This photo (or, rather, these photos) are striking. Shows the beauty of a woman’s body both with and without child. I also like it because this site has been accused or never showing the women who do “bounce back”. Which simply isn’t true.
In any case, the submission is beautiful. If you click on the photo, you can read what the photographer has written about it, and it’s pretty darn funny, in my opinion.
Enjoy!
I found out I was pregnant with my first child in February 2004. I couldn’t wait for my husband to get home that day from work. He told me on the way home that he had news for me too. I told him I was pregnant and he told me that he got laid off. YEAH!!! All was going well until I developed pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH) at 31 weeks with him. I was placed on a restrictive diet and bed rest for the remainder of the pregnancy. It wouldn’t have been so bad but we were on one income. I was induced at 37 1/2 weeks. After an 18 hour labor, a beautiful baby boy was born. However, he had trouble breathing. His lungs were not developed enough due to the complications of my pregnancy so he spent a week in the NICU.
I nursed him until he was 10 months old. I had to reluctantly wean him due to the fact that I found out I was pregnant in August 2005. Wow what a surprise to my husband and I. I was hoping that this pregnancy would go well and I wouldn’t have the problems that I did previously. However I was not so lucky. I developed PIH at 24 weeks literally overnight. I had been feeling great until I woke up one morning feeling terrible. I went to the doctor and he put me in the hospital immediately. I spent the weekend there and then released with meds to control blood pressure and orders to be on “part time” bed rest. I though “Bed rest” with a 14 month old. Yeah right!!! The next 12 weeks included increased medications, daily checks of my blood pressure, reduced hours at work, and a restrictive diet. I tried to make it week to week. I made it to 36 1/2 weeks. I was induced and 11 hours later a gorgeous healthy baby girl was born. She had no problems breathing and was perfect in every way.
My body has been through a lot of ups and downs in the past two years. But I would do it all over again in a hearthbeat. My scars, stretch marks, and saggy skin are a testament to my two beautiful children, who are now 2 and 9 months.
The last submissions I put in were about not having any stretch marks, and a c-section recovery but baby #3 came 3 weeks overdue (and by UBAC) and weighed over 9lbs; he left his footprints when I reached about 40weeks and my fundal height crept past 43cm (it went to over 46). He came 11 months after my cesarean/childloss.
These pictures were a few weeks before birth, one during labour (an hour before birth) and one 2 months postpartum.
Updated here.
I wish to remain anonymous, but I felt inspired to contribute.
These pictures I am submitting are of me at 25 weeks pregnant with my 2nd child.
The stretch marks are from my first pregnancy.
I had a c-section, so the skin is still saggy where my scar is.
I lost about 50 lbs from my pre-pregnancy weight after my first child was born, then got pregnant again when my first child was 13 months old.
Depsite all my stretch marks and sagging skin, I still love my pregnant body. I realize that it’s in the process of creating a miracle. And even after the baby is here, the marks on my body will be a reminder of the two miracles that I have created. My body is that of a mother. And for that, it is beautiful.
This is a timeline of my belly from 7 weeks through 36 weeks, 3 months post partum, and my babies at 6 weeks old. I gave birth, at home, to my three beautiful babies at 37 weeks. Though this pregnancy changed by body forever, I loved every minute of it. Being a mom of triplets (and my great 2 1/2 year old) is the best thing that’s ever happened to me.
This is my stomach one year after giving birth. It was well worth it.
Hi, I´m a 34 year old proud mother of three girls… and this is how my tummy looks like after that… and my breasts… and my thighs…
Sometimes its so hard… I´m always making excuses to go to the beach and makes me so sad not to have what once was a perfect body.
Saggy breasts, stretch marks, cellulite, fat… At the end it was all woth it and I´d do it again, but it still hurts me to see all this women with little clothes showing off everywhere and makes me wonder all the time if my husband its ashamed of me or if he goes around paying attention to them…
I have my days…
I just found out on Monday that I’m expecting our 4th child. Today (1/17/07) I’m 4w0d pregnant, so I took a belly picture. I couldn’t believe how my stomach looks, I thought it was looking better now.
My first pregnancy I weighed 135lbs and then gained 70lbs! My son did a number on my skin! Oh well, I’m proud of my service strips!
My husband took this picture of my tummy when i was about 6 1/2 months pregnant. I`m just now coming into my 35 week period . . but i look back on this picture and realize that i wasnt very big nor am i today. I was a very small girl before i got pregnant but at times it seems like things just arent growing like they should be. But then i see women all the time online (( looking for comfort )) that i`m not the only one. I’ve enjoyed being pregnant very very much so and how my tummy has grown its just at times i wish i could have gotten the big ball :-) But none the less the dr`s say that my baby boy is healthy and growing wonderfully so i guess we`ll stand with that thought :-)
My name is Sydney, I am 21 years old with a wonderful 4 month old daughter.
I gained about 65 pounds during my pregnancy, and after my c-section, I felt so sick that I could barely move or eat, and I lost a lot of the weight. Now that I am fully recovered I have gained it all back, and then some. Sometimes I look down and think I might still be pregnant!
Since I can remember, I have had major self-esteem and body image issues. And I have to say, that most times I feel ugly. I am a single mother, and I worry a lot about finding someone now. The thought of someone seeing me naked keeps me awake at night sometimes. But after looking through the lovely photos on this site, and reading the amazing stories, I looked in the mirror, and thought ‘maybe I am beautiful, too…’
And maybe, if I can believe that I am beautiful, and love my body after all, I can teach my daughter to do the same.
