Postpartum

Starving to Blooming (Eve)

Bonnie (SOAM) Before Pregnancy, Belly, Breasts, Eating Disorder, First Pregnancy, Positive Body Image/Words of Enouragement, Postpartum, Submissions 20 Comments

Having spent the last 14 years suffering from Anorexia Nervosa before becoming pregnant I worried about how my changing body may bring back the thoughts, feelings and negativity I had experienced for so long. I had only been in recovery for a number of months before getting pregnant I didn’t feel I was prepared for either getting “bigger” and especially for how my body would look post-pregnancy. I have to say I have been happily surprised by my own reaction. I loved being pregnant, took to it like a duck to water. I enjoyed my ever blossoming bump and showed it off to the max. My worries stuck about how I would feel post-pregnancy. Here I am, 3 weeks after giving birth to my beautiful daughter and feeling (and looking!) fabulous! Yes, I have lumps, bumps, wobblies and stretch marks but I look better than I have in years. Going from 105lbs to 150lbs during my pregnancy has done something, has changed me. I can now appreciate my womanly figure, my curves!! My daughter has done more for me than just making me a mother, but also helping me see the beauty in my own skin.

~Age: 27
~Number of pregnancies and births: 1
~The age of your children, or how far postpartum you are: daughter, 3 weeks

Jill from Yoga Baby TV

Bonnie (SOAM) Postpartum, Pregnant, Second Pregnancy, Submissions 1 Comment

Hi! Just wanted to say what a great site and you are welcome to use the below pics if you wish. The first is of me during my first pregnancy in 2005 and the second of me was taken in 2007, just 6 months after the birth of my 2nd child.

My name is Jill Forrest and I host Yoga Baby TV – a webshow for new mothers to learn how to practice yoga safely both for themselves and with their young ones. We make the show for free on no budget just because we love doing it! I used to battle with weight and have always disliked aerobic exercise, it hurt my body and made me feel terrible! I discovered yoga and learnt that I didn’t have to be a spiritual oddball to take it seriously! I am a down to earth normal person and would like to share my story of how I got my body the way I like it – which doesn’t mean skinny by the way!

When I was 25 I turned vegetarian for ethical reasons. This did not help my weight as I lived on cheese! Yoga has always kept me flexible as I have been doing it on and off since age 15 but I always had a tummy and love handles! My usual weight was around 11-12 stone. When I was pregnant with my son in 2006-2007 I heard a podcast about the dairy industry and began to understand what cows go through eg regularly made pregnant, their calves taken away after 24 hours of nursing to get rid of the premilk the industry don’t want, how they bond and are distressed at having their babies taken away, how may get mastitis and don’t get treatment for it etc and it was too close to home as I was due to start nursing a new baby! So I turned vegan. Not only did I feel better in my mind for doing so, within weeks I noticed my cellulite disappearing, I had excema for years and that went too. After I had Miller in March 2007 I couldn’t eat enough and yes vegans do eat things that are fattening too! I lost the pregnancy weight in around 6 weeks and after another 3 months had come down another 2 dress sizes. I eat well, I feel great and I kept up the yoga all the way, even though I was on crutches during the last 6 weeks of the last pregnancy due to pelvic and hip trouble, which sorted itself out with some gentle yoga practice soon after the birth.

I have a few stretch marks and my tummy will never be flat but it is toned again. I worked on a new style of yoga called figure yoga, designed to get your body the way you like it, without beig over the top into exercise and diet and I now run a programme at www.figureyoga.com. I think the important thing is acceptance of your body in its natural state. You do not need to be thin but being flexible and healthy is so important to how you feel about life.

I hope this inspires some people to try yoga, or veganism, or both! You can get the yoga baby web tv show free through itunes and I am always happy to talk! jill@yogababy.tv.

He is Here! (Mary)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Postpartum, Second Pregnancy, Submissions, Update 19 Comments

Previous entries here and here.

Age: 22
Births: 2, vaginal deliveries
Kids: 2 year old girl, 2 week old boy

Hi, this is my third posting and I love this website! Since my last posting my son arrived. The birth was amazing, 10 hours, with my husband, mom, and sister present. He was 7lbs 3oz and 19.75in. I went into labor on my due date, and he arrived the next morning.

