This picture is taken 6 months after my second pregnancy.
My name is Maren. I was 23 when the picture was taken last year. I live in Norway with my husband and two girls.
Maren
Submissions
Feeling better about my body (George)
Age: 26
3 pregnancies, 1st was a extremely preamture vaginal birth, 2nd was a catastrophic c-section, 3rd one I lost.
My first girl should’ve been 9 years old now, she died almost 6 weeks old. My second girl is soon 6 years old, and I just lost my third child in the first trimester 3 weeks ago.
Because of this page, and all you wonderful mamas, I’m feeling better about my body.
Before I saw all the gorgeous pictures here, I was feeling quite bad about myself. Particularly my belly and c-section scar.
I had my first child just over 9 years ago, vaginal birth, but in week 23, she was 17.5 oz and 11.9 inches. Traumatic and dramatic birth, and I watched them work on her after she was out, intubate her etc. She lived for almost 6 weeks before she couldn’t go on anymore, due to critical and serious illnesses. Long, heartbraking weeks in the NICU with a very sick baby who was in pain a lot.
Loosing her was the total loss. I still wake at night because every cell in my body is screaming for her, screaming that one of the people I loved the most is gone. I miss her more than words can say. The pain and grief vibrates with amplifiers in my bone marrow.Still.
She is with me in my heart and thoughts every day. I love her more than anything.
My second child was born 6 years ago in november. She was born in week 30. That was a catastrophic c-section. She was out less than 10 minutes after I woke up bleeding heavily. She wasn’t breathing and didn’t have a heart rate when born. My placenta had ruptured totally. But they managed to bring her back to me. I am so greatful for that, every day. She was 2.6 lbs and 15.8 inches. I was very sick with HELLP-syndrome, and luckily in the hospital when this happened, or she wouldn’t have made it.
That was a very dramatic and traumatic birth, again. This time though, I was so sick, and lost so much blood, I almost died too.
We were both very critical the first few days.
I didn’t get to see my baby until she was 40 hours old. I don’t even have the words to describe the pain in that.
She pulled through, came home after 7 weeks in the NICU. The next few years she struggled with a lot, they were filled with illness, hospitals, tests, doctors, meds etc.
But she’s doing great now.
My joy and pride, my beautiful, amazing, strong, miracle-girl. I love her more than anything.
Then I got pregnant again, and I was very happy about that. But this time, I lost my child, just three weeks ago, in the first trimester. I am sure she was a third girl. I’ve never felt so empty in my life, this emptiness is filling me up. I didn’t know that a loss like this could be so terrible, so painful.
I dreamed last night, that my baby was gone, and even in my sleep the pain was so real and so overwhelming.
I’m scared I wont be able to carry more babies.
I wanted this baby with all my heart. I miss her so terribly much.
So, that’s my story, longer than I thought it would be.
My contribution to the page.
It is kinda scary this, putting yourself out there like that.
But I’m hoping others can feel better from looking at this page too, so I’m going to do it.
Best wishes to all the beautiful mamas out there, and thanks a lot for this page!
27 weeks pregnant (Justine)
My body has been though alot in this past year, Dec 19th 2008 i found out i was pregnant i started to gain weight right away and knew it something wasnt right i wasnt suppost to have a gut at a month and a half!!, at 6 weeks i went in and there were 2 tiny little heartbeats on the screen, we were having twins!! we were so excited but 4 weeks later i had heavy bleeding and clotting and miscarried the babies, after i lost the twins the weight i put on just never went away, Charlie took it really hard and said he didnt want to try for any more kids for a few more years, i went back on my nuvaring and we started used spermicide to prevent another pregnancy, but April of 2009 i my period didnt come, and took a test and it came up saying “pregnant” i couldnt believe it to be honest,It wasnt the right time, it was right before charlie deployed and we honestly were at the verge of calling it quits, My (ex)husband Charlie wanted me to have a abortion and since i wouldnt we have decided to get divorced and are now legally seperated and the divorce will be final in november, he wants nothing to do with his daughter. But back to this pregnancy, I had severe hyperemesis for the first 5 months of my pregnancy i was admitted 4 times, had over 40 IVs in, at my worst i was down 27 lbs from my prepregnancy weight, i was taking about 15 pills a day just to be able to fuction. But at 23 weeks along the hyperemesis just went away, and i have gained 20 lbs since, (still down 7 from pregnancy weight) but my daughter is a healthy baby girl and is due december 19th, which is the one year mark from when i found out i was pregnant with her siblings, its pretty bittersweet that her due date marks that day. i have 2 light purple stretch marks and my timer has popped, my breasts went from a 32DD to now a 32G so i think about 5 lbs of my weight gain is in my boobs,they have gotten quiet saggy since i found out i was pregnant i was scheuduled to get a breast reduction in june and that is on standby until i stop breastfeeding, but it will still be done!
~Your Age: 19
~Number of pregnancies and births: 2nd pregnancy, 2 angel babies and 1 still in the womb
on my photos first one is prepregnancy, second is 21 weeks suffering from hyperemesis, 3rd and 4th are at 27 weeks pregnant.
