Breasts

Update (Adria)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Breasts, First Pregnancy, Postpartum, Submissions, Update 4 Comments

Number of pregnancies:1
Number of births:1
21 years old

Previous post here.

I’ve posted here before. I was disgusted with my breasts and body. I did not think I could be fixed. My family and friends I told me to wait at least one year post partum before I started to judge myself too harshly. I never understood why. But now I do. I am one year post part um now and for the most part my body is back to normal. I gave my body time to heal and it did. I may not be perfect but I feel pretty dang good. One of the biggest things that helped me was cutting down on fast food to once every week or two. And fitnessblender, look them up on face book. They offer free minimal to maximum workouts. Its so simple and easy too. I hope I can help someone today to change how they see themselves, as amazing beautiful mommies you all are. You don’t have to workout to be beautiful, but I know from experience that it makes your mind healthier you feel amazing and energized. I’m a much happier person now. Thank you for reading my update. I also attached a picture of my inspiration my son.

Getting Happier With Time (Apryl)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Breasts, Four or More Pregnancies, Postpartum, Submissions, Update 1 Comment

Age : 33
5 pregnancies, 3 births, children’s ages : 14, 10, 3

This is my 3rd submission to SOAM. First post here. Second here.

I’ve been working more on not only improving my body and physical health, but trying to improve my mental well being as well. For the most part, it has gone well. My ex-husband and I finally had our divorce finalized last December, which helped immensely. I have been dating a great guy for over a year. I’m not sure he’s “the one” yet, but I do think he’s a wonderful man.

I lost quite a bit more weight, getting down to a size 12 (versus the size 30 I was when I got pregnant with my youngest). Unfortunately, I hit a bit of depression again and gained some of the weight back. I had lost a total of 120 pounds. I’ve gained back about 15. But I am working on that again also.

The weirdest thing about a lot of weight loss is the incredible amount of excess skin you have after. Yes, it tightens up in time, but that takes a while. I am wearing about a size 16 jeans right now, but would probably be in no bigger than a 12 if the skin was gone. But it seems like my breasts have actually firmed up a bit.

This first picture is the best side view I could get with my phone, the second is my breasts, 3rd is me holding up some of the excess skin on my stomach, and the 4th is a side view of my abdomen. I wish the light and quality of the picture was better, but my camera on my phone is not the greatest quality.

Fair to Middling (Shanelle)

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

Age:31
Pregnancies:3
Children: 3 (8 y.o,5 y.o & 6 m.o)

Almost 7 months Post-Partum.

Hi all,

I am a Single Mum of 3 from Australia.
I’ve been raising my children on and off (mostly on) by myself as the father of my children suffers from mental illness.
We seperated for good while I was 4 months pregnant with my third and he now lives hours away in another state.
He hasn’t ever seen his daughter and hasn’t seen his older two in almost 8 months.

I am still brestfeeding and brestfed my older two.My eldest boy was brestfed til he was almost 4 and my middle boy til he was almost 2.
I plan to breastfeed at least two years with my youngest.

I had an eating disorder from 11yo pretty much up until I fell pregnant with my first (at 22) and didn’t change weight (50 kgs at 5″8) up until I was pregnant with my first.
I only put 8 kilos on while pregnant with him and was vigilant with getting the weight off as soon as I had him.
I don’t know if it was age,having something else that genuinely mattered (my son),my abusive relationship with his Dad or a combination of both but by the time my boy was two,I no longer cared so much bout being able to feel my bones.

Now,almost 9 years and a hell of life experience later,I do wish I fit better into clothes (I hate how waistbands give me the spare-look) and I’m not dancing in giddy circles of glee at the cellulite and double chin that are creeping on me,But all in all-I am pretty ok with how I look.
Considering all my babies were big -8.3p,9.1p & 9.2p,- and I have breastfed for quite awhile,I think i’m holding up alright ;)

For me personally,my kids have shown me what is really important in life and that is good health and happiness.I’m lucky to have both.

From Loving My Body to Loathing It (Anonymous)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Breasts, Eating Disorder, First Pregnancy, Postpartum, Submissions 24 Comments

