Comfortable in my skin (Southern Mama)

Im a 29 yr old mother of a 2 yr old and a 10 month old. I gained 50 lbs with my first baby who was 9 lbs. With my second baby I gained 70 lbs, geez, she was 8lbs 4oz. Both c-sections. I ate anything and everything in sight when I was pregnant with my babies. I was big, round, and jolly! Im pretty happy with my body. I did lose all the weight easily, but I still have some stretch marks which bother me alot. Mostly on one hip and some light ones on my stomach. Im still breastfeeding, so the breasts that I do have will be gone once I stop. I will miss having full breasts. Seeing all the beautiful pictures and reading all the courageous stories on this site makes me proud to be a mom!




9 Weeks PP With 2nd Baby (Anonymous)

I’m 24 years old and have given birth to two handsome little boys by C-section. I had my first son in early 2007 and just had my 2nd this past November. My kids are my entire world and I love them them to pieces. The result of my pregnacies and left me stretched, buldged and beauty marked all over. It’s not something I call “beautiful” but I am proud of my Mommy body in all it’s glory. My husband tells me I’m beautiful every day and his desire for me hasn’t changed at all. I do hope some day to be able to have a tummy tuck. I need to lose about 20 lbs. to get back my original weight but I know that will not put me back to where I started before my 1st pregnancy. Maybe someday…. The first picture is of me on my honeymoon, the 2nd is of me pregnant with my 2nd son around 25 weeks, the others are me just over 9 weeks PP.






2nd Time Around (Anonymous)

My story is 2nd c section was a uk size 10 never had to diet or exercise before even after my first son was born. This time coming to terms with my shape is troubling me its not the weight issue its the shape my tummy has become. 15 months i thought my shape would be alot better. Its not although excersise and crunches done on a reg basis still not gettin there. I still look 5 mnths preg. Appreciate some comment here and if i am not the only one out there with such a pushed out abdomen. Thanks





3 Months After My Second Baby (Anonymous)

When I had my son last year I was very self conscious about my new body. I would visit The Shape of a Mother frequently to remind me that I am not alone and that my body is indeed beautiful. 3 months after I had him I became pregnant with my daughter. I had her October 11, 2008. Tonight on January 17, 2009 I decided to take these photos to help others who felt the same way I did when I had my son. I am now very proud of my body and what it is capable of!




The Shape of a Mother 2x – 19 Months PP (Anonymous)

I am a 22 year old mother of two great children. My daughter is 4 years and my son is 19 months. I am slowly trying to reclaim my body. I love to see places like this that show how beautiful we are. In my opinion a womans body is MORE beautiful after childbirth…Mabey not “sexy” but waaay more beautiful!! XXXOOO You ARE all BEAUTIFUL!!!!!





16 Weeks PP, 2nd Baby, 38 Years Old (Anonymous)

This site has made me feel so much better about my post-baby body. I haven’t struggled as much with body issues after baby #2 although I still have 15 pounds to go and haven’t lost any weight since my 1 week checkup despite breastfeeding-baby is now 4 months old. I don’t personally experience much in the way of weight loss with breastfeeding-if anything it seems the opposite. I weighed 148 at my checkup and have been 151 since a month pp-I gained 28 lbs.. I tried working out for a while but I just was absolutely exhausted. I know I’ll get there eventually and I know that the weight will come off eventually-even if it takes longer at 38 than it did at 33. 9 months on, 9 months off has been true for me. The thing I’m having a hard time with is that we’ll be visiting my husband’s family abroad in about 10 weeks, and I know nothing much will change in that time and they’re very critical. I’m trying to just let it go and focus on my joy in my baby because I struggled so much to get her here: 4 miscarriages, a blood disorder I had to take daily injections for, gestational diabetes and a c-section due to concern over irregular (and life-threatening) attachment of the cord to the placenta. We are lucky. She is healthy. I wish I was not so hung up on losing this 15 pounds already. Everytime I eat anything my inlaws will cluck at me, I know it. I want to be a good role model to my daughters and not buy into the body facism we live under. First pic is my belly 2 weeks prior to delivery. the rest of my photos: 1 week pre-delivery 5 months preggo 3.5 months postpartum 4 months postpartum.







