First Pregnancy

New Mommy to 10 day old twins!!!! (Katie)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Cesarean, First Pregnancy, NICU, Postpartum, Preemie, Submissions, Twins 16 Comments

I started reading this website when I first started getting stretch marks about 30 weeks into my pregnancy with my boy/girl twin pregnancy. I felt AWFUL about them. It consumed me so much I couldn’t even be excited about the pregnancy because every morning I woke up with more and more lines across my belly. I spent hour researching ways to get rid of them.

The day I gave birth to my babies changed my life forever. The second I saw that first little screaming face being lifted over the c section curtain I forgot about every stress in the world. My two little ones are my life now. My body will be scarred forever because of this pregnancy, but I would take any amount of body scarring to equal them being here and healthy. It’s not about me now, or having a good body. It’s about being healthy so that I can give nutrition to my babies and live a long life to always be there for them.

I attached some pictures of my belly at 10 days postpartum. I am still hoping the stretch marks fade – not gonna lie! But if they don’t it really doesn’t make a difference to me. My body is beautiful for the sole reason that it produced and nurishes the most beautiful and perfect babies in the world.

I hope that if anyone reads this while pregnant and stressed about your body changing to know that it’s all worth it. And you will know that the day your little one(s) come!

Also — I have lost a lot of the weight already due to breastfeeding (I gained 45lbs!! Down 35 so far). I would highly recommend it. Not only does your body go back to normal quicker (it burns cals and shrinks your uterus), but it’s so great nutritionally and for bonding.

There is also a pic of my little baby boy and my little baby girl! They were born at 34 wks 5 dys and he was 5’8lbs and she was 4’8lbs. Probably going to be leaving the NICU and going home with me before Xmas!!!! I love them so much I can’t wait!

~Your Age: 22
~Number of pregnancies and births: 1 pregnancy 2 births
~The age of your children, or how far postpartum you are: 10 days post partum

30 Months Postpartum (Anonymous)

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

Had my first child 30 months ago. My plan was to stay in great shape during my pregnancy and then work out after to get my body back to what it was. Well, single mom and working full time leaves very little extra of anything to accomplish this goal. But now priorities are very different. I am proud of what I can get done each day. I am grateful for my health, to include my saggy boobs that I have EARNED!

011510-anon-1

Long Journey (Sarah)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, First Pregnancy, Postpartum, Pregnant, Submissions 5 Comments

Age: 25
# of pregnancies:1
#of births:1
6 mo. PP.

I had my son 6 months ago after gaining an astonishing 65 lbs while pregnant with him. I’ve struggled all of my life to keep weight off, and stay “attractive” so I was blown away at how hormones and the miracle of pregnancy can really change your view on things! I probably took things a little far, eating cake every night in jubilation at my newfound guilt-free eating…but it’s worked out okay.

I had a 46 hour labor, and finally got an epidural 45 minutes before he was ready to be born…I had an uncomplicated delivery…and was surprised when I came home to find that after giving birth to a 7lb 6oz baby that I only weighed 4 lbs less than I did at check in! (which was 182). I stayed at this weight for a good 2 weeks because I couldn’t lose the water weight from the epidural…I visited the Dr a couple of times to make sure there were no complications…but it was just my body’s way of dealing with the medication…to give me horrible edema that took another 6 weeks at LEAST to completely subside.

Now I’m at a solid 138, 6 months later. I didn’t push myself, I just walk around a lot and avoid cake ;) I’m kind of glad that it’s been a slow weight loss because the only stretch marks I have are right above where I got my bellybutton pierced…not bad at all. I also started doing meditation yoga in the mornings for 20 minutes which will tone those flabby arms RIGHT up! Anyway, the first pic is 19 weeks pregnant (I didn’t show for AWHILE!), the pregnant ones are one week before I gave birth, and the lingerie and bathroom picture are from yesterday. Women’s bodies are AMAZING!!!!!!!!! Go team!!!!!

Ode To My Scar (Colleen)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Cesarean, Cesarean Scar and/or Incision, First Pregnancy, Postpartum, Reader's Favorite, Submissions, Update 29 Comments

I posted when I was 3 weeks postpartum about my feelings following a cesarean, and I wasn’t planning on posting again until I’d made some progress on my body, but I have had some thoughts that I would like to share (especially considering I’ve read several dissatisfied Cesarean mommy posts lately).

