Notice the deep bruising along the bottom of my belly? These bruises (and the red marks) are from the anticoagulant injections I must take while pregnant to prevent blood clots. I’ve always been envious of those who can show their bare belly (even an inch of it) during pregnancy. This was a good, low-bruise day for me… and I was on the “good” medication (Lovenox) instead of the “less good” (heparin — which I take more frequently AND produces worse bruises).
I gained 33 pounds during my pregnancy and have lost almost all of it at 8 weeks post partum. I still have what looks like a 4 or 5 month pregnant belly (and don’t fit into my pre-pregnancy pants), with a dark linea negra and stretch marks around and under my belly button and on my hips… I’m still getting used to my new body and hope that the linea negra fades and that with exercise the belly continues to get smaller. I had a c-section (14 staples) and am pleased with how the incision is healing.
I was originally told I could not have any children. One thing I could never accept. After 7 years of trying, I finally succeeded in falling pregnant naturally (2004). My first little girl was born exactly 8pounds via caeser because she was breech. I developed pre-eclampsia with this one and managed to put on a successful (?) 28kg!!! I started at a comfortable 57kg. I again fell pregnant in 2006 with my second girl who was born 7 pound. This time round I was very, very sick. In/out of hospital. Went into labour at 26 weeks and for 3 days off/on laboured. Thankfully both girls came at 38 weeks. They were and are both very healthy. I put on 4kg (yes, only 4kg) with my 2nd. After a week post partum, I was 69kg. However!! Like my first, the angel was no angel. I seeked refuge all things sugary and fattening…. ate packets and packets of chocolate biscuits!!! Put on weight (more than I weight full term) … I am almost happy to say that I am on the road to slimming down… I am hovering over 68-69kg and would like to lose another 8kg. This site is a wonderful tool in showing other mum’s that it is ok to have stretch marks, to have saggy breasts, less than perfectly smooth skin on your tummy… you are, after all, the creator and carrier of life. You have been given the cherished role of all…. I try to live by saying “my body is evidence of the miracle of my girls”. Good luck everyone…. xo
Initially after giving birth to our precious daughter, I was so overjoyed, that my body was not even a consideration for days – I simply didn’t care what I looked like. However after a few weeks I started to feel like me again; my tunnel vision widened so that Anna stopped being the one and only thing that I could think or care about and, among other things, my interests broadened to encompass considerations such as what my husband thought about my new naked body, and whether I’d feel sexy, or attractive, or beautiful ever again. I was still completely happy with my baby daughter, and the changes to my body still seemed a minuscule price to pay, yet I couldn’t help but wonder these things about whether I’d ever look the way I used to, or what my sex life would be like from now on….. And for a while it got me down – I believed that I would never tone up my jelly-belly, and that my stretchmarks would never fade, and that I would never be the young, slim and attractive woman that I was pre-pregnancy. Now, though, I have reached a place where I feel a kind of calm acceptance, compassionate understanding and unconditional love towards my body, and this is why: Looking at my body materialistically, my breasts are now large and loose, I have gained a lot of weight, a couple of stretchmarks and some bagging and sagging here or there. However, looking at it from a level penetrating skin-depth, my body has done a terrific and wondrous job; from nothing more than the merging of two cells, it has created, nurtured, protected and delivered a complete human being! And I feel so proud to be the woman I am right now, because from me has come something so perfect, and pure, that I can barely believe she is real! I look at my stretchmarks, and my remaining ‘pouch’, and my leaking, sagging breasts with their sore, chapped nipples, and I am proud. I look at my body, and I see evidence of my fertility, and I am reminded of the miracle that it has partaken in… I truly am in awe, and cannot believe the utterly amazing process, which I have been a part of. At the moment, all I can feel for my body is love, respect and pride – This is truly all I feel; there is no negativity even in the tiniest quantity, despite the fact that my body is now far less ‘attractive’ or ‘acceptable’ than it has ever been before, and it is overwhelming. Every mother should be proud of their body, because no matter what it looks like – indeed WHATEVER it does look like – it was the incubator that created and nurtured their baby until it was ready to expel it into the outside world, and every wrinkle, stretchmark or bit of saggy skin is proof of that fact. So here it is, my body, and I’ve never been more proud.
