This is me 8 months pregnant with baby number 6, who was born at home weighing 10#’s. I love being pregnant, I think the pregnant form is so beautiful. I gained 35 lbs. during my pregnancy but have only lost 10 lbs. since giving birth to her one year ago. I hope that when she slows down on the breastfeeding, the weight will start to drop. She nurses every 30 minutes-1 hour, so I am always hungry!!
I had my first baby, a little girl, at 21 years old. I had a really great pregnancy, I gained about 35 pounds and didn’t get any stretch marks on my belly, I have a few now on my boobs, but they are white and don’t bother me very much. I loved being pregnant and I would do it again in a heartbeat if we could afford it. I had a really beautiful and peaceful birth at a birthing center after only 7 hours of labor with the help of my supportive husband. I feel so proud of what my body has done, and so lucky to have given birth naturally to my beautifully baby girl, who I am still breastfeeding and loving every minute of it! I remember taking a bath at home the morning after having my baby and looking down at my body and having this amazing feeling, I felt so beautiful. I have never felt that wonderful about my body. And lets be honest, I had just had a baby so we all know I didn’t look that great. But I felt it, I felt a feeling of self acceptance, that I had never had before. I don’t know if all women go through that after giving birth but it was life changing for me, the times that i have felt the happiest and the best about myself have had nothing to do with my outer layer. Now I love my mom body, I do wish my boobs were a little more perky and didn’t have stretch marks but they been through 11 months of nursing so far so I’d like t think they are holding up just fine. These are pictures of me at 38 weeks pregnant, 40 weeks pregnant, 7 months pp, 7 months pp nursing, and 3 of me at 11 months pp.
I am 28 years old, and had my child when I was 17. When I got pregnant I was 5’6″ and 101 lbs. and barely an A cup. I was never happy with my weight and wanted to weigh more, and wished my breasts were bigger.
Well, I got my wish! I had a beautiful baby boy 3 months before my 18th birthday. And at my heaviest pregnant I was 139 lbs. I had stretch marks on my belly, breasts, thighs, upper arms, everywhere it felt like. They were very deep purple. Those have all gone away or turned into silvery lines, as you see in the pictures. I quickly lost weight, and was back down to 115 easily. But I did not want to be that small.
I’m now 135 lbs and I’m very happy with my body except for my saggy breasts. They hurt my shoulders, I can’t fit in anything sexy, I can barely find a functional bra. I really have a love hate relationship with them. My husband loves me how I am. And they fed my son and will feed future children (we’re trying again now to have another baby).
Part of me wants a breast reduction so badly. But I would never ever do that, unless I start to have bad medical problems. I’m just not that concerned about my looks to have a surgery. It’s not worth the risks.
The pictures are of me now at 28 years old. 10 years 7 months post-partum.
I’m a 20 year old single mum. I’ve been trying to give myself the courage to put photos of myself on here as I’ve been really depressed about my body. I’m working on my body slowly and trying to build up my confidence. My daughter was born on 4th of July 2008. Im nearly 7 months postpartum.
I’m a 19 year old mother to a 5 month old daughter. As a young mum I feel as though I never truely got to enjoy my teenage body. Before I became pregnant I would nit pick at the smallest imperfections of my body and never really appreciated how good it was. 5 months post partum and I am still not used to my ‘new’ body, and don’t know if I ever will be. I stuggle daily with the stretchmarks that seem to be everywhere, the wide hips, the wrinkly belly and the saggy breasts. I’m hoping that posting these pictures will help me to accept my body, as the other courageous mothers who post on this site do. =]
I’ve procrastinated writing this for a long time now. I found this website when I was pregnant with my son. He’s turning 2 years old now and I think it’s time to settle things with myself. Let me first say thank you for hosting such an amazing website. Now, I have a long history of self-hatred and depression. Without getting into to many details, I’ve cumulatively spent more than 6 months in hospitals being treated for anorexia and have been in therapy for the last 8 years. As I began my road to recovery, I was told that I may not be able to conceive because of the abuse to my body. I had no period for 6 years, a condition called amenorrhea. Then on the night that my husband proposed to me, I got my first period. He was so happy, not for my fertility, but at this beautiful sign of health. 3 Months before our wedding I got three consecutive periods and on our wedding night we conceived our son. Pregnancy was difficult. I was on progesterone supplements for the first trimester. The hormones put on quite a bit of water weight and I had gained 20 lbs in my first trimester alone. I gained a total of 54lbs, and on my 5ft frame that was just enough to make me miserable. We were planning to have a natural birth without medications. Then, three and a half weeks before my due date I came down with a high fever. When I went to the hospital I was having contractions and my baby was showing some signs of weakness. I was given antibiotics and cervadil to ripen my cervix and we were going to induce the next morning. I was induced and labored naturally for 12 hours. My cervix only dialated to 4 and my son was starting to struggle in the womb. I consented to a c-section and he was born healthy within the hour. Of course it’s not how I planned, but that is what life gave me. I love my scar, I think it’s beautiful. My son nursed for 17months until he weaned himself. Those were some of the most special moments together. I was fortunate enough to have an oversupply of breast milk and I froze and gave milk to my nephew who was born premature. I have light stretch marks all over my breasts, lower belly, belly button, thighs and butt. My belly button herniated as well and I too, like so many women here, have flat pancake breasts. The curves and the stretch marks have grown on me since. I have good and bad days. Most days my husband makes me feel like the most beautiful woman in the world. I’m so grateful for that. Then there are days when I can’t shut up the voice in my head. My heart breaks for my past, but I’m not ashamed of it nor do I wish it hadn’t happened. Dealing with my anorexia and depression has made me who I am today. It has made me a stronger person and a better mom. My husband and I have made the decision not to have any more children, but I don’t take it for granted, not for a second. Every time I look at my body with despise, I think of how blessed I am.
