Belly

My Second Entry – Still Trying to Accept Me (Angele)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Diastasis Recti, Postpartum, Second Pregnancy, Submissions, Update 6 Comments

Original entry here.

~Your Age: 28.. almost 29.
~Number of pregnancies and births: 2
~The age of your children, or how far postpartum you are: My children are almost 8 and almost 4; 3 and a half years PP.

Hello to all you wonderful ladies,

I have written in here before and wanted to update. In my last entry (3 years and still this?!?!) I talked about saving up for a tummy tuck; I had my first consultation with a plastic surgeon and I found out that I would indeed benefit from a TT. I have abdominal diastasis (muscle seperation) of approx. 3 inches. The Dr. explained my stomach to me, regarding the weird indent I have on my bottom belly..you can actually see where the muscle is seperated!…

I have lost some weight since my last entry, and it has not improved the look of my stomach, if anything it just hangs more now. I visit this site every day to simply get inspired and hope to find the strength and courage you ladies have. It is always difficult to see the beauty in oneself.. I hope to get there one day!

For now, I am content in seeing the beauty of my 2 little girls who make it all worth it! :)

My pictures are as follows:
3.5 years PP:
Pic 1: front sucked in
Pic 2: front relaxed
Pic 3: side relaxed
Pic 4: side sucked in
Pic 5: Muscle split
Pic 6:My little ones :)

Updated here.

Really Having a Hard Time With This (Kali)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Breasts, Cesarean, Child Loss, Postpartum, Submissions, Third Pregnancy 21 Comments

Age: 38
# of pregnancies:3 total, 2 miscarriages before 12 weeks, 1 full term
Postpartum: 4 weeks postpartum, C-Section

At my age and given that I lost 2 pregnancies before this I should really not be so vain, but I am horrified and floored at what I look like now. I don’t think that time or exercise are going to help.

I started my pregnancy at 5’5″ and hovering between 151 and 155 pounds. I lookied pretty good at that weight because I carried a lot of muscle, although 145 would have been perfect. I felt like garbage my whole pregnancy and lost my job at the end of my first trimester, so I was not very active. I did not, however, eat like a crazy woman.

Imagine my shock when I weighed myself the day before I had the baby and was at 205! FIFTY pounds. The stretchmarks aren’t too bad, fairly faint and all on the lower belly.

In the 2 weeks after I had him I lost 35 pounds. I really had no appetite after the c-section, so it wasn’t too hard. Now, however, my metabolism seems to have crashed. The scale hasn’t budged in 2 weeks, and I am eating healthfully, and trying to eat more to keep myself from going into starvation mode. I started walking 1 week postpartum and just started back at the gym this week.

Here’s the thing, I could handle the stretchmarks, I could handle the fat, even the fact that my boobs have gone down a cup size and headed south, but the hanging apron of skin is just gross. I feel deformed. It even smells bad under there so several times a day I have to pull up the flap of skin and clean & dry the area so it soesn’t get all sweaty & nasty. Plus I think I have a hernia. I feel a weird “ball” just over my belly button. The front pictures don’t look so bad, but the side picture shows the hangy stuff.

My fiance is loking to be intimate and I just hate the thought of exposing myself to him. He’s several years younger and has a permanent 6-pack, and although he would never say anything bad about the way I look, I can’t deal with the thought of him being secretly turned off by what’s happened to my body. I know I am.

8 Months Postpartum After Two Children (Ashley)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Postpartum, Second Pregnancy, Submissions 11 Comments

im 22 years old, i became pregnant at age 19 and on my 21st first birthday, *happy birthday mommy, here is your failing epidural!!!*

my stomach was actually worse with my first child after she was born, even though my second was a pound larger weighing in at 8lbs 9oz and she gave me more stretch marks but i made a point to eat very healthy and be active, took liquid collagen supplements you can get at any health/supplement store, and lots of vitamin C as it is a key factor in collagen production and religously applied firming serum to my belly, im now gonna start wearing body shapers that i ordered on ebay which i should have done long ago, my belly just gets better and better every month, still depresses me all the time but i made a 2 year rule, if my skin doesnt smooth out in two years after my last baby i will save up for one more year for a tummy tuck, i did have a tubal ligation so im done having babies, im having a breast reduction in july as i have 34 DDD and they are causing back problems for me, but ill admit ill miss my pre baby boobies i couldnt even breast feed for very long with either of them cause my back couldnt handle it, but in time ill be back in my bikini and be comfortable in my own skin, and im sure with lots of help, planning and support all moms can do the same, but taking time out for yourself to be active and vent out will help all frustration and depression, everyday is a mothers day, so take care of yourselves!!!

