Breasts

Anonymous

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Breasts, Four or More Pregnancies, Piercing, Postpartum, Pregnant, Submissions 11 Comments

I am a 29 year old mother of 4 beautiful girls (14 months, 3, 8 and 9). I want to teach my girls when they are older that real women don’t look like the ads in magazines, and that they should be proud of the body Nature gave them and be proud that they are able to give life. I never had big breasts but I was a decent perky B cup before I had my first baby. I had what I considered nice breasts. I have nursed 3 out of 4 of my babies, one for almost 19 months so my breasts have taken quite the beating. I am now a 34 A with big dark nipples (my nipples used to be pink and small but after I had my second baby they never went back to their old appearance). This was/is very depressing to me. I feel less “womanly” because of my flat old looking chest. I tend to cover up even with my husband. But your site has helped me so much that I have decided to share my pictures and story in hopes that it will help someone else as well just as the other stories did for me.

I had a hard time accepting my body after I had my last baby even though my husband would tell me often how great I looked and that my breasts were perfect the way they were. I became very depressed. I know I am lucky because I do not have any stretchmarks on my stomach…only on my upper thighs and my breasts (went up to a C cup while nursing resulting in stretchmarks around my nipples). But my once perky and round breasts are now just a distant memory.

Recently, I had my nipples pierced to celebrate the new chapter in my life since we are now done with babies and breastfeeding. I wanted to do something for ME only to make ME feel better about MY body. This certainly did…I am a little more confident when I am topless now. I think “the girls” are a lot prettier now and it makes me feel better about what I have.

I have never gained a lot of weight while pregnant and was lucky to lose my baby weight quickly although I am still about 8 pounds heavier than I was pre-babies, I now have cellulite on my thighs and my navel got all stretched out so it’s a little crooked now. But that’s ok. Your site has shown me that mothers are beautiful and “normal” even though I don’t like to use that word. What we see in Hollywood and in the magazines is not reality…we are real and we should be proud of that! I gave life to 4 bright and beautiful little girls who will someday go through motherhood as well (hopefully!) and I hope that they will be as empowered about it as I am now thanks to your site.

Anonymous

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Breasts, First Pregnancy, Postpartum, Pregnant, Submissions 6 Comments

It was really nice to see that my body is not alone feeling the way it does. And that I am not alone feeling the way I do about myself. So it made me want to share…a picture of me at 37 weeks, two pics, 20 months(to the day) after the birth of my, thank god, healthy and beautiful son. And one of my son.. all the hard work was not for nothin’ :)

Anonymous

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Breasts, Butt, First Pregnancy, Postpartum, Submissions, Tattoo 13 Comments

I have posted a pic on here before, but it was only of my stomach, no boobs and no bum…that is the last picture incase nobody can figure out what the hell it is!! I put on 30kg while pregnant and have worked my butt off loosing 20kg of it to help prepare for the next time (we are trying to concieve number two now)

I am proud of my weightloss but unfortunatley, like pregnancy, it has done nothing to help my body, the more weight i loose, the more skin that sags and this is what has happened to my bum, the skin from my back overhangs..

I am still comming to terms with my new body, but i dont have any regrets and sites like this make that journey so much better.

My son is now 11months and as i said we are trying to concieve, im wonder alot what the next pregnancy will do to my body, will i stretch again and so have more skin or will i just fill in all the skin here now so stay the same?! time will tell and i cant wait :)

Anonymous

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Breasts, Postpartum, Submissions 2 Comments

When I first found Shape of a mother, I was moved to tears. I was inspired. I was proud. I wanted to be a part. Finally, many months later, I was able to find the time to shoot these pictures of my marks. Marks of Motherhood. Marks of Fertility. Marks of Nurturing. Marks of Pride. Marks. My Marks. They will be with me even after my children have left. Reminders that once, I supported not one, or two, but three lives inside my womb. Marks of Labor. Marks of Love. Marks of the Knife. Marks of Experience. I will never look at them the same again…

Keleigh

Bonnie (SOAM) Before Pregnancy, Belly, Belly, Breast or Body Art, Breastfeeding, Breasts, Postpartum, Second Pregnancy, Submissions, Twins 18 Comments

I’ve been meaning to submit to Shape of A Mother – what a fantastic project! I’ve done some writing about body image for mothers through my work as a henna artist and several people have recommended this project to me. I would be honored to participate.

Three children – pregnant from April 2003 to June 2005 (with a couple months between each) – two full-term births – tandem nursing still 2.5 years later. My body has been through SO much, nearly as much as my heart and mind. I like to think of my stretch marks as “natural tattoos”, and to try to celebrate them as intentional marks that represent my inner strength and journey. This has helped a little, but even more powerful for me has been body art. I did my first henna design on my own stretch marks (henna is a temporary plant stain that has been used for at least 4,000 years as body art). I wanted to celebrate them overtly, to really SEE them and trace their lines. It helped so much to transform my self-hatred and non-acceptance into admiration. I still struggle, and will continue to perform this body art every year around the time I gave birth. Someday I’ll put on a crop top or a bikini and show the world!

I didn’t take a photo of that first design, but it inspired me to begin a henna body art service just for mothers (www.BellyBeautifulHenna.com). I wanted to be able to share the power I discovered with women during their own transformations. I wanted them to feel beautiful, special, pampered, and honored. I will not post my clients bellies here without their consent, but they have given their permission to have their images on my site.

Since beginning my henna body art I’ve done henna on my own breastfeeding breasts and found just as much power in that experience (perhaps even a bit more). Not only that but my little nurslings appreciated it as well (“Look, momma’s nummies have ff-owers!”).

Henna is a critical tool in my journey to accepting my changed body. Not only is it an opportunity to do something specifically for me and relax and lay back for a while, it’s an ancient tradition that connects me with thousands of years of women who have passed through this same transformation. Henna is a little sloppy, imperfect, organic, and beautifully unique. It is not crisp and tight the way ink tattoos are, and it doesn’t have the associations with young, toned bodies. It gradually fades over several days, leaving a lasting reminder that my body IS beautiful in its own way.

May each of you find your path to acceptance.

Anonymous

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Breasts, Cesarean, Cesarean Scar and/or Incision, First Pregnancy, Postpartum, Submissions, Update 18 Comments

This is my body 2.5 years after I gave birth to my first (and so far only) child. Although pregnancy was kind to me and I lost all my “baby weight” shortly after giving birth, nevertheless, my body is not the same. Breasts that were once perky and full are now limp and floppy from vigorous nursing that lasted 13 wonderful months. A belly that was once firm and flat now sticks out exactly as it did in pictures of myself at five months pregnant. It took a concentrated effort not to suck it in for these pictures: it’s become a totally subconscious habit for me. I was lucky not to get any stretch marks, but I do bear the scar from where they took my son out of me after 46 hours of labor. Oddly enough, it is darker on one half than the other.

Thank you for this site. I hope it has helped many women realize that the changes to their fertile bodies should be embraced, not scorned. We are all mothers and we wear it proudly.


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Updated here and here.

Small scars for a triplemom

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Breasts, Postpartum, Pregnant, Second Pregnancy, Submissions, Twins 9 Comments

What a wonderful site (or sight) to see all real mothers and their tummies.

These are the small scars I got from two pregnancies resulting in three kids. First we had a girl which actually didn´t scar the tummy at all.

The second pregnancy was a twin pregnancy adn the stripes didn´t show until the very last week. I carried the twins until the end of week 39.

The scars are still there (but faint) and the boobs are getting soggier, but all in all I think my body has coped well.

Edited to add the rest of the pictures… I missed them the other night!