Submissions

My Story (Anonymous)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Breastfeeding, Breasts, Complications in Pregnancy, First Pregnancy, Postpartum, Submissions 4 Comments

I admit that I am at constant odds with my body. I have yet to learn to accept that body may always look this way.
I was 150 when I became pregnant with my now 2 year old son. I had a very difficult pregnancy and ended up on bedrest for the last four months and gained over 70lbs. I was 223lbs the day I deliver my 9lbs 11oz son by c/s. I dropped down to 170lbs within 3 months of delivery and my weight has stagnated there ever since.
I love being a mother and would take my new body for him any day but it doesn’t change the fact I cringe whenever I see myself naked. I hope one day to be able to afford a tummy tuck because I dont think I will ever be able to accept myself this way.



What 6 Months of Breastfeeding Can Do! (Anonymous)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Cesarean, First Pregnancy, Postpartum, Submissions, Update 24 Comments

After gaining 60lbs during my pregnancy and crossing a very scary number (I got to 204lbs) I gave birth (via unplanned Cesarean :() to a healthy 8lb 12oz baby girl! Despite c-section I planned on getting back into shape right away, as a former college ice hockey player I had been in pretty good shape before, but as with the birth of my daughter, things didn’t go quite according to plan.

I healed pretty fast and played a couple games of hockey at 8 weeks postpartum, so far so good, it was now summer and I started taking my daughter on long walks, 1 to 2 miles a day (now here was my big mistake) IN FLIP FLOPS! After about a month of walking pretty regularly I started having pain in my ankle, no big deal, I’m tough, don’t like to complain, I keep going for long walks. My ankle keeps getting worse, once my other ankle starts hurting 2 weeks after the 1st one, walking becomes pretty difficult. So I finally decide maybe I should see a Dr. (fast forward a month and 4 doctors!) I am finally told that I have severe Posterior Tibial Tendinitis in both ankles, how did it happen? Well it was pretty obvious after the fact! Walking in flip flops that much is bad, but I’d always done that, turns out walking that much in flip flops right after your pregnancy is really bad! My muscles and ligaments were still lose from the “relaxin”. Combine that with long walks in flip flops and you get two destroyed ankles!

Nine months postpartum and I am slowly getting better I had to wear a really stylish (sarcasm) walking boot for 2 months, and have been in ankle braces for the last 4 months now. But I am finally able to start going to the gym again!

Moral of the story… flip flops, aka thongs. aka slippers, etc. ARE BAD!

So what does all of this have to do with breastfeeding? Glad you asked! Like I said, I gained 60 lbs during my pregnancy and basically haven’t been able to work out, or even walk for that matter, for about 8 months of my 9 months postpartum. BUT thanks to breastfeeding and a good metabolism I lost 60lbs in the first 6 months! No diet, no exercise! While I have lost all of the weight, I am excited to be able to get back to the gym again. My body may weigh what it did pre-pregnancy but it certainly doesn’t look or feel like it did! I have lost A LOT of muscle, especially in my legs which are totally atrophied from lack of use :(

Moral of THIS story, BREASTFEEDING ROCKS!

The first picture is 8 weeks postpartum and the second is 8 months postpartum (hence the 6 months of breastfeeding) I’ll try to remember to come back and up date this after I’ve had some time in the gym.

I’m still working on accepting the stretch marks… But, even with the stretch marks, and the ankle nightmare, I’m pretty grateful for the body I have.



Updated here and here.

Thankful for this site (Anonymous)

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

My son will be turning a year old next month. I had promised myself that I would have lost all the weight and returned to my “normal” self by this time. And that hasn’t happened. I have always struggled with self-esteem issues. I have never felt attractive. Until I was pregnant. I felt like I was the most luscious creature in the world. And now that my stomach is a little bit floppy and my breasts hang a little lower, I look at my son and I have no regrets. I carried and delivered a healthy, vibrant baby boy. Now I nourish him with my milk. What can be more wonderful than that? Thank you to everyone that posts their story. We are all beautiful in our own ways. And our children love us no matter how saggy our breasts become! The first picture is on our honeymoon, 6 months before I conceived. The second is when I was 8 months pregnant. The third is 11 months postpartum.






