no doubt) and a few more days I took another test. It was positive. I suffered through another severe round of morning sickness and begged for a scan at 13weeks to check on the baby.
When the lady first looked at the screen her face went blank and she turned off all the moniters. Turning to us with a serious face I braced myself for the news ‘there is no baby’… instead she said ‘ Are there twins in the family?’ I am not sure if I will ever forget the feelings that flooded me then, excitement, terror, joy and disbelief. I had no idea I was having twins…. what happened to the two year plan?!
Being a bit of a panicker, I prepared for the inevetible premature births and researched survival rates compulsively but despite all my worrying, I found myself at Full term DEMANDING to be induced!! I no longer could breathe, eat or sleep and I felt my stomach was about to pop at the seams… quite literally it was already starting. The network of stretch marks were like a huge doughnut around my belly button. I looked like I was trying to smuggle a watermellon under my shirt…. one of those big oval ones.
So via C-section I delivered two perfect babies, a boy and girl. I fed them for 4months and then had to swap to formula for sheer exhaustion and sleep deprivation- remembering that I had a toddler too.
Somehow I survived this period, and then when life became a little easier I felt the desire to have another. The twins were 19months when I had our 4th baby (an all natural birth, (VBAC). He was the most wonderfully easy baby and we now feel that we have our complete family, 2boys, 2 girls. They are wonderful, but ever since the birth of the twins my stomach has hung like a balloon that was blown up too big, then left to deflate behind a couch.
I returned to my pre-baby weight a year ago, but the more weight I lose, the more the skin on my stomach looks like an 90yr old mans face.
I do love my body… dressed, I appreciate far more than I did when I was young, but the stomach is too much!
I have posted pics to share with the world, so that others can see that this is what mothers do for their beautiful children!
After all, you would expect a well lived in home to show the footprints of its fellow residents… my tummy shows that 4 little people lived there! (and two of them insisted on using it to practice their kungfu moves on each other).
Hope it helps others!
I have included photos of my tummy from various angles, some are lying on my side, the last is leaning over to show the ‘hang’!(I thought this one might scare some people, so I hesitated in sharing, but hey, this is what the skin does when I bend over! ).
~Number of pregnancies and births: 3 pregnancies, 4 births
~The age of your children, or how far postpartum you are: 5, 3, 3, 1
Your body is beautiful!! Congratulations on your little blessings :)
You are very in shape for having 4! I’ve only had the one and I’m a little jealous! I’ve got massive ‘thunder thighs’ and love handles still! I’m fairly sure if I have any more kids my skin will be identical to yours, as it already does look like that, just without the hanging like in your last pic. And I do plan on having at least one or 2 more, and twins runs on both sides of my family (my husband even has an identical twin), so I’m sure our skin will match within the next few years!
thanks for sharing yur story! congrats on your 4 babys!! You have amazing looking breasts i have to say!
Thank you so much for sharing this.
You have a beaytiful figure and your breastsa look lovely x
Oh I perfectlt know what you’re think about your body, I am also mum of txins (7 months) and my stomach is ad yours (+ about 15 kg)
You are absolutley beautifull and gorgeous and you could be really proud of yourself to be a mum as you area nd to be as fit as you are, unfortunately the body have a memory of pregnnacy and keep some “proof” of that… but you could finally be proud of your body, this is your mum and women body ! congratulations for your gorgeous family and thanks for sharinf your story…
Thank you so much for sharing these pictures… You do look good (must say, I’m a bit jealous of your breasts! :)
I had a 10 lb 1 oz baby (my first) and a 7 lb 5 oz baby 2 years later. I’m just over 5 ft tall and they had no one where to push the belly but out, out, and still further out. I’ve really struggled with feeling bad about my body post pregnancy. I’m still a small person and at a healthy weight. The tummy skin is a familiar story for me and it’s really awesome to see I’m not the only one out there who sags a little. Yes, We are awesome & the things we do for our babies are amazing. thx!
i expected far worse based on your story, you look magnificent after having four babies, yikes, congrats, you’re thin you have amazing thighs and breasts, im dead exhausted after having my first, still trying to get some sort of normalcy, and i only have one!
Holy cow you’re skinny! And so pretty! If I have twins, I hope I look like you afterward.
