Breasts

25 After 2 Kids (Anonymous)

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

I love this website. I felt like I was the only person in the world that had stretch marks! Seems like all my friends and family lucked out with pregnancy. I have stretch marks from the tops of my breasts all the way down to the backs of my knees. I’ve never been too self conscious just felt a bit like a freak, now I know I’m not. I love my kids ages 6 years and 10 months they are my world and I’m so happy to be their mother. I do sometimes get a little sad about the way I look after kids and breastfeeding but I just push through it I remember how lucky I am to have a healthy, happy and thriving family.





Irrational Jealousy and Blame (Jessica)

Bonnie (SOAM) Before Pregnancy, Belly, Breasts, Cesarean, Cesarean Scar and/or Incision, First Pregnancy, Piercing, Postpartum, Pregnant, Submissions 28 Comments

I started back at work 5 weeks postpartum and let me tell you…nursing (the profession) and nursing (breastfeeding) don’t go well together! In a 14 hr day I had the chance to pump one (maybe 2) times. It’s not really the “chance” to. I have to make myself stop what I am doing and go. I literally have to choose whether to pump or eat. I do paper work while I pump so I don’t get behind. I told my husband that I hope he likes saggy boobs because what goes up must come down…and being engorged for 5 hrs straight is not helping the matter!

I haven’t really had postpartum depression but I had a good breakdown this week. I will probably sound nuts, but I’m going to share this anyways. Since I’ve had Natalie, 3 of my friends have had babies…2 were born on the same day in fact! All 3 were born vaginally and none of the mommies got stretch marks. Even though I was supposed to be so happy for them, I felt this jealousy deep down inside that I couldn’t control. It then turned into this thought that I wasn’t supposed to be a mother because back in the day (before csections) I would have died in childbirth.

Now, a logical person would be happy for csections because it allowed me and my child to live through a child birth that wouldn’t have taken place. But, no…I continued to feel this negative feeling. Then, I couldn’t help but to think it (the csection) was caused by them inducing me. It was their fault. A logical person would think it’s a good thing that they induced me because my amniotic fluid levels were low. But no…I thought “well, they wouldn’t have even known if they wouldn’t have done that ultrasound at 39 weeks…none of my other friends had one done that late.” I mean, here I am with a perfectly healthy child wishing they wouldn’t have checked my fluid levels! Doesnt that sound pretty much insane?? I mean, I was crying my eyes out.

I can only explain it like this…a man who can’t have children feels like he has no manhood. Part of my womanhood felt like it was taken away when the “took” her out of me. I wanted to push her out and give birth to her. I have yet to say that I gave birth to her. I grew her and nourished her but I wanted to birth her….and my body has the battle scars. It makes me feel like less of a woman, I guess. And yes, maybe next time…but there wouldn’t have been a next time back in the day. (That’s the thinking pattern right now, and I do realize that it’s not optimistic but feelings are feelings).

Here are some photos of me before, during, and after the pregnancy. I’m 7 weeks postpartum.










Updated here and here.

My Body Before and After HBAC (Anonymous)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Breasts, Cesarean, Homebirth, Postpartum, Pregnant, Second Pregnancy, Submissions, Update, VBAC 18 Comments

Previous post here.

I had my first child via C-section after a long traumatic labor when I was 21. I was told that my pelvis was misshapen, very small, and that I wouldn’t be able to birth a baby bigger than 6 lbs. Four years later, I birthed my second child into my own hands in a pool of water at home. (He was 8 lbs. 4 oz., by the way!) Cradling him as he left my body and entered this world was the most amazing experience of my life, and was worth all the stress, stigma, and emotional upheaval of working to achieve a vaginal birth after a C-section. I feel like I can do anything now. I am so proud of what my body did, and how it proved everyone wrong who told me I would never do this. The first picture is me at 39 weeks with my second pregnancy. The next two are me today at 1 month postpartum.





Updated here.

Lillian Grace (Anonymous)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Breasts, Cesarean, Cesarean Scar and/or Incision, First Pregnancy, Piercing, Postpartum, Submissions 9 Comments

i am a 21 year old mother & wife of a United States Marine, who is currently deployed to Iraq. for deployment number two!! Our Little blessing, Lillian Grace, was born three months into our first deployment together, and because i don’t have a constant (or – let’s be serious, ANY.) means of a man reassuring me, of how i look post-partum, i’ve come to find myself struggling recently with insecurity issues, because of how my body has changed so drastically since giving birth. i am slowly learning by excercise, books, and this wonderful website to embrace the new markings i’ve got from growing a tiny little peanut inside of me, but i have found it to be very hard very hard. i was in labor for 21 hours, and even after i had an epidural, i found the pressure of the baby moving down the birth canal, to be just as uncomfortable as the contractions! after 19 hours of labor, and restlessness, i was taken for an emergency C-section (which was the last thing i wanted!! goodbye abs!!) which turned out for the best. i now have a beautiful baby girl (who got to meet her daddy whenever she was a little over 4 months old!) who weighed in at 8 lbs. 3 oz. and i love every minute of being a mother. i am so happy to share my story, and read everyone else’s. thank you so much for helping me love my body again. God Bless America, and all those who serve at home, and abroad.