22 years old on my second pregnancy I’m at 23 weeks (Lissete)
Hi im Lissete. I am on my second pregnancy at 23 weeks now , my first child i gained 75 lbs , i have always dealt with poor body image since i grew to a d cup at age 10. i was 17 years old when i had my daughter my pre-pregnancy weight was 127 (im 5’4) and i ended at 202 . i only lost 10 lbs during my postpartum , i was with my daughters father for 3 years afterward and our relationship fell apart due to my weight gain and my body appearance. a year later i met someone for the first time who loved me not my body.
i found out i was pregnant on may 28 and at first was very upset about the thought of gaining more weight, but i have lucked out and in fact lost 15 lbs since i found out. all i care about now is being healthy , eating right and staying fit, weather or not i lose or gain weight doesn’t matter to me anymore, i love my stretch marks they are every where and i don’t care! they are my symbols of love that i have as a mother and woman.
for all you ladies out there who are being put down , plus sized or not YOU ARE beautiful , once you believe this you can truly be free.
Stretched to the limit, but worth it (ChelandBaby)
22 years old
First pregnancy and baby
11 weeks postpartum
Unplanned Cesarean July 2, 2009
Pictures: 41 weeks pregnant, 11 weeks postpartum, Baby boy 11 weeks
My husband and I were married 2 years ago. After a year of marriage we decided that we were ready for a baby. I had gained some weight before my pregnancy, but I was not self conscience about it. I was 134 when we got married, but had gained a lot afterwards. I started my pregnancy of at 162. By the day I was induced I weighed 199!! That was more than I ever had imagined I’d weigh.
We had planned to have an all natural water birth. On my due date I had 15 hours of false labor. Five days after my due date I went in for my 41 week appointment. That’s when my midwife told me she was worried about how big the baby was and she wanted me to be induced the next morning.
At 6 am we went in for an induction. It took a while to get things going. I went into the the hospital at 3 cm and was stuck at 4 cm for 9 hours! By 9:00 pm I was still only 6 cm and the baby wouldn’t drop. They prepped me for a c-section and at 9:30 pm my big baby boy was born. He was 10 lb. 4 oz. and 22 1/2 inches long!
I am now 11 weeks postpartum and I feel so stretched. I am 168 pounds, which is only 6 pounds more than my starting weight. I just look so much bigger. My husband says I look great, but I’m really struggling with the way I look :(
10 months PP (Anonymous)
I had a wonderful and fairly easy pregnancy, but a very hard, long delivery. I wanted an all natural, waterbirth at the birthing center with my midwife. My water broke 2:00am Friday morning and contractions started 45 min. later. By 10:am they were 10 min. apart and my midwife wanted me to come to the birthing center. Things progressed pretty quickly from there and then seemed to come to a halt with me having very strong contractions all Friday night, all of Saturday and Sunday. I couldn’t eat anything because I was throwing it up. By midnight on Sunday after several hours (!) of pushing and nothing happening (my midwife said he was turned face up and tried turning him with no luck) my husband finally stepped in and said we needed to go to a hospital. They had to put me on an IV right away because I had no energy after three days of not eating or sleeping. Then my husband and mom made the decision for me to have an epidural which let me sleep for awhile. Finally after three more hours of pushing I had my beautiful little boy Monday at 12:07pm!!!
It was also a long and rough recovery – my hips where thrown out and I could not walk without help for close to two weeks after. I also tore pretty badly. I felt like a failure, here was my little baby who needed me and I couldn’t even carry him around, or change his diaper, or rock him to sleep!! My husband was my rock during that time, he changed diapers (which he had never done before!!), did the laundry, made meals and took care of both me and the baby without complaining. While I did not end up having the delivery that I wanted, I have the most precious thing I could ever imagine and I wouldn’t trade him for anything!!
I started out at 115 before I was pregnant, gained 45 and now am 130. I still have 15 pounds to go to make it back to my pre-pregnancy weight. I always thought I’d lose it all by 9 months PP, so I’m a little discouraged to be 10 months PP and still have this much more to lose, it just seems stuck there!! But, when I see my little one cruising around and getting into everything it doesn’t bother me so much!! :) Also, I thought I was going to come out with no stretch marks, but they showed up just 1-2 weeks before delivery, on my stomach and thighs. Not to bad though, just a few and pretty light. If anyone has any good tummy tightening exercises they would like to share that would be great!! :) Love this site!!!
~ (Age) 27
~ 1 pregnancy – 1 birth
~ Son, 10 months old, 10 months postpartum
~ 1st picture – Me, 8 months Pregnant (yes, I did get bigger!!!). 2nd picture – My baby boy minutes after birth. 3rd picture – Me, 2 days PP. 4th & 5th pictures – Me, 10 months PP.
From size 0 to 5 (Nancy)
Age : 26
Pregnancy : 1
Children : A daughter, Chloé
I learned about this website from a close friend to which I confided my body changes during and after pregnancy. I was relieved to see others with the same problems as me but I figured I’d be back in shape in no time so I didn’t worry too much over it. Here I am, 7 months later, posting my very own story !