6 Weeks Postpartum (Jessica)

Bonnie (SOAM) Before Pregnancy, Belly, Eating Disorder, First Pregnancy, Postpartum, Pregnant, Submissions 7 Comments

My name is Jessica, and i had a beautiful son 6 weeks ago today. Having a child has been the most fullfilling event to ever happen in my life. Before becoming pregnant me and my boyfriend of 4 years got married, and we never planned on having kids, only dogs! Six months after our wedding i found out i was pregnant and to both of our suprise we were both very excited. I was very scared because i suffered from anorexia and was underweight and feared gaining weight. I knew i was going to have to so that my baby could be happy and healthy. I ended up gaining 35 pounds by the end of my pregnancy. I was very sick the last 8 weeks, and was unable to keep anything down including my vitamins, water and any kind of food. I didn’t gain any weight in the 8 weeks and was very worried for my childs health. I was induced on November 26th, 2 days before my due date because my blood pressure had been skyrocketing and the doctors were worried about my baby and I’s safety. My son, Hayden, was born at 3:46pm on November 28, 2008 after 44 hours of labor and 3 hours 6 minutes of pushing. It was a vacumn assisted delivery due to the fact that his cord was wrapped around his neck and shoulders. I wasn’t allowed to see him right away and it felt like hours before i heard his first cry. I was put on magnesium during my labor and delivery and since it had been passed through him he was very lethargic and they took him right away and i was unable to see him for 8 hours. That was the toughest thing, i watched A Baby Story religiously during my pregnancy and just thought that would be how my delivery would have went. I would go through it all over again because the outcome was all worth it. I’m still working on recovering from my eating disorder, but it is so difficult with a body that have changed and the extra skin that i now have. Everyday is a struggle in that department. I still have an extra 22lbs of weight on me, but i can live with that for now. Here are some photos of me before i was pregnant, 38 weeks pregnant and 5/6 weeks postpartum



There is Beauty in My Flaws (Melissa)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Positive Body Image/Words of Enouragement, Postpartum, Pregnant, Reader's Favorite, Submissions, Third Pregnancy 9 Comments

so here is a picture of my two sons and myself…my lovely tummy after the damage of having two children in under a year..exactly 11 months to the day apart to be literal. To my boys, I am the most beautiful mommy in the whole world and when they ask me about my stretch marks or extra skin, I tell them that it’s from them growing in my uterus and my body stretching to give them the best home I could. They love to look at pregnant bellies, watch the birthing video’s on youtube and we talk about THIS baby *my third* growing inside my tummy now. My kids don’t look at my tummy with shame, they look at me with pride and knowledge..they know I gave them my body and in turn, they give me their love. I am proud to carry my flaws, they are a small price to pay for the love I get in return. ~Melissa



After Two Kids (Anonymous)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Breasts, Postpartum, Second Pregnancy, Submissions, Teen Mom 4 Comments

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.







I’m Still Coming to Terms (Anonymous)

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

These photos are of me 6 mo pp with #2. I was 170# pre-pregnancy. I gained 65 with #1. When my first daughter was 15 mo I got pregnant again. This time I gained 35 lbs. I currently weigh 198#s. My belly is sagging and full of stretch marks. When I look at my beautiful girls I don’t care what my stomach looks like. Then I look in the mirror and I am unhappy with what I see. My husband is supportive and tells me he still finds me sexy. I have a hard time believing him sometimes. I am working on my self image and hope to come to terms with my new body soon.