Ripened by Pregnancy (Anonymous)

Bonnie (SOAM) Before Pregnancy, Belly, Breasts, Child Loss, Ectopic, Pregnant, Submissions, Third Pregnancy 13 Comments

Before I got pregnant I was a very petite person. I used to worry about whether I’d manage to “stay pretty” during pregnancy, keep my weight gain reasonable, avoid stretch marks, etc. But the first time I became pregnant, unfortunately, it was an ectopic and the diagnosis was missed. The pregnancy in my left fallopian tube ruptured, I lost my tube and very nearly my life. After that reality check, I didn’t care so much about having a beautiful pregnancy – I just wanted to have a healthy one, that I could carry to completion without dying. I conceived again only months after the surgery but had an early miscarriage. We started to think it just wasn’t going to happen. I have a vivid memory of lying on a hospital gurney holding my husband’s hand, sobbing, apologizing for my apparent inability to give him the thing I know he has always wanted so very much…a child. The first photo below was taken at 6 weeks pregnant, when it was confirmed that the third time’s a charm…we had an embryo in the uterus where it belonged. It was a miracle! The egg had come from my left ovary, where we could see the corpus luteum on ultrasound, and navigated all the way across and through the remaining right-side fallopian tube into the uterus. I took the picture to document my pre-pregnancy body, hoping that this time instead of suffering a loss I would actually get as big and round as a healthy pregnant woman should. The second photo was at 36.5 weeks, just barely before my boy arrived. I love the round fullness of every curve, even though it’s never going back the way it was before…the new softness of my body is proof that it can do what it’s supposed to. No matter whether it ever becomes firm or lean again, or whether my boobs droop halfway to my knees when we stop breastfeeding, my husband and I are both grateful for the gift of a son. I love what my body has finally achieved, and will wear its new colors and shapes with happiness.





3 Months After 10lb 10oz Baby (Berni)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Breasts, Cesarean, First Pregnancy, NICU, Postpartum, Submissions, Update 17 Comments

I’m 18,I live in London England with boyfriend of 2.5 years. I recently had my first baby, a boy I named Caden. I had a traumatic labour, I had an emergeny c section, after my baby became distressed. He had opened his bowels whilst still in the womb and swallowed the poo. He didn’t breath for 4 min after he was born and he was whisked off to intensive care. Caden spent a week in SCBU. If this wasn’t bad enough the staff would rude and not vert helpful. I was never told if he was going to be OK, when we were likely go home, if he proggressed. On day two I was offered the chance to hold him and I hesitated (I was scared because all the tubes wires etc) the nurse made it very clear she thought I was an awful mother. Caden made a rapid recovery pulling out his breathing tubes and refusing to have them put back in the nurses relised he was breathing by himself.After that he never looked back and everyday got better until day 8 we were allowed home. I’m 5’8 and put on about 50 lbs during my pregnancy ( 10lb 10 oz was Caden lol) I lost about 43 pounds by the tim e he was 3 weeks old. However I’ve been left with a saggy tummy and stretchmarks.I also breastfed for the first 3 weeks and now my boobs are saggy and empty. Sometimes I’m ok with this but other days it upsets me. I completed my A levels when my son was 2 weeks old and plan to go to uni to study Fashion journalism next year but don’t know if I’ll feel comfortable around loads of fashionistas with my new mummy body. I also dabbled in modelling before I had my son and think thats another reason I find it hard to accept my new body. But I know my body did a great thing by carying my 10lb 10 oz beautiful boy.But I won’t be wearing a bikini anytime soon!! ( I think the pics don’t show the true extent of the damage – it looks better in pic(not sure why) )






Updated here, here, and here.

22 year old mother of triplets (Kelley)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Breasts, Cesarean, First Pregnancy, Postpartum, Submissions, Triplets 25 Comments

Hi, my name is Kelley and I had triplets at age 20. Yes, they were natural, and No, they do not run in my family. Anyway, that was a year and a half ago, I am now 22, and I struggle everyday to accept my body the way it is. I love my sons, but I’m not going to lie, I feel so unattractive sometimes…

Triplets and a C-Section…


Carrying a Piece of Art (Anonymous)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Breasts, Butt, First Pregnancy, Pregnant, Submissions 11 Comments

I’m 20 years old, 36 weeks pregnant, and pretty content with most parts of my body. I’ve sported stretch marks on my stomach since about 13. I wasn’t “fat” by any means, but nature decided I’d be growing a little early. I was of course mortified by them for a long time, until I became pregnant. Along with that I had small, uneven, and “saggy” breasts. I read a lot of stories on here about those who are and are not okay with their bodies, some sporting stretch marks and other pregnancy battle scars, some were a clean canvas, no show of pregnancy whatsoever. I was skeptical about posting my story and my pictures in fear of someone I know seeing them, and then I remembered that this is me, nothing will change that. Brad was in love with my body and the miracle of life it was holding and t wasn’t until I read a few stories, on this site and others as well, of people who have lost children, cannot carry children themselves, etc. that i realized these marks i bear are a blessing. I have come to love my mama stripes and the breasts that will soon nourish my child. I love running my fingers down my belly and look for the constantly changing patterns of faded to the growing and glowing pink. I try and remember which ones I had pre-pregnancy and look for the most recent addition on my sides. I recently noticed I also have vertical ones as well, small, but casually marching themselves over the other ones. When sporting the bare belly to family members they are mortified…I think I am more annoyed with them than my stretch marks. I must say pregnancy itself is very uncomfortable, and I have yet to endure childbirth, but I know it’s all going to be worth it in the end. And I’m glad I’ll be able to walk away saying that I’m proud of the body pregnancy gave me, no matter how unattractive it may seem.