I used to be one of those lucky girls who never went on a diet, I could eat whatever I wanted and my weight had been a mere 105 pounds for the last 5 years. I inherited this fantastic body from my mother and she always said to me that for her 2 pregnancies, she put on about 25 pounds and a week after she was back in her old size 25 jeans. I always jokingly told my husband how lucky he was to have a wife that could snap back into shape so we could have lots and lots of kids !
However it went very different for me. I gained 25 pounds in the first 6 months of my pregnancy, which was pretty standard. At 7 months I was put on bed rest and stopped working because I had strong contractions every day and was in and out of the hospital a few times. I ended up gaining another 40 pounds in only 3 months. So me, that was used to be 105 pounds, I was now carrying 165 pounds. On top of that I had oedema so bad you couldn’t even see my ankles. My baby finally arrived at 42 weeks after me being inducted ans a c-section (the irony !!!).
Now I’ve been trying to cope with the aftermath and I feel like my body went trough a war. All I can say is that I now understand what it feels like to be insecure, to suck a tummy in public and dress in medium or large. It takes strong women to be confident in any shape or size, for those out there, I applaud you. You know, I don’t want to sound like I complaint because I know that some women would love to be my actual size, but I think the point for a lot of women is the gap between how were before and how hey are now. For me the road to being confident in my new size has just started.
Pre-pregnancy weight : 105 lbs – size 0
End-of pregnancy weight : 165 lbs
7 months post-pregnancy weight : 130 lbs – size 5
Game Day (Deb)
When she’s out, she can make her own choices. When to eat, when to cry, peas or carrots, Dr. Seuss or Mercer Mayer… which bands to like, which instruments to play, what college to attend, who to marry (or not marry). And yes. One day, the time will come, and she will have to choose whether or not she is a football fan, and which NFL team she will support. But we as parents must always guide our children toward the decisions that are in their best interests. Therefore, I have chosen to interfere while I am able. While she’s on the inside, she swears allegiance to the Who Dat Nation. Happy football season mommas! Geaux Saints.
Age: 36
Kids: 2 (12 years, and 25 weeks in utero)
This is Me (Anonymous)
I am 26 and I had my son when I was 23. He si almost 3 now and I can;t believe hwo ast time has flown by. H e is the most amazing little person I have have ever known!
My ebtire pregnancy was a huge shock and surprise to both me and my now husband. I had an IUD (you know the one that is supposed to be better than the BC pill for 10 yrs.) So we had been very safe seeing as how we were so young and totally NOT ready for a baby. When I found out I wa pregnant I couldn believe it . It was the last thing I expected. I was totally in denial. You knwo I was at the age of partying so of course I had been drinking and participating in other such non-appropriate activities. My boyfriend’s (then bf now husband) was soo freaked out. We had just moved into a house with a bunch of friends so we were totally not prepared. He decided that I must terminate the pregnancy. I was not willing to do so. Dr. toldme I had to remove IUD or else it would cause problems, so I did that. But by doing so I was risking a 50% chance that I would miscarry so I was told to wait 1 week after removal and then return to ultrasound to see if I was still pregnant.
But anyway the main point of the story is hat my son was 1 in a million and I would never ever give him up for anything in the entire world!! I have had a difficult time dealing with my post-babay body as I have dealt with an eating disorder in the past. I look at myself in the mirror and all I can think is FAT!!! SOOOOO FAT!! It really bothers me and there isnot 1 day that goes by that I don’t put myself down and feel like crap because I am soooo disgusting under my clothes. I t’s terrible because on one hand I am so lucky my son landed in my hands to begin with ut I just can let go of the fact that I look like shit now. not only my stretched out belly but my saggy nasty boobs too. I attacehd my pics of my belly so you can see how gross it is. Thanks for listienin to my story it helps to get it off my chest!!!
A Mother’s Body at a Young Age (Anonymous)
I was 17 when i found out i was pregnant. I was overwhelmed, scared, and excited. I’ve always wanted to be a mom, but i didn’t see me becoming one till i was around 23. But i take it as god gave me a gift of a child because he knew that it would help me. I was getting into some trouble but once i got pregnant it all stopped. I realized i needed to be a mom now i need to be a romodel to this little one. There was people telling me i was to your and i should abort the baby. i refused to listen to them. I feel in love with my child the moment that test said i was pregnant.
In the begging of my pregnancy I was so sick with morning sickness that i almost had to have a home nurse and a IV in my leg. I lost 25lbs I was 155lbs before i got pregnant and i went down to 130lbs then i started to gain weight back at around 6months into my pregnancy. but my baby was healthy and “Its a girl” I ended up getting up to 175 lbs. and i had a healthy 8.0lb and 21.25inch baby. but she pooped inside and that made me stress threw my whole labor but luckily she didn’t swallow any of it. then i hemorrhaged and i lost over 2 liters of blood and i had to have blood transfusion. then when i left the hospital i was 154lbs so i lost all my weight already
first pics is of me the night before i went into labor
second pic is of me the day i got home from the hospital
the third pic is of me now 12 weeks postpartum