I got pregnant at 17. It was unplanned and unexpected. I was scared, but a little excited too. My boyfriend was supportive and so were his family. I loved being pregnant.. I so enjoyed watching my belly grow each month. For the first time in my life, I felt womanly and sexy. Pre-pregnancy I was a mere 89 lbs. Keep in mind I am very petite- only 4″11. Well, by the time I delivered my son I was 115 lbs. I was happy though, because I really felt like I was all belly. I never got a single stretch mark. My beautiful baby boy entered this world weighing 6 lbs 3 oz.. a decent size for me I think. By the time I got home, I realized what pregnancy had really done to my body. My stomach was loose and flabby. My boobs were so saggy I hardly recognized them. Not to mention my nipples went from being small and pink to being giant and brown. My ass is too big to get into any of my jeans, which I wore my ENTIRE pregnancy, I might add. Every time I look in the mirror I want to scream. My vagina looks like complete roadkill.. I won’t include a pic because I’m honestly too embarrassed but my urethra is much lower than it used to be, and my labia is very stretched out. I also have a new ‘lip’ from getting snipped down there. I feel like no one will ever want me ever again. My boyfriend assures me my boobs aren’t ‘that’ saggy and I’m not ‘that’ fat, but then he tells me to curl ups and go running. If we ever break up, I know that no man would want me. I have battled anorexia, bulimia, depression, and bipolar disorder since I was 13. I have been self harming for many years as well. My body is already covered in scars. I no longer feel beautiful and womanly like I did when I was pregnant.. I feel empty, deflated, and disgusting. My son is so much more important than my body, but I am so depressed about the changes that came after him that I’m finding it really hard to enjoy being a mom. I cry during late night feedings, I hardly leave my house, when my dad offers to watch him I decline because I don’t have anyone to hangout with anyway. No one wants to hear me cry about how awful I feel.. and I really don’t blame them. I currently weigh 97 lbs, I’m hoping to get down to 90 by the time my son is 12 weeks old. I only hope that I can overcome this loathing of my body so that I can fully enjoy him while he’s this small. I feel like I’m missing out on being a mom because this is eating away at my self esteem. I don’t want to fall back into the cycle of cutting myself, starving myself, and purging because I want so badly to be happy for him. I hope god hears my prayers, because right now, I am lost.

Your Age: 18
Number of pregnancies and births: 1
The age of your children, or how far postpartum you are: 4 weeks postpartum

Inverted Nipples (Anonymous)

Bonnie (SOAM) Breasts, First Pregnancy, Inverted Nipples, Pregnant, Submissions 10 Comments

Age: 26 ys
pregnancy 31 week

Hi, this e’my first pregnancy and my breast nipples hey were always Inverted.
We know that many women leave to breastfeed their babies by reason of not having breast nipples!
I was always ashamed by tua inverted nipples I hate them I feel ashamed and so ugly.
There is little time they went out to outside. I’m afraid of not breastfeed my baby. Some mummy has or has had the same problem???

(Anonymous)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Breasts, Postpartum, Submissions, Third Pregnancy 10 Comments

3 pregnancies. 2 Children. A 7 year old girl and a 5 years old boy. I am 33 years old.

I’m not sure where to start. I love this web site and it has helped me a little to know there are other women who feel the same way I do. I am completely ashamed and hate How my body looks since having children and losing 70lbs. It’s so frustrating to look totally normal with clothes on but underneath I feel I look anything but normal. I have a wonderful boyfriend who loves me and says I look perfect but I still cringe when he touches me or looks at me, not because I don’t love his touch, but because I’m so disgusted with my body. I feel gulity that don’t look better for him and I can’t even do things like wear a bathing suit. I thought with time my feelings would change and I would behind to feel better about it but I only feel much worse. And then I feel guilty because it seems so vain of me to be so worried about How I look when I have my beautiful children, boyfriend, family and health. It’s a never ending cycle. anyway, that’s my story. Thank you for reading and I think you are all so beautiful!

Gaining Confidence (Anonymous)

Bonnie (SOAM) Before Pregnancy, Belly, Breasts, Mom over 30, Postpartum, Pregnant, Submissions, Third Pregnancy, Vulva 11 Comments

I recently discovered SOAM and was happy to see a forum for discussing the changes women go through after childbirth. There seem to be a lot of younger women (20s) with beautiful bodies who post on this site, I wanted to share my story and pictures too. I’m 35 and have given birth to three children, with my recent child being born less than 6-months ago. I actually cried when we found it we were having our 3rd because I was finally happy with my body after our 2nd and the 3rd caught us by surprise. Now that we know we’re done having kids, I want to look the best that I can. I was worried about all aspects of my body: stomach, butt, boobs, and the taboo topic area (vagina/labia). I’ve been very self-conscious about my body, even though I’m back to my pre-baby weight of 125lbs. I just wish things were tighter than they are. My husband is very supportive and tells me frequently how good I look and how I turn him on. It’s nice to hear but I still miss my pre-baby body. Our sex life is still good too. I was worried what a 3rd vaginal delivery would do to me, but things still look the same down there and I can still orgasm like before. I’m posting these pictures, in part, to show other women what a women can look like after three pregnancies. My husband also encouraged me to post, telling me that I should be proud of how I look so soon after giving birth to our 3rd. Still nervous to submit but if you’re reading this…..I mustered up enough courage to hit the send button. Thanks.

Age: 35
Pregnancies/births: 3

080613-anon-1

More intimate photos here.

Wrecked (Anonymous)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Breasts, Children with Health Complications, Mom over 30, Postpartum, Second Pregnancy, Submissions 19 Comments

Hello

I have enjoyed and found support in reading many of these entries for quite some time and finally felt like I should share my story.