My body had changed so much when I had my daughter that I didnt really care what it would look like after I had my son, I gained about 30lbs from the day we found out I was pregnant (most in the second trimester) (which put me 40lbs away from my goal weight), and still got some new stretchmarks on my belly, I was just meant to have them I guess! I exersized and ate right through most of my pregnancy, even loosing a few pounds in my last week due to lots of walking to try to go into labor! I started working out 1 week pp, and plan to keep pushing as long as my body will hold up!

I am going to start saving for a tummy tuck because we are done having kids and I really want to regain my old body, its not that I want to look like someone else, or that I have unrealistic views of how I should look, but I really try to take care of myself and there is nothing I can do to loose the extra skin and stretch marks. I know this web site is about support and acceptance of how having children may change you but this is something I need to do for me, and I feel like it is more than just physical acceptance. I really appreciate all the support I have gotten from the amazing women that post here, and I will continue to update my changes and give my support to others.

Attached are some photos, the first is me hours before going into labor, then my little man, and then me 2 weeks pp.

Need Support (MotherofanAngel)

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

Hello! I am a first time mom in need of some support while I am on my journey back to feeling good about my body again. My pre-pregnancy weight was between 130-135 (I’m 5’5). I got up to about 205lbs, gaining 70-75lbs at the end of the pregnancy. I am now 5 months PP and weigh about 160lb. Listening to other mothers has been helping me stay positive about my body. I am so grateful to have my beautiful, healthy little girl and cannot complain about my blessed life. I just want to be a healthy active mom and thought this would be a great place to keep me motivated and track my progress!!! Isn’t motherhood the best? Thanks!!!!

~Your Age: 33
~Number of pregnancies and births:First pregnancy
~The age of your children, or how far postpartum you are: 5months PP

I Want to See it as Beautiful (Anonymous)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Breasts, Butt, Eating Disorder, First Pregnancy, Postpartum, Submissions, Tattoo, Update 23 Comments

Prior to pregnancy I suffered an eating disorder that led me to live with an unhealthy weight of around 105 and lower. I am 5’5. Just prior to pregnancy I had gained enough to get my period back and sure enough, here I am today. I knew that I had to gain a “normal persons weight” as well as pregnancy weight in order to be healthy and…so I did. Obvsiously this took a drastic tole on my body and shape during the process. I went from about 105 to 208 on the day of my sons birth. My tiny perky boobs turned into tiny sagging breasts which was devastating for me and my body concious self. My flat stomach turned into dough and no matter how often during these past three years I have worked out , it just wont changed and for me, it has been three years not months. I have tried everything. Because I am open to plastic surgery I will be having a tummy tuck in the future after another child. Thankfully, I am with someone that I truly love who loves my body that I have not fully shown him. I understand where all of you are coming from and it is so sad. I am actually even more sad to see there are so many of us feeling this way although it is inspiration at the same time. I feel horribly about my body but it is odd that when I look at all of you I see so much beauty in what all of you find ugly. I see your bodies as a story, well travelled, beautiful process. I just do not see myself in that light. It feels devastating.

I am trying to work on embracing my body but I know that it will take time.
I hope that we can all learn to appreciate the beauty that we have in ourselves and stop looking at the outside.

My partner says that he does not mind the marks and extra skin that I worry about and I try to believe him. He is so genuine when he says it though. I am working on trusting that. He says that he fell in love with me after I had my child and this body so why would be ever judge it now. Most importantly what I think we all need to know is. When a man who loves you looks at you, he DOES feel the same way we feel when we look at them without judgement. He said, “When I look at you I see you as a whole, one person, the person that I love. I dont look at you in portins and pieces that are separate. You are just you, as a whole and I love that”

Hopefully this helps :) I am trying myself….Good luck to all of you beautiful women.

~22 Year old Mom of a 3 year old

Updated here.

