Here are pics of my belly and scar 2 wks after…the scar has not gotten any better. I’m due in 3 wks with #2 and my body is destroyed!
2 weeks post-cesarean (Anonymous)
Piercing
Accepting the “mom” figure (Anonymous)
Before my pregnancy I was 115 lbs and stood at 5’8. When I found out I was pregnant I was scared. I was 17 at the time and my boyfriend and I were having problems. When I saw those two pink lines on the pregnancy test I knew my life would never be the same. I broke up with my boyfriend, transfered to a new school and graduated high school on my 18th birthday (5 months ahead of everyone). Having gained 53 lbs and endured 7 hours of labor, on February 20th 2008 at 5:06 I gave birth to my daughter Haylie. 8 lbs 7 0z and 21 1/2 beautiful inches. I credit her with being my saving grace. Since her birth we have moved out of my parents house to a new town where I attend college for Dental Assisting. Haylie is now almost 8 months old and she’s my pride and joy.
I see my stretch marks and while they bother me I’m so thankful my body was able to nourish and carry a beautiful child to full term. I have accepted my “mom” figure, even the good and bad.
I am now 118 lbs and proud of my body.
16 Months Postpartum (Anonymous)
This is my body now…16 months after my beautiful child was born. I weight 211 at the time of her delivery and was 170 by 1 months post partum. At 6 months post partum I was still at 170lbs. At that time I decided enough was enough. It took me several months but now Im at 123lbs, which is almost 40lbs lighter then my pre pregnacy weight. I still struggle now, eventhough I know Im slim. I breastfed my daughter for 13 months and between pregnacy and weightloss I am left with small hanging breast and a loose abdomen. As each month goes by I try to learn to love everything about myself. Its a difficult task but one Im committed 2. I want my daughter to love herself so I think the best way to do that is to teach by example. I hope she never struggles with her body image because she’s the most beautiful thing I have ever seen! My original submission is here.
Irrational Jealousy and Blame (Jessica)
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.
So Brave (Anonymous)
I had my 3rd child 7 months ago..I was so scared to look at my body after giving birth it made me sick..I tried so many things to prevent stretch marks, like bathing in fruits and veggies, I broke tons of vitamin e capsules and put it on..I am so self conscious of my body..I get so jealous of woman that can wear a bathing suit or even shorts, I got tons of stretch mark on my butt and legs. Looking at this site has helped me a lot, at first I was like I would never show my body but after reading almost everyones stories it has made me realize these marks and stretched skin is badge of being a woman and I’m not the only one. I think all the woman on here are so beautiful and brave to go through what they did (making a life)it makes me feel honored to have them.
Two Years After My Son (Anonymous)
Hi, this is me two years after having my wonderful baby boy!! I never thought the stretch marks on my legs and behind would fade but they did and now you cant see them. This site helped me to regain confidence with my looks. Thank you! And for all the new mothers, you are beautiful and don’t let anyone make you feel like you aren’t!!!
Lillian Grace (Anonymous)
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.
3 Weeks Postpartum, First Pregnancy (Anonymous)
Hi i am 16 and my son is 3 week old. When i found out i was pregnant i weighed 118, at the end of my pregnancy i was 170, Now i am back down to 140. I am almost happy with the way my belly looks, it looks a lot better than i thought it was going to. My belly size is almost back to the size it was before. But i still have loose skin when i sit down, and when i wear tight jeans my hips look pretty big. The other thing i am still working on is my stretch marks. I got them very bad. Also even tho my belly is almost back to the size it used to be, i am now in size 9 as i was in size 5 before pregnancy. Even tho i am a teen mom please don’t judge me. I know there are some girls who don’t know who the babys father is, or they don’t support their child at all. Well i am NOT one of those teens at all. I have been with the same guy 3 years. I took very good care of my self during my pregnancy, and now i have a healthy beautiful baby boy. I got lucky and i have a lot of help from my parents and my boyfriends parents. Every one is really supportive of us. I wouldn’t change anything for the world!!
Anonymous
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.