okay, i’m a 3rd time participant here on SOAM. here is my last submission
i don’t know about you, but i am tired of hearing about how some moms don’t jiggle when they run down the street, “motivational” exercise tips & being told that i’m a failure if i don’t make time to work out every single day. i’m a typical mom, i make time when i can. so, i’m sending in a few “update” photos (not much has changed 2 years pp, except i’ve lost 5 pounds) along with my own tips for how i use what i have while i have it. first off, i’m still breastfeeding & my son shows absolutely no desire to stop anytime soon. believe it or not, breastfeeding does not just suck the pounds off of everyone. some of us retain the fat & that’s okay. it may come off after weaning, i have no idea. i’m taking vitex (chaste tree berry) capsules in an attempt to regulate my hormones. if i remember correctly, the prolactin produced by nursing is resulting in elevated estrogen levels, telling my body to store fat for the baby. vitex helps balance the prolactin & can help me (along with my sporadic exercising) to lose my weight gradually & healthily. (i just want to stop being such a hormonal bitch!) my best advice is to:
1. shop for your size! you are probably a few sizes larger than you were, so learn now what size you’re at. after being a small-to-medium petite my entire life, i now find myself barely slipping into a large (i’m now an XL by conventional standards). it depressed me for awhile, but now i’m dealing with it. also, your underwear is too small, so either size up, or forget them altogether, like me. i find that most underwear digs unattractively into my luscious curves, which looks tacky under clothes. going commando is a great solution & i’ve been doing it for years. :)
2. invest in bra inserts for lopsidedness. i went nearly 2 years feeling extremely aware of my different breast sizes before i finally purchased some inserts for the small breast. i cannot tell you how it has improved my confidence.
3. choose clothing that flatters your new womanly form. i like flowing, natural, cotton jersey that allows for movement & comfort. i wear mostly skirts & loose tops. i’m not a teenager anymore & tight, lowrise jeans do nothing good for my new shape!
4. find & accentuate your sweet spots. have a graceful neck or beautiful behind? use jewelry or accessories to bring your favorite bodily attributes to the forefront. instead of “oh, when are you due?” it’ll be, “dang, where’d you get that gorgeous necklace?!”
these are just a few of my own personal methods for improving my self-confidence that i want to share with other mamas who might want to try.
i’m slowly on my way to being stronger & perhaps smaller, but my size is becoming less important to me. i’m working with what i’ve got right now & it may change, but if it doesn’t, at least i’ll be prepared & no longer weighed down by my former concern with “getting my pre-pregnancy body back”. i’m a sexy, strong, capable, intelligent woman. i spend almost all of my time with my child & i love being a mother. i have other things going on besides being a mom, but i definitely took the first year to really focus on him & his needs. my body took a back seat to other priorities. i’m okay with my choices.
to those in the media & those affected by the media who think that we, on SOAM are somehow gross, scary or ugly, i say, “i’m not usually this size, i had a baby. what’s your excuse?”
mamas, let’s stay strong & focus on those role-models who are proud of their curves & remain positive & healthy instead of those who hit the gym a week after birth & make us feel like failures if we don’t all conform to the hollywood cookie-cutter standard. enjoy food, cuddle your baby, & just keep yourself healthy. you’re doing the hardest job on earth & every mother deserves to feel valued, appreciated & beautiful.
I have a 9 month old and weighed 150 before pregnancy(size 8) and am average height (26 y.o.). I was very unhappy at the time with my size, I’ve felt too fat my entire life because there are always those girls that are skinnier and more perfect. I don’t think I could ever be completely happy with my body unless it looked exactly like a Victoria’s Secret model. I guess this is what society has done to me.