24 Year Old Mother of a Miracle – One Months PP (Carolyne)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Complications in Pregnancy, First Pregnancy, Postpartum, Pregnant, Submissions, Update 9 Comments

My whole life I have worked out and been active in sports. I played softball in college and after graduating I continued my 5 day a week work outs. Due to a heart condition and severe high blood pressure, I was told I would never be able to have children. Because of the stress the hypertension put on my body, I tried to take care of it as best I could by exercising and eating healthy. In August, 2008… on our one year anniversary.. my husband and I found out I was pregnant. I was shocked – especially after being told it would never happen. Giddy with joy, we went to our first appointment where my OB told me not to get too attached.. as the pregnancy likely wouldn’t last. I tried ignoring the baby growing inside of me… still working out 5 days a week… but after three months and seeing my body change, I knew I could no longer pretend my little baby wasn’t happily growing inside of me. Six months later, on April 19, 2009, we welcomed our little girl – our miracle – into the world after 31 hours of active labor and 4 hours of pushing. What a stubborn child!

Throughout my pregnancy I still exercised 5 days a week with light weights – though not as intense as pre-pregnancy (Dr. said this was fine and wouldn’t jeopardize my baby) – and ate healthy. There were times when I wanted so badly to eat a whole cake… a bag of chips… icecream… fast food… french fries. I knew I needed to stay healthy for myself and my baby and fought so hard to stay away from all the things I craved. It was horrible. I craved all things salty… but because of my blood pressure I couldn’t have salt. Sometimes, amidst all my raging hormones, I would cry because I wanted McDonald’s french fries so bad!!!

In the long run, staying active and healthy helped me. The exercise gave me the energy and stamina to be in active labor for 31 hours and gave me the endurance to push for 4 hours (her head wouldn’t come down!). Eating the right foods helped me to keep my weight gain at a reasonable amount and avoiding the salty foods I really wanted helped keep my blood pressure in check so that I could carry my baby to term. I felt great after delivering and was on my feet walking all over the place just a couple hours later.

The pictures I’ve included are of me at 38 weeks (delivered at 39), one day postpartum and me at one month postpartum. Looking at my belly it looks back to normal with the exception of my lingering linea nigra…. but the belly is definitely not the same which is to be expected. The skin is very loose but will tighten in time. I am very thankful for the miracle that was given to me and for the fact that I was able to carry her against all odds. For any ladies reading this that have health problems and are told they will not be able to have/carry children, I’m proof that you can! Stay healthy and strong and you’ll be in the best place for an event free pregnancy and a speedy recovery. To all the women who have posted on this site, you all gave me courage… made me proud of what my body was doing and the changes that would come. I looked at all of your posts as inspiration and something to hope for when I wasn’t very far along in my pregnancy. Thank you for being strong enough to post on here and for being proud of the journey your bodies took!

Pictures: 38 weeks, one month post partum, and one day postpartum.

Age: 24
Pregnancies: 1
Postpartum: one month

Updated here.

Postpartum 21 and 25 years later – 3rd post (Anonymous)

Bonnie (SOAM) 5+ Years Postpartum, Art, Belly, Breasts, Pregnant, Submissions, Update 5 Comments

Original entries here and here.

I have posted recent photos of me twice before, but now I have a beautiful drawing a friend did, from the only photo I have of me pregnant, almost 26 years ago, 2 days before my son was born. I am going to display this in my lounge – my sons and some friends may be prudish but I have no shame and am so proud of this lovely, sensitive drawing he did especially for me.

061209-anon-1

061209-anon-2

Trying to get my self confidance back (Mindy)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, First Pregnancy, Postpartum, Submissions 14 Comments