I have two beautiful children, a son who is now 5 and a 17 month old baby girl.
With my first pregnancy it was quite a shock. I was 24 and had only been married 4 months. I was on the pill when I got pregnant and was shocked and upset when I found out. I did not feel ready in any way. We were newly married, I was finishing school, we hasn’t even gone on a honeymoon yet! I cried for weeks. Finally I was beginning to accept it when we found out something was wrong-he had a condition called gastrochesis, a rare condition where the abdomen doesn’t close so all his intestines, stomach etc were outside his body. Anyways to make a long story short it was a rough pregnancy and a very rough beginning to life and parenthood. He was in the hospital for months, surgeries etc.

Body wise though, I didn’t gain much weight, did not get stretch marks and bounced back immediately. Due to stress I lost additional weigh and was skinnier then ever.

When I got pregnant with my daughter it was a different experience. We were trying to conceive this time and the pregnancy went smoothly. I gained a ton of weight-got close to 200 pounds at delivery and she was 8.14, a big healthy baby! I got stretch marks on my breasts and a few on my hips. I still have at least 10-15 pounds that won’t come off. I hate my love handles. I love my kids more then anything but it depresses me to look in the mirror and I don’t see my flat toned stomach or perky boobs anymore. Then the other day at work I ran into the seamstress who did alterations on my wedding dress. She said ” wow kids sure wrecked your body. You used to be so skinny!” I cried all night over that comment, I’ve never felt so hurt.

I want to feel sexy and beautiful again, sometimes I still do, but I guess it’s going to take time to accept myself.

-anonymous, aged 31

080513-anon-1

My Story (Marie)

Bonnie (SOAM) 5+ Years Postpartum, Belly, Breasts, First Pregnancy, Postpartum, Submissions 36 Comments

Hi, I’m Marie. I have a 5 year old daughter. I’m a single mom since my husband left me, and I’ve been single and celibate for 5 years now. I would love to remarry and have a companion, a lover, and a father-figure for my daughter. But I am so insecure and ashamed of my post-pregnancy body that I refuse to get close to any guy, refuse to be seen naked, heaven forbid try to have sex. I know I should be more mature than this, and less shallow when it comes to physical beauty, but for 5 years I’ve been ashamed of my body and I don’t think I’ll ever stop feeling ugly and unworthy because of it.

I got countless stretch marks during pregnancy. My belly is covered from belly button all the way down to where pubic hair starts. My hips and thighs and upper buttocks are covered in stretch marks, too. My breasts as well, covered, and even the backs of my calves. The deepest ones are on my belly and breasts. If I stand far away in good lighting you can’t see them, because they’ve faded mostly white, and my skin is fair. But They are still deep, and countless. I also have some looseness of skin on my belly and my breast’s skin is not as taut as it was before pregnancy. My breasts themselves also became lower and “empty” feeling immediately following pregnancy/end of breast feeding. So I feel like my breasts are pretty saggy for my age and the fact that I’ve only had one child.
I didn’t know what to expect with pregnancy. Nobody told me about stretch marks or loose skin or abdominal muscles tearing, etc, etc. I didn’t know about vitamin E oil and that it can/might/sometimes helps/prevents/reduces/softens stretch marks and loose skin acquired during pregnancy. I feel horrible that I did not oil myself, as one is supposed to, during pregnancy. I feel like if I had, then maybe I would not have gotten stretch marks and loose skin, maybe my breasts would have stayed more taut, maybe it would have just reduced the number and/or severity of my stretch marks and loose skin..but it’s obviously too late now, and I’ll never know. Now I feel like since 1. my body is ruined and 2. it is my fault that it is ruined that 1. I am ugly and 2. unworthy of a husband/lover/additional pregnancies.

I’ve included some photos of myself, but remember that the resolution is so poor that my deep stretch marks do not really show. I don’t have a good camera, only a webcam with fuzzy resolution. But hopefully some of the loose skin and breast sagginess is visible enough to prove the legitimacy of my concerns. Trust me, you can’t see my stretchmarks in the pics, but they are deep and countless and all over my body.

My Body After Two Kids (Anonymous)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Breasts, Cesarean, Mom over 30, Postpartum, Second Pregnancy, Submissions 6 Comments

I’m 37, and my girls are aged 5 and 2.

I was worried with each of my pregnancies that I would find it hard to get back in shape; or that my body would be radically changed. You go through so many changes when you’re pregnant that it’s hard to see how you will ever go back to normal. But, I came out of it ok. I try to exercise whenever I can, even it its just taking the girls for a walk or doing sit ups in front of TV. I used to go to weights class but had such bad pubis symphasis pain that I don’t want to do the heavy squats and lunges anymore; I feel a twinge of the pain in my pelvis whenever I have to out my back into pushing something, like a heavy door or piece of furniture. With my second girl I had a caesarian, I have a small ridge just above my pubic bone but it is nothing too bad. For various medical reasons I will have an elective section if we have a third child, and I wonder what the effect of a second section will do to my tummy.

I used this site when I was pregnant to seek reassurance, and I hope this give some reassurance back to other mums. I’ve included a picture of me the day before I went into labour with my second.

Apart from the pelvic pain, the main change has been to my breasts. They are not as large or full as they were – I feel like the bloom has gone off them! I breastfed noth my girls til they were two though, so some change is to be expected.