Dunno what to do? (Rocio)

Bonnie (SOAM) First Pregnancy, No Photos (Story Only), Question, Submissions, Teen Mom 5 Comments

Ok first off my name is rocio im 20 yrs old and i have a son thats gna be two in april. I now weigh 170 lbs my before baby weight was about 120 well around there… i had a c-section (and not by choice) sometimes I feel like my boyfriend is still with me because of the baby. I do realize that im not the same person as i was before. there has been allot of life changing events in my life like moving in with my boyfriend, having my fisrt child, moving to a new city (and i know no one at all)… need i say more… i try to motivate my self for diets and calory counting and all that but its so hard for me. There are days that i dont want to do anything except cry. I feel so depressed. Im not sure why i feel like this but it happens. To be honest there are days that i feel wonderful but then there are the days we go out to the mall or some where and we could pass by Victorias Secrect and he could say something like “oh thats so sexy” or just anything and i think to my self yea okay like my fat ass is going to fit in something like that, but i dont say anything to him i just keep walking. I dont want to lose weight for him i wanna do it for me so I can be healthy and play with my play and not get tired so fast. so if you have any advice please help. everything is appreciated!

Almost a Year Later (Tee)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Breasts, Legs, Second Pregnancy, Submissions, Update 3 Comments

Almost a year later after baby no. 2 and I still have yet to lose another 12 lbs before I am back to my old self. Motherhood can really take a toll on some peoples bodies, like myself and some escape with the faintest trace that they ever even carried a baby in their bellies. What a blessing! One of lifes small mysteries I suppose. Anyhow I would not change the outcome of the horrific changes my body underwent if it meant not having my lil ones, they were worth every deep, long, stretchmark, lose skin and saddle bags! I have stechmarks all the way from the back of my knees up my inner, front, and outer thighs, and every inch of my abs from the button down is covered with them, my hips have big, deep, long ones as well. Oh and my breast have the little water balloon effect going on (super droopy). But despite all that my hubbie still calls me sexy and loves all of me, the good, bad, and the ugly. What a blessing! Anyways I love, love, love this site. And despite my struggles with loving myself, this site makes it a little easier in knowing that I’m not alone!



Updated here.

Long Hard Road (Anonymous)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Breasts, Cesarean, Postpartum, Second Pregnancy, Submissions, Teen Mom, VBAC 10 Comments

I’ve never been perfect. I know this. But for most of my life I’ve been satisfied with my body. As a teenager I had a wonderful body in my opinion. No, I never fit into those size 0 jeans, but I was curvy, had a pretty flat stomach, and all of this was done with no effort. I could pig out all day for weeks on end and end up losing 5lbs. I adored my 36-26-36 hourglass figure.

I got pregnant with my son when I was 18. I absolutely loved it, but my body didn’t. My sedentary lifestyle wasn’t cutting it anymore and I gained a total of 60lbs before all was said and done. I managed to make it until my 8th month before the stretchmarks started coming, but when they did they came on full force. Suddenly I was covered all across my stomach, my hips, my butt, my thighs, and even on the back of my knees and calves. It was horrendous! After having my son I felt anything BUT sexy. And it didn’t help that I had him by c-section, so my confidence in my body was already shot down because I didn’t even feel like a woman anymore.

I lost a little of the weight but the stretchmarks remained behind as reminders of the wonderful little boy I carried for 9 months. Over time I gained more confidence and soon the stretchmarks faded from red to silver. But my body was still foreign to me and I’ve never felt quite comfortable in my own skin since…

Then almost 2 years later we decide to have another child. I kept my weight gain at a good 38lbs, only got a few more stretchmarks, and for the most part was happy that my body wasn’t falling apart again on me. I had a wonderful successful natural VBAC and regained the confidence in my body and how it worked. I wasn’t broken anymore.

But even that lift in spirits over the mechanics of my body still can’t override my dissatisfaction in the way I look. I keep telling myself that I’ve just given birth 2 months ago. That my body is a result of the beautiful children I’ve brought into this world. That I am beautiful. But every time I look in the mirror I see differently. I see the sagging breasts that have nourished my kids. I see the stretched out, saggy, loose, scarred stomach. I’m no longer that 36-26-36 I used to be. Now I’m 39-39-42. I’m fighting a war with myself. I’ll never be like I used to be and that’s fine with me. But I need to be comfortable at least. I can’t go on afraid to be sexual with my husband or avoiding mirrors when I change clothes. This has to stop.

So I’m traveling down a long hard road on a journey to find myself and the confidence that I used to have in my body. I’m not sure where or when I’ll find it, but I’m working on getting healthier and into shape. One day I’ll finally feel like me again and I can’t wait until that day comes….