As much as I hated the necessity of a cesarean, I am somewhat fond of my scar. It’s very smooth (though still red), and aside from some numbness, doesn’t bother me at all—no stiffness or pulling. Sometimes I like to run my fingers over the smoother skin along the scar and remember the day I got it, the day I got to meet my sweet baby girl.

Anyhow, this is what I thought about: C-section scars are very unique. They are the only type of scar that is instantly recognizable (no other surgery causes an incision in the same place, same size, every person, every time). They are the only scar whose creation saved two lives instead of one. And they are a physical sign of a mother’s willingness to do anything for her children—even go under the knife.

A cesarean scar is a reminder that all of the planning in the world can’t make things go the way you want it to. It is a reminder that children will do what they want, when they want it, and how they want it. For those who avoided stretch marks, it can be a physical reminder of how your body sheltered and grew a baby all those months. And it is a souvenir of one of the happiest days of a mother’s life.

It occurred to me that a cesarean scar is kind of like a badge of membership in an exclusive club. Sure, we might not all have stories about where we felt that first contraction, or how long labor lasted, or how long we pushed (though some do), but we have birth stories of a different type. We did what we had to to make sure our children got here safely, and that’s what really matters. So, yes, I like my scar quite a bit, and I’m glad I’ll always have it to remind me of all of these things.

(As a follow-up to my last post, I’m doing much better with my feelings about the cesarean. I am very positive I can have a VBAC next time—unless #2 is also breech!—and that confidence has helped to dispel any lingering feelings of loss. The only time I’ve felt bad about it in the last month or two was when a friend had a 10 lb. baby vaginally, and I thought “why is that she can do that, and I couldn’t even deliver my 6 ½ pounder?” But I got over it quickly because I know my time will come. Now my only problem is waiting 3 years to find out if I can actually do it!)

My age: 25
One pregnancy, one birth
4 months +1 week postpartum (19 weeks)

Pictures (sorry they’re awkward close-ups, but I figured if I was going to write all about my scar, I needed to include pictures of it!):
My incision 1 day post-partum (for comparison–sorry it’s kind of blurry)
My scar today (19 weeks post-partum)
My little girl, because I love sharing pictures of her!

Updated here and here.

I did it! 9 Months PP Minus 60 Pounds! (Elissa)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Cesarean, Cesarean Scar and/or Incision, First Pregnancy, Postpartum, Pregnant, Submissions, Update 16 Comments

Anonymous
Age of pregnancy: 22
Age now: 24

Previous entry here.

I just posted at 8 Months PP I had 5 pounds to go. Well, I made my goal 9 months pp! For all you ladies with those annoying women in your life that tell you what you need to do to lose your weight and constantly tell you how you should do it…Don’t listen…Do what works for you. I had a friend who gained about 42 pounds and lost it all within 5 months. She was a size 3 when she was 6 months PP and I was watching her try on clothes in a wheelchair at 36 weeks pregnant. LOTS OF FUN FOR ME! At 4 months PP she tried to get me to go on walks and do P90X with her. I had a C-Section and I still didn’t feel like my body was ready. P90X works but it killed my recovering body and after 15 minutes of doing it I wouldn’t do it again. I was so sore! My friend informed me that if I wanted to lose my weight I needed to eat fat burning foods…My friend didn’t breastfeed and I did…I started trying what she told me to do because I was in a rut…Well, I kept getting migraines and was getting really sick. I had to go to the doctor and they told me not to starve myself and eat lots of protien and enough carbs…DON’T LISTEN TO those know it all friends, they don’t help and take you off of what was working for you. Our bodies are all completely different and we will lose weight at the pace our body wants to lose it. My body isn’t what it once was, and my butt doesn’t seem to want to perk up for me…But I love it. I am finding that I grow to love my pooch on my tummy more and more because that’s where my daughter lived for 9 months. If anyone needs any pointers I will be glad to help with advice on what worked for me. I LOVE my food and eating right wasn’t even a challenge for me because I still ate yummy food, just ate the right amounts and watched my calorie intake. I also splurged on strawberry frozen yogurt. Good luck ladies, I know how it feels when you’re first starting out with the new baby and new body. It took me 9 months!

Updated here.