Updated here.
I am a lucky woman. I have four kids, two I gave birth too and two by the miracle of adoption. My body is strong and I can run long distances. Recently, inspired by this website I posted a picture of my stomach and how I feel about it to my blog.
at age 18 i was 98lbs then i find out i was pregnant at age 19 i had a beautiful lil boy after giving birth i was up to 200lbs,it took a long time for my to lose weight i got back down to 120 then at age 22 i find out again i was going to have another baby that took me up to 165 went down to 115 and once again i was pregnant at 24 i had her in march 2006 and this is what my body looks like…….but my boyfriend excepts it and he loves me so thats all i need!!!
I had my daughter 3 months before I turned 21. She is the first for both me and my husband. I was 250 before i got pregnant. I was 274 the day i had her and dropped back to 250 the day she was born. I thought i looked pretty good 1 week post partum. Over the next few weeks… months.. I kept gaining weight. I couldnt figure out why because I was breastfeeding and eating the same as before i got pregnant… Actually better because there was no money for going out to eat. They did multiple tests and discovered i had hypothyroidism. In the 5 months since i had my daughter i gained 60 pounds and weighed 310 pounds. I am completely disgusted with myself and the way my body looks. I’ve looked at all of the other moms and it makes me feel like im not alone but it certainly doesnt make me feel better about me. Now that im on medication for the hypothyroidism i lost 14 pounds in a week not doing anything differently. Im not even breastfeeding anymore. Its obvious that its going to take time and obvious that the meds are working. I just have to learn to accept myself for the way i am now with the hope that one day i’ll get to where i WANT to be! the first 2 pictures are a few months before i got pregnant. The second 2 are the day before i gave birth. the fifth is one week post partum. the next few are from today at 5 and a half months Post partum… Front and side views both normal and when i suck it in.. I’ve also got the saggy boobs which also have bright red stretchies on them. the last is my sweet daughter who is certainly worth it all :)
this is me bending down…I am only 21 years old…my body was very beautiful before… i’ve lost 110 lbs..i have no fat in my body just lots of hanging skin that tortures me every time i look in teh mirror. I’m almost numb from it becuase i don’t beleive i really look like that… I love my baby more then anything in the world and I would yes definatley go through all of this again with the same outcome to have her..but COME on who can look at me and say plastic surgery would be selfish..too bad I can not afford it and probably will never be able to afford it..so I have no choice but to accept this body as I’m sure the majority of mothers can’t. So i live with it every day and will keep doing so … i will spend my wedding night with a top on.. i will look really great in clothes and have a secret underneath them everywhere I go. I wish I had help financially to to fix this..but ya know what..my body is healthy it works well..it keeps me alive every day so i can be there for my baby and beleive it or not i still thank God every day that I have my health and that I made a healthy child. It’s okay to not be 100% happy with what your body looks like.. but just appreciate what is underneath at the same time. I lost all my baby weight..and this was what I got.. so it’s not all about weight out there just so ya know… Honestly though, If it were not for my immense love and appreciation for my daughter I don’t know how I would handle this at all… cuz it’s an ongoing struggle..I see beauty in it..and I see ugliness.. Honestly though if it were not for my immense love and appreciation for my baby I don’t know how I would deal with this..it seems to be my only way to deal with because I am just so happy to wake up everyday knowing I have the most precious gift in the world..i send my love and prayers to all you moms and let you know your not alone out there..it;s okay to not be perfect and to have flaws becuase every one does..