Anyway, I gained 31 pounds during pregnancy which I was pretty happy about because I didn’t want to gain any more than I could ‘easily’ lose after baby was born.
So, after my precious little baby was born (8lb. 6oz) I lost 20 pounds in 2 weeks without trying! I couldn’t believe it. Then I gained 10 of that back in the following months, which was very depressing.
Now, here I am 9 months after baby’s birth and a size 12, 170 pounds, 38E nursing bra (was 36C before).
I never have thought that a 12 looked good, and I am definitely not happy with my weight where it is, but to my amazement, I do feel a little sexy and curvy in my skin. Not sure why that is. I have discovered that clothes are not made to fit a person who is overweight. Nothing ever fits me right or looks quite the way it’s supposed to. Maybe that’s one reason models are so skinny? And why is it so difficult to find a bra bigger than a C or D cup? My goodness I know there are plenty of moms out there that have this problem.
Nevertheless, I do feel sexy when I’m not wearing clothes. When I look in the mirror I don’t see a size 12, or what I always thought an unclothed size 12 would look like.
No matter what, even with all the stretch marks, sagging and fat, I could NEVER regret giving birth to my little angel. He is worth it all.
What’s really wonderful is that he loves and adores me too no matter what I look like. He doesn’t care how fat I am, how messy my hair is, or whether I have any makeup on, he just gazes at me with this adoring look that melts my heart.
To see this beautiful baby and know that he came from me, will always make me feel beautiful.
I’m trying to learn to be happy in the moment.
Before I got pregnant(when I was 17), I let others (a super tan, three time Hooters girl, best friend) make me believe my body wasn’t good enough.
So even though deep down I LOVED my body and was VERY happy with what I had, I was ashamed and hid every part of it because a friend told me I was too WHITE and skinny. My husband of two years has never even seen me naked. The hardest part for me now (20), is knowing that I didn’t celebrate my beautiful body when I still had it.
I would give all my fingers and toes and teeth to get that old body back.
I try to remind myself every day that the way I feel now about my pre baby body, is probably the same way I’ll feel about the body I have now in ten years, and I’ll regret not showing this one off too!
Easier said than done though because this new body sucks. I know I could be a lot less attractive, but I can’t help compare myself to others my age…who actually look their age! With their perky, full boobs and tight toned bellies.
I feel like such a frumpy mom, and it’s so hard
for me to be happy with my body when I keep expecting myself to look like a teenager again.
But I know I’m a mom now, and therefore my body is much more precious and BEAUTIFUL than it ever was and will be!! A Mother’s body is the most amazing thing in the world and I try to remember that every time I see my jiggly, walnut tummy :)
And every time I decide to start
saving up for plastic surgery, I realize I would be so upset if I didn’t have my stretch marks and loose skin to remind me of the days when I carried, and gave birth to my wonderful son.
Feeling ashamed of my stomach means missing out on the permanent reminder of how amazing I am!
My biggest goal for this year, is to let my husband finally see me completely naked, in the light. Or at least a swimsuit come summertime. (Hopefully both!)
I have the most amazing husband anyone could ask for, and I know he’ll think I look AMAZING and be more proud of me than ever!
My son Sebastian was born January 31, 2007. The pictures of me were taken today, nearly 2 years later. The others are my boy and my husband Steve.
PS: YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL AND DON’T YOU FORGET IT!! YOU’VE CREATED A MIRACLE!
Great work on this site! When I was pregnant I started to hate the way my body was developing and I hated myself even more for worrying about something so trivial. After my baby was born (two years ago now) I hated it even more. Pregnancy hadn’t agreed with me and I’d actually lost a lot of weight in the last trimester, though my baby was healthy and it wasn’t through lack of eating! When my baby was born I was thinner than I’d ever been, yet still….the scars, the marks…the fact that despite weighing less I couldn’t fit into my jeans as my hip bones are now much wider. I remarked to my husband several times over that had I sustained these ‘scars’ in any other way, through accident or injury, society would have been sympathetic and support and help given. Yet because they are due to something as normal and female as pregnancy, the emotions these changes can evoke are ignored and marginalised. As this site says, they are a well kept secret. As I grew into motherhood and my daughter thrived, not only the physical but the emotional scars began to fade. I came to terms with my new body day by day. Bit by bit I began to take pride in myself once more. My ultimate healing experience was being asked to model underwear in a local show. I agreed and appeared half naked on a stage in a room full of people. They were appreciative, and I felt fully healed, at last. I hope other mothers can get the same validation though sharing here, so here I am. Get the cameras out ladies, and show the world what a real woman is!