Life Changes, Get Used to it! (Mary)

… I tell myself that everyday!
I met my husband while we were overseas in the Army in 2005, we were married in April 2006, and 9 months and 10 days later we had our daughter, she is amazing! We are going to be welcoming our son in March and cant wait! I love being a mom and wife but a part of me died when I realized how much my body had changed, not the weight difference…the stretch marks! I was 135lbs when I got married and 145lbs when I got pregnant(I stopped using birth control and that causes me to gain a few)when I went into labor with my daughter I was over 200lbs… I think 206lbs but Im not sure. I felt so stupid for not taking care of myself when I was pregnant, I ate junk all the time and refused to work out because I thought it would be ok (my mom had 3 girls, no stretch marks and never gaining too much weight with out putting any effort into staying fit). I got back down to 135lbs fast, about 8 weeks, but I will not take the credit, I have thyroid issues and that was before I started taking medication. So for the next year or so I spent thousands of dollars on scar and stretch mark creams, gels, patches, ANYTHING! I also had breast augmentation to help smooth out scars on my chest. I am being alot more careful with this pregnancy to avoid getting more stretch marks but at this point I think Im pretty well covered. I dont worry as much about my body because of this site, overall women get stretch marks, they get dimples, and wrinkles! It is a reality that I didnt take into consideration before finding this site and I am so relieved that I am not alone, my biggest concern is staying healthy so I can keep up with my growing family and always give my kids 110%. I still have bad days when I examine my tummy and legs, but I have a great husband that doesnt even see my stretch marks and I am so thankful!
Gathering these pictures has made me see how fast my body went back and how much my stretch marks have faded, I look at myself as lucky, it was a small price to pay for my angels! I will keep you posted on the arrival of #2 and more body changes!
My pictures are..
1st pregnancy- 3 months, 6 months, 9 months
After delivery- 10 days, 4 months
Stretch marks on belly- 1 year
2nd pregnancy- 8 months










Updated here and here.

Six Months After Second Cesarean (Anonymous)

I am back to pre-pregnancy weight but in better shape so yes it’s possible – even after a cesarean. I gained about 45 pounds each time. Afterwards I stuck to a 1400 calorie a day diet, 2X a week weight training, and 2X a week mat pilates at a local gym during lunch (went back to work after 6 weeks). Still have a light linea negra that will hopefully be gone by the summer…

Pic 1 – pre-pregnancy age 20 Pic 2 – 9 months pregnant age 27 Pic 3 – post both babies age 32



Postpartum – 21 and 25 Years Later (Anonymous)

My babies are now 21 and 25, weighing in at 7lbs 9ozs and 8lb 3ozs. I so wish we had professional nude photos done then, but we would never have thought of it. Pregnancy is such a beautiful state that it should be recorded. I have one nude profile photo of me 2 days before I gave birth to my first, but nothing of my second, when I was absolutely enormous, so I have nothing to compare. I have taken the courage at this stage in my life to have a friend scan my photo and he is going to do me a line drawing, which I hope I shall proudly display on my living room wall. I was lucky, I had no strech marks at all but could not find bras big enough for my huge breasts. I fed for over 6 months and over 8 respectively and got my figure back mostly. These photos are of me now – post partum (!) I don’t think I can still blame my babies for my baby bulge tummy at age 58, but I try to keep fit and take care of myself. I don’t like the look of me naked, but have been told by some who have seen me that I look good. I cannot change my basic body shape so have to learn to accept and not hate it. My advice to you mums and mums to be is to enjoy it all because it goes too fast and you cannot turn the clock back. And even if you do not like how you look naked – still take those photos to look back on. All women are beautiful and sexy through pregnancy we all perceive beauty in different ways. You are all beautiful.





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After Two Kids (Anonymous)

My name is Jennifer and I am a mother of 2 of the greatest kids ever! I have a 9 month old son and a 2 year old daughter. I had both of my children at a really young age. As of now, I am only 18 years old. It was hard for me to watch my body change the way that it did going through pregnancy as well as puberty at the same time but somehow I got through it.I breast fed my daughter for about 3 months and then decided bottle feeding was better b/c I had to go back to school. Lets just say I had a very good milk supply and it came through pads, burping cloths, or whatever else I could think of to put in my bra.When I had my son, I breast fed him for about 6 weeks or so and ultimately decided that the bottle was more convenient.In time I have become at peace with the way my body looks. I have to admit though, being 18, there is alot of pressure on me from media and peers to look a certain way but I have came to realize that I am me and Im going to love myself and my body anyway.