What as wonderful job your body did carrying those two babies the full 40 weeks. Congrats on breastfeeding both for four months that is no easy task especially with other little ones running around. I am amazed that you carried the twins full term, you have such a small frame. It looks like you must have taken really good care of yourself and ate the right stuff because you are in awesome shape. Your body is radiant. You have no fat it is just extra skin on your tummy which after 3 pregnancies one being twins it is kinda unavoidable unless you are one of those one in a zillion women who defy nature. Good job and keep your head up you have nothing to hide and so much to be proud of!!
Ok, you have had 4 babies, 2 of those being twins! You look *way* better than I do. I have had 2 babies, 3 1/2 years apart. My pictures are on here somewhere, search my name and you’ll find them. Either way tho, you look beautiful. It sounds like you have had an amazing experience and it made me smile :)
Thank you for sharing!
Oh, such a great story – the very same thing happened to me when I found out I was having twins. I went in thinking I was mid miscarriage and instead she asked if twins run in my family.
I did get to 2 years between #1 and the twins, though – and #4 was a little behind that. But the total is four in five years here. You have my admiration, for that beautiful baby-house of a belly, for nursing your twins, and for raising a pack of awesome kiddos!
You are so funny when talking about your tummy looking like an old man’s face and how scary is to see it :) honey is not scary at all .. you have a nice body who is going to wait for you to bend so he or she would stare at your tummy?! just forget about it and enjoy the other parts of your body .. You are a pretty woman you are a mother!
Wow what a lovely read! I loved your language and the descriptions like the balloon behind a couch… I know just what you mean. I was surprised when I saw your photos though… From what you’d described I expected much ‘worse’ from your photos. Your tummy is not scary at all, your photos are inspiring! I have to say, you have fantastic breasts! And awesome legs! I would LOVE and be proud to have a body like yours!
I am also a mum to twins (a 2 year old girl and 4 month old girl twins) and I’m not convinced that I’m through with having children yet either! lol
Thank you for sharing x
I too had twins full term and my belly looks just like yours! Pretty damn good standing tall and in most lighting but bend down or on the side it shows the extra skin. Seeing it on someone else makes me realize its not as bad as I thought! You look awesome!
Thank you for sharing! I did not have twins, but my uterus measured the same as someone carrying twins (5-7 weeks ahead). I had multiple ultrasounds to rule out twins and other issues. My tummy skin looks similar to yours. It definitely hangs like that when I bend over!
I can very much relate to your photos – my body looks very similar. I had twins 2 years ago, carried them to 39 weeks, and although I have lost most of the weight, I do have the same loose skin. It has been a tough adjustment mentally. Like you said, I feel pretty confident dressed but looking at myself naked is tough. Thanks so much for sharing. :)
Thankyou to everyone for the lovely comments, they really made my day!! LOL, *blush* the nice comments about my breasts certainly made me smile :)
I am now looking into the process of having a tummy tuck- for two reasons, I have quite separated tummy muscles and also the excess skin will be removed.
I am a little reluctant to go down this path because I know the risks involved and the scars are significant but the muscle repair will help to support my back in the long term so I think that it is justified.
I will keep you all updated if I have the surgery.
Again, thankyou all for the encouraging comments, I thought I was putting my pics up to help make other woman feel better about their bodies but I ended up feeling all warm and fuzzy about my own bod!! LOL :)
I’ve been quite disheartened looking at the other stories as they all seem to have perfect bellies or at least nice smooth ones with tiny blemishes and bumps. I’ve only had my first baby and my belly looks worse than yours…thinking of sharing my story here with pics, but don’t want any patronizing “you look lovely” and “your body is perfect” because I know I don’t. but i guess it’s nice to get the truth in the open and de-mystify things. How has the tummy tuck gone?
Thank you so much for sharing your story and pictures. you are helping so many woman remember that our bodies are beautiful and we need to love them. I am 27 been married 8 years and have two beautiful children 6 yrs and 17 months. I have been struggling with my self esteem since the birth of my 1st child. I have been feeling undesirable, ugly and worthless because of my postpartum belly… I am really trying to come to terms with it and feel confident and sexy again. thank you again
Thank you for sharing your story. you look very beautiful and in very good shape.
i ahd a similar ultrasound experience.
i’d had a miscarriage a few months before and had explained this to the tech. she then told me, “youbre gonna stress out some more,” followed by a very long feeling pause…. “you’re having twins.”
awesome pregnancy full of unnecessary worry, followed by 48 hrs at the hospital before all three of us went home.
Beautiful.
My body shape and stomach looks just like yours! :)
I have 4 kids…twins first… then 2 singletons.
They are 3,3,21months and 3 months old.