My son will be 20 months on the 1st of June and 3 days later on the 4th I will turn 22. I love my son more than anything but really wish I didn’t have the body that I have.
I got married when I was 18 to my boyfriend who was in the navy. I got pregnant when I was 19. I didn’t like being pregnant I felt very useless and my husband at the time sure helped me feel that way. He became verbally abusive and mildly physically abusive I wanted to leave but didn’t know how to. I gained about 20lbs by the time I was 40 weeks which I was okay with. I had no stretch marks until I was 33 weeks and they came on like a freight train when he turned upside down. My son was born October 1st, 2007 at 41 weeks and 3 days. I had to be induced but had a natural birth otherwise labored for only 12 hours. Things got better with my husband after the birth and we seemed to be a great little family. Then when my son was 3 months old his dad decided he really could deal very well with “the kid” as he called him and was gone a lot drinking and partying with friends. He’d come home and we’d get into fights. I was so scared for my life so many times I didn’t know how to leave. I was in California and all my family was in Montana. A guy who was friend with both of us had confessed to me that my husband had been cheating on me for almost a year which I had suspected and that he couldn’t keep the secret from me anymore because he thought I deserved so much better because I was beautiful on the inside and outside. I finally got enough self confidence to leave my husband. We have been going through a divorce for a year in a half now. He doesn’t ever call or email to see how our son is doing but keeps fighting for custody through his lawyer. I am willing to let him see his son but he has to take some steps to do that because they don’t even know one another. I feel awful about my body since now I’m pretty much a single mom. My stomach sags and it’s gross I work out all the time but I think the stress makes the belly hang around. I hope that I’ll be able to get rid of it someday because no guy is gonna want to date someone with a stomach like mine at least that is how I feel. I really wish there was a wonder cure for post prego tummy’s lol. I’m thinking that I will just have to eventually embrace my momma body and just pray that some guy will love it to. I really like this web site it’s very comforting to know that there are so many other women feeling the way I am. Thank you all for taking the time to read my story.

PIC 1- my belly almost 20 months postpartum

PIC 2- my wonderful little boy

6 Months After First Child (Amanda)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Breasts, Butt, First Pregnancy, Postpartum, Submissions 26 Comments

Title: 6 months after first child
Name: Amanda 21 years old, 1 pregnancy
Story: I got pregnant at 2 years old and gave birth shortly after turning 21. Its been 6 months since I gave birth to my 9lb son naturally, in water. I’m still striving to make peace with my body. I know I should be happy with myself, i created a very handsome baby boy! I am a single mom and dating is hard, I am afraid I will be turned down because of my shape.I have had a cracked nipple ever since I started breastfeeding. It heals and then my son damages it again, its frustrating.
Child’s age/PP: 6 months

9 Years Ago (Elle)

Bonnie (SOAM) 5+ Years Postpartum, Belly, Breasts, Child Loss, Plus-Sized Mom, Postpartum, Second Pregnancy, Submissions 8 Comments

9 years ago I was 18 years old. I had just finished high school and was happy. My plan never included children. I met him on a warm night in August. I became pregnant a few weeks later. I lost my child at 22 weeks gestation. It was depressing and sad. I was a mess. I thought then that I wanted another child. I conceived my daughter on my 19th birthday. I was 170lbs. I gained 23lbs while I was pregnant and gave birth at 193lbs. I breastfed a short time before I was forced to go back to work. That is when I started gaining weight. I was 270lbs 2 years ago. I looked awful. I felt awful. The stretch marks, the saggy boobs, the flabby belly, I was disgusted with myself. I worked little by little in small ways to change the way I looked. I exercised a little more, ate a little better, went out of my way to walk an extra few feet everywhere I went. Today, I am 217lbs. I am still very much overweight, but I am so much healthier and happier than I was this time last year. I took some photos of myself just to see the difference in front of me. I don’t keep mirrors in the house that reflect below the waist. I am so surprised that I am a large sexy woman. I have a beautiful child that I woudn’t trade for the world and I thought she ruined me. I thought she turned me into a stagnant blob. Thank goodness I was wrong! I couldn’t be more pleased and this just makes me want to try that much harder to get down to my pre-pregnancy weight.

I am a few weeks shy of 27 years old
I have had 2 pregnancies and 1 birth
I am 7 years postpartum
plus sized mom

5 Weeks PP 2nd Baby (Shannon)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Cesarean, Child Loss, Children with Health Complications, Second Pregnancy, Submissions, Update 18 Comments

Original entry here.

i had liam april 10 via cesarean at 11:53, 7 lbs 15 oz, 19 in. he is very healthy, although i am still so scared to lose him. it has been a very emotional month…the 1 year anniversary since connor passed was may 1st. i miss him so much, he would have loved his little brother! i know he is in heaven watching over us and making his baby brother smile! liam is amazing and i love him just as i love connor. i will be posting my body at another time…but that is not what matters right now, it gave me the 2 greatest boys ever!

pics:
connor
me the night before i had liam
liam at birth
liams 2nd walk and my connor shirt
liam and mommy 1 month pp

Updated here, here, here and here.