10 Months PP with #1 (Lindsay)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Child Loss, Postpartum, Second Pregnancy, Submissions 4 Comments

My Age: 22
# of Pregnancies- 2
# of Birth- 1
10 Months PP

When I was 16 I went onto birth control pills. By the time I was 19 I decided to get off them. After this, my period was never the same. It was so sporadic that my Doctor told me it would be hard for me to conceive. My fiance and I decided to stop using protection and went with “if it happens it happens”. Fast forward 13 months, I became pregnant. Unfortunately, I lost the pregnancy very early on. The Doctors called it a chemical pregnancy. Basically, if I didn’t take the test so early, I would have never known I was pregnant I would have just thought it was a period. I was pretty depressed about it and my fiance knew it. Right after that I decided I would take care of my body a little better and I started working out and eating healthy. I went from 150lbs to 130 lbs in just 2 months (I am only 5’4″ so 150 was a lot for me). I stopped loosing weight because I missed my period that month and I became pregnant! I started at 130lbs and ended up at 160lbs when I delivered. My son decided to come early at 34 weeks. I just randomly started having contractions. I had an all natural med free birth and it was amazing! I never really understood my body until that day. My son was born at 4lbs 4.5oz and 17″ long. He was fully mature and did not even go to the NICU. I am now at 142lbs and 10 months PP. My belly is very much looser but I am hoping it will go away once I start working out again. I am just lucky that I did not get one stretch mark. The pictures where I am wearing the red underwear with hearts is me today at 10 months PP. The one of my pregnant belly is when I was 33 weeks, 1 week before I delivered (everyone says it is a tiny belly but hey I gained 30lbs for that!), and the last picture is of my son Roscoe about 12 hours old.

3 months after delivering a baby boy (Anonymous)

Bonnie (SOAM) Before Pregnancy, Belly, First Pregnancy, Postpartum, Pregnant, Submissions, Update 9 Comments

Hey everyone!

I have been coming to this site for a long time. I started reading all the stories and looking at all the pictures probably a year before I even got pregnant. I am 24 years old and delivered a healthy baby boy on December 20th, 2008. My pregnancy and labour all went so amazing. I had a short 5 hours of labour and out came my boy at 7 lbs 12 oz. I absolutely love being a mom.

I started working out at about 7 weeks postpartum. I don’t own a scale, but I can tell I am getting close to my pre-pregnancy weight. Thanks to all the moms for posting your pictures and stories. As far as I’m concerned we are all super moms! :)

Updated here.

A Dream Come True! (Anonymous)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Cesarean, First Pregnancy, PCOS, Postpartum, Pregnant, Submissions 9 Comments

When I was 21, a senior in a BSN program and 5 months away from marrying my high school sweetheart my doctor told me that I had PCOS and that my chances of having children was slim and unknown. In fact, she said we won’t know if I could have children until I tried, so in April 2008 we decided we were close enough to graduating and the wedding date to start trying. As May rolled around I was so wrapped up in wedding plans and graduation requirements that I didn’t realize that my period was late until I was over two weeks late. I doubted that I could be pregnant, it couldn’t be that easy, but I tested anyway. After three positive pink lines I was still in denial! Two days later I tested again and YUP! still positive and I was overjoyed and terrified all at once. PCOS not only causes infertility issues but also a greater chance of miscarriage so I was afraid to do anything for the first 12 weeks in fear that it would “cause a miscarriage”, which I know isn’t really possible but I was so afraid. Well 12 weeks turned to 30 weeks and then 40 weeks and I had done it! My body had created this amazing baby, nurtured her and kept her safe from harm for 10 months and I cannot be more proud. I was induced two days before my due date but after laboring for over 30 hours the doctor decided it was time for a c-section. Julianna arrived on her due date weighing 7 lbs. 7oz and she was 21 inches long. She is perfect and amazing and everything we could have asked for. My husband is so in love with her and thanks me daily for his special gift. I weighed 143 lbs before becoming pregnant and weighed 163 lbs at 40 weeks. At one week pp I was back to my pre-preg weight and by 9 days pp I weighed less than I did pre-preg. I am EBF and currently weigh 135 lbs. I credit the BF for my weight loss, along with the fact that I was back to my normal exercise routine by two weeks pp. I am thrilled with my pp body, in fact I feel sexier now that I ever did pre-baby. I got a few stretchmarks on my belly during my last week of pregnancy but they are fading fast and I often forget they are there. I am so proud of what my body was able to do, so happy to be a mother and extremely blessed to have such a loving husband and sweet baby girl. My pictures are me at 38 weeks pregnant, 6 weeks pp, two at 10 weeks pp, a close up at my strechmarks and finally me and my princess today.