I am so very thankful for your website. I have no pictures right now, just some thoughts to share. I stumbled upon your site today, 5 months after the birth of my beautiful, amazing daughter, Paige. I never thought of myself as a vain person, or as someone overly concerned with my looks. Recently, though, my post pregnancy body has occupied many of my thoughts. I had a happy, healthy pregnancy and delivery. I gained 36 pounds.. went from 125 to 161 pounds. I am currently about 142. I don’t know why I assumed it all would come off, maybe because I read so much stuff online from people who say it fell off in a few weeks. I am now learning to accept my body the way it is, but it’s difficult knowing that I can eat right and exercise, but this is me now. I know over time it will improve. Some people say I am lucky. My weight gain wasn’t excessive, and I never did get a single stretch mark.I do still have the dark line, quite a little pooch, and a red scar from the c section incision. I know I need to look at the positive. I have a husband who loves me just the way I am. I know in my heart that the wonderful child I have makes everything worth it, even if I had a million stretch marks and 100 more pounds. She is the greatest gift I have ever been given.
I struggled with my weight all my life. I struggled with a viscous eating disorder that ruled my every moment, and nearly killed me. I was 106 pounds, and had no menstrual cycle to speak of, fainting spells, seizures, ulcers, and heart problems. Eventually I got more confident, thanks to my (now) husband, and started getting healthy. I got to 120 pounds, started ovulating again, stopped drinking, and got happy. After 3 years together, he asked me to marry him. Shortly after that, we got pregnant. Getting pregnant with my baby boy was the most miraculous thing to me. As a teenager, I had a miscarriage. I was not in a place in my life where I could have handled parenthood. I was irresposible, immature, and unhealthy. Regardless, that was MY baby, and it was gone. I was haunted for years about the baby that might have been. I was devastated. when we got pregnant, I was so afraid that it could happen again. My mother had 6 miscarriages before she got pregnant with me. I threw out any lingering eating habits that threatened my child, and put my baby above all else. I had gotten healthy and my binging/purging had mellowed out, but I was still trapped in the cycle. As soon as i knew I was pregnant, however, I threw a wheel in the gears and stomped on the brakes. Part of letting that go was eating frequently, and being comfortable with food because it was for my son. I snacked almost constantly, and refused to let myself throw up. after that many years, it was a hard thing. It was a shock, I had a few panic attacks, and a few crying fits. But i was adamant. It was all in the name of my baby, and that gave me all the strength I needed. I was five months pregnant when we were married. we had to set the wedding ahead, because my great big beautiful belly was so big doctors first thought i was having twins. I gained over 70 pounds during my pregnancy. I went from 120, to 190 the day I gave birth to my beautiful boy. He was my miracle, and every tiny inch of his perfect little life was worth every pound I gained and more. After he was born, I lost 30 pounds almost right away. between hormones, breast feeding, and lack of appetite, they just melted off. But once I got stronger and more active, the weight just stopped going away. my clothes stopped getting looser. It just slowed to a halt. I was upset at first, and in denial. During pregnancy I had been able to snuff my insecurities with my confidence that my body knew exactly what it was doing. I guess I just expected my body to take care of it, and when It didn’t I didn’t know how to handle it. I held as hard as I could to my new found confidence in my figure, and how it had all been for an amazing cause, and there was absolutely no reason to fret at all about my body image. However, bit by bit, I couldn’t help feeling self conscious with my deflated figure, and became really depressed. I realised later that I became self concious and embarrased with my body when we got television. Every bony hip, flat tummy and twig-like appendage beat down my confidence and love for myself. Then, I found this site. I felt embarrassed then. Not for my body, but for ever having sold my soul to the ideals of a SOCIETY with an eating disorder. This whole country, and the entire nations media, has an eating disorder. I feel ashamed that I ever let that influence creep back into my life. I have an amazing, beautiful son who is so smart and happy and loving. I have a great husband, who is nurturing and strong where I am not. I have an amazing family, I LOVE my life, and I vow to never, ever ever put any pressure on food, body image, or that hunger for approval in my children or my own life. I read that article “save our daughters” and all I have to say is if I can protect my family from every “suck in your gut” i will forever be grateful-and all i can hope is that i can raise my children with more strength of character than I had.
Updated here.