Not What I Expected! (Roo)

Bonnie (SOAM) Before Pregnancy, Belly, First Pregnancy, Postpartum, Pregnant, Submissions 13 Comments

Age: 22
Number of Preg. and Births: 1
4 months postpartum

I’m going to try and make this as short as possible. I became pregnant in November of 08. Whoo was I surprised!!! I was so scared and happy at the same time. I had a very hard pregnancy, not because of health…but because my boyfriend was not happy. It still upsets me that I wasn’t able to share my happiness and excitement with him, talk about our future son, shop for baby things etc. We stayed together…which is still unbelievable to me. I didn’t know until the day I had our son if he was going to be around or not. I’m still not sure what made him decide to stick around, but I’m glad he did. He loves our little boy more than anything : ) Anyway, before I had our little boy I modeled. Most of what I modeled was swimsuits for Tease Um bikini. I thought my pre-pregnancy body would snap right back. Boy was I wrong! I have some stretch marks and loose skin. I feel so gross. I’m not really dealing with this very well. I don’t think my bf finds me very attractive anymore. I don’t know, I guess I’ll get used to it. All I know is that my baby was and is worth every imperfection I have now.

7 Months PP (Anonymous)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, First Pregnancy, Legs, Postpartum, Submissions 12 Comments

20 yrs old
1 pregnancy/birth
7 months post-partum

I started my pregnancy at 160lbs. im 5’8″ so it was an average size, i wore a size 9. i didn’t gain any weight until i was 20 weeks pregnant. then i ballooned up to 215 when i gave birth. i gave birth at 35 weeks because my fluid was low but i ended up having an 8lbs 11oz 20.5 inch baby boy. i got cursed with all these stretchmarks all over my body, my stomach and boobs which are normal spots but i got them behind my knees under my armpits just the most random places. my boobs took a huge hit, i went from a 34B to a 42DD when i was nursing, now they are ok just a lil bit saggy but im at a 38C. my weight still hovers around 190 and i’m a size 12-14 i haven’t exercised at all because i guess i just think whats the use when im not going to be able to show off my body ever again, its really discouraging. my hubs loves my body and tells me i’m beautiful. i’m hoping i get the courage to just accept my body for the way it is and i know i got a huge blessing with my son, hes the light in my life and i love him so much.

My Dream Came True (SCS)

Bonnie (SOAM) Before Pregnancy, Belly, Breasts, Butt, Cesarean, Child Loss, First Pregnancy, Plus-Sized Mom, Postpartum, Pregnant, Second Pregnancy, Submissions, Update 20 Comments

Age: 29
Number of pregnancies: 2
Births: 1
Childs age: 2yrs

First I want to say I love this site. I just wish this site had more true plus size women. So I am posting my pics. I have always wanted children but was told I would probably have trouble getting pregnant due to an upturned cervix. I always told myself that if I never got pregnant before age 27 that I didn’t want any. I felt any after I would be too old. After seeing the movie facing the giants, I finally said, “ok God, if I never have any children I will be fine.” And I gave up on my dream. In March of 2007 I found out I was pregnant. I was thrilled, especially when I turn 27 in July, it was rather funny.

I had a wonderful pregnancy, my feet got swollen but other than that it was perfect. I went to all the classes, read all the books. Of course the 2 things I didn’t read on was cesareans and bottle feeding. I knew I was going to do it natural and breastfeed. At exactly 40 weeks, I went into labor on Monday November 12th 2007. I had been waking up during the night but I wasn’t sure what from. When my boyfriend woke up at 6 to get ready for work, I still didn’t realize what was happening. It wasn’t until he left that I realized what was happening every 30 minutes. At 7:30 I called him telling him to come home I was 10 minutes apart. by the time he got home at 9 I was 7 minutes apart. He laughed at me all the way to the hospital. I remember just trying to breathe. nothing special just breathe. oh it hurt. By the time I got to the hospital I was 5 minutes apart. An hour later they broke my water and I was 2 minutes apart. by 12:30 I couldn’t take anymore I finally got an epidural. at 2 the docs came in and said the baby’s heart rate dropped and they started prepping me for a cesarean. I broke down and cried. At 2:24 my sweet little boy was born. So there was one thing I wasn’t prepared for. Then I tried breast feeding my son, on the day I was suppose to leave the hospital the nurse told me I would have to bottle feed my son. I cried yet again. My milk never came in, even after a week of having my son, nothing. So here I was with watermelon boobs (granted I was always had huge boobs) and they were completely worthless to me. I couldn’t even feed my baby.