Pregnant with Number Two! (Anonymous)

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

Your Age: 24
Number of pregnancies and births: Two pregnancies, one birth, one on the way!
The age of your children, or how far postpartum you are: 2years old and 25 weeks pregnant.

I’m a mother of a beautiful 2 year old girl and am pregnant with my 2nd child, a boy! My first pregnancy was a complete surprise; 6 months after I married my high school sweetheart (and right before my 22nd birthday) we found out we were pregnant. I couldn’t have been happier (after I got over the initial shock)! My pregnancy was pretty uneventful… although I did gain 60 pounds. I took the “eating for two” phrase literally. I worked long hours and was constantly hungry, so the pounds packed on! I didn’t get any stretch marks until about 28 weeks, and the majority of them were on my hips. Thick purple ones appeared–about the width and length of my pinky. I knew I would get them, because I got a few on my hips during puberty. However, over the next 12 weeks, I started getting them on my inner thighs and they spread to almost where my knees are. You can’t really tell they are there unless you are down in that area, so now Im not too concerned about them, but when they happen, oh boy I thought my world had ended! :) I didn’t get any stretch marks on my lower belly until after I delivered, and they are small but still noticeable. I did get an amazing stretch mark pattern right above my belly button, it turned out looking like a star. I had my belly button pierced years ago and the scar tissue never healed up, so when my belly started to expand, so did the already tight skin, and so came the stretch marks! After the birth of my daughter, they all faded and I really couldn’t tell they were there. I don’t think I will ever be confident enough to wear a bikini again, but at least I appreciate my body and what it has accomplished. Ive grown used to the stretch marks and am the first to tell ANYONE that is pregnant that I got them and am willing to show them. I had a hard time accepting them at first, but the more I tell people about them, the better I feel about my own body. Now I am pregnant with number tow, and I am 25 weeks along, already up 30 pounds. I don’t eat horribly, I exercise daily, but my body does what it wants and I am ok with that. I haven’t gotten any new stretch marks, but if I do, then that’s alright too.

Anyway, I share this website with anyone I know that is pregnant so I figured I better practice what I preach and send in a few pics of my own.
1st picture: 37 weeks pregnant with my daughter (1st pregnancy)
2nd picture: Postpartum a year and a half
3rd picture: Pregnant with #2 (25 weeks)
4th picture: Pregnant with #2 front view (25 weeks)

6 weeks pp (Anonymous)

Bonnie (SOAM) Before Pregnancy, Belly, First Pregnancy, Postpartum, Pregnant, Submissions 16 Comments

I have been having a hard time dealing with my new mommy body. I am 27 and this is my first child. I am 5’4″ and started at about 140. I have always looked like I weigh much less than I actually do but now I am having a hard time hiding my weight gain. I had the easiest pregnancy (no morning sickness or mood swings or anything) up until 36 weeks. I ended up being induced (what a nightmare!) and giving birth at 38 weeks and 195 pounds. I became really bloated from the magnesium as I was preclamptic and left the hospital at 188 pounds. I lost 20 pounds the first 2 weeks from water weight but now am stalled at 164 and my stomach is so flabby :( I am hoping I can start exercising and lose 20 or 30 pounds before summer. I’m not sure how easy it will be, what are other peoples weight success stories?? I feel I’m lucky that I didn’t get stretch marks and have a beautiful baby boy now, but I just feel like a walking ball of jello and cellulite. Will I ever feel like my old self? Here is a picture of me 6 weeks pregnant, 32 weeks, 6 weeks pp and picture of my son Walden!