Almost 2 years later and I want another child. About a month ago I found out I was pregnant again. I was so happy. On Monday November 2nd I lost my baby. Right now I am numb. I cried a lot that Monday but so far I haven’t been able to mourn like I should.

All in all I’m ok with my body. I am at least 50lbs more than I want to be. My stretch marks don’t bother me because I had them before I got pregnant, so I knew I’d get them. What bothers me most is my double chin and I have no clue how to get rid of that. the pics of me are from 2006 before I got pregnant, my belly pic at 37 weeks, and me at 22months pp right before I found out I was pregnant again.

Updated here.

Fitter than I was pre-pregnancy (Anonymous)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, First Pregnancy, Mom over 30, Postpartum, Submissions 34 Comments

I was very active pre-pregnancy and during pregnancy. I started at 108 lbs. and only gained 28 lbs. I even skied at 37 weeks, in hopes of inducing labor (it didn’t work)! I went back to the gym at 8 days post-partum, more for my sanity than any athletic endeavor, since I had third degree tearing. Having a kid and working full-time made me even more motivated to get fit since time was so limited. Since my daughter’s birth in August 2008, I have raced 30 road bike races, 4 triathlons, and skied 30 days. I also spent an hour-two hours a day during my maternity leave at the gym (they have childcare starting at 6 weeks). I did Pilates for the first time and I feel ten times stronger than I did pre-pregnancy. I am so happy about my body these days. I know that I worked hard for it, I eat right and I have so much energy for my daughter. I want to be a good example for my daughter to be and stay active throughout her whole life.

~Age: 31
~Number of pregnancies and births: one pregnancy and one birth
~The age of your children, or how far postpartum you are:
My daughter is 11 months old in this picture. Currently, she is 15 months old.

122809-anon2-1

The new body that my son gave me (“Anonymous”)

Bonnie (SOAM) Before Pregnancy, Belly, Breasts, First Pregnancy, Postpartum, Pregnant, Submissions, Teen Mom 14 Comments

Age: 18
1 pregnancy, 1 birth
6 weeks postpartum
Teen mom

Me and my sons father were together for 8 months when I knew he was the one I wanted to spend my life with, despite our age difference (I was 16 he was 21) we were madly in love with each other. He never pressured me into doing anything that I wasn’t comfortable with. When I was good and ready, I chose for him to be the one I gave my love to. We used protection maybe 5 times and after that it was just very uncomfortable and painful I never got use to them (condoms). My parents and his parents have a good history together practically best friends but one day when I didn’t come home, I was kicked out of my home, but he was there with open arms as were his parents. Our parents talked and even though it was hard my mother let her last baby leave the nest. Me and my parents are very close and we have unconditional endless love for each other. Ok back to us…we lived with his parents for a short time and then moved into a place of our own. We had unprotected sex for a whole year until we decided to have a baby :) January of 2009 I took 3 pregnancy test and all three were positive, we were both so happy and overwhelmed we didn’t hesitate to spread the news. Both our parents were filled with joy and supported us all the way. I delivered a beautiful baby boy September 2009, I had a great delivery with no complications what so ever. I had no idea what it felt to be a mother until they brought my little man and I held him for the first time, it was love at first site yet again. Before I was pregnant I weighed 150 pounds I’m 5’9 so I didn’t look bad at all but for the whole year that me and my boyfriend lived together I went from 150 to 185 :( sad i know. I still didn’t look so bad and I actually liked the way I looked at 185, for the first time I was actually kinda curvy. The day of delivery I weighed over 250 pounds I wasn’t so surprised since I ate everything in site when I was pregnant. I left the hospital probably about 15 pounds lighter and with a belly full of stretch marks, today I’m 6 weeks postpartum and 200 pounds so I lost a couple pounds yay :) I thank this site for helping me cope with my new body, us women have such a special power, we bring breathing, crying, kicking, screaming life into this world and we should be proud. Here are a few pictures of me before pregnancy during and after. I’ve also included a picture of my uneven boobs that look awful but I would go through this all over again just to see my beautiful son every day. Thank you every one and god bless :)