Submissions

I had Twins about a month ago now by c section and it is possible to come back from! I gained about 30-35 pounds while pregnant and lost 25 of that in the delievery room and another 5 a week later. I have two beautiful babies! Madison and Riley

We, as woman, are constantly sizing ourselves up. Constantly comparing, wanting to see if we are better, or worse, or normal…especially when it comes to our bodies. Today I found out that the tiny, cute, dancer who works with me has a due date only five days after mine. She seems so cute, so small, people look at her and smile. People look at me and ask “aren’t you due next week?”. An adult life of weight loss and management, going from 236 to 120 to 150 to pregnant, often has me looking around, seeing if I’m normal, feeling large. It’s somthing that I have to deal with. On one hand I see the tiny cute pregnant women and think to myself, “I don’t see how they are able to create life, they seem so small, so frail.” I think, “I’m glad i have dealt with weight loss and stretch marks already, it wont be as much of a shock to me as it will be to her.” The other hand says, “You really should have worked out more, eaten better, paid more attention to your weight.” The insecure side says, “You worked so hard before, now its gone and you wont be the cute woman you fought so hard to become.” Luckily I am surrounded by people that tell me that I look great. I have a husband that loves my shape, round or not. I have hit a point in my head that says, “You are thirty, and in love, and lucky to have a life to bring into the world, you aren’t the same person you were when you were twenty-six and trying to find yourself again. You have found yourself, and you are an ever changing wife, mother, woman, friend.” I know that I will have battles with my body, but I find what it can do completely astounding. That right now, as I type, I am helping a new person grow. No matter what size I am that is a beautiful thing. The pictures I am submitting were at about 5 months (taken by a talented friend, they are copy protected) then me about 6 weeks from my due date (taken in a hurry, by me) Hopefully better pictures will come :)

I found I was pregnant at the age of 18. My husband, then boyfriend, is wonderful and fully stepped up. After I had my son, Ive hated my body, just hated looking in the mirror, refuse to on most days. I had lost my mother right before I had my son, and didnt have that support. I was in no way prepared for the changes motherhood would bring to my body. I found this site about a week ago, and I have to say its changed my outlook. After looking at so many moms, I went to the bathroom, lifted my shirt and smiled for the first time in years! Im now pregnant with my second child at 22, and could not be more proud of my body. I will no longer feel I have to hide my body, for I am a full member of the mom club! :)

I wanted to put multiple pictures up so that there would be visual references to what I was talking about. The first picture is of me when I was 18 at a park. The next two are from my senior Prom where I am also 18. The next are my baby belly pictures taken at 37 weeks by my wonderful husband in our new home. Now for my story…I have been a dancer since I was 4 years old. It is my passion and my love, but it has also been my disease. I have lived and breathed it since the day I started. I have also based my worth on it; how well I did it, and how thin I looked doing it. I have thought I was overweight, not thin, and most definitely not attractive or desirable ever since I became devoted to the dance world. In that world, I am a bigger boned girl, and with my body image issues already present, that really wasn’t good. (side note: most of this perception was self inflicted, not all of it though) Starting in junior high I struggled with a different kind of eating disorder. I would eat very minuscule things, and then take laxatives so that way I would never gain weight. I did this off on and until my senior year of high school. Needless to say my body image has always been a HUGE issue. My senior year I started dating childhood friend, who is now my husband, and for the first time in my life started to feel pretty, not thin, but pretty. The first semester in college we found out I was pregnant (October), told everyone in November, got married in December, and moved into our new house in February. Everything is absolutely wonderful and I honestly could not be any happier. As you can see in the pictures, I was not at all fat or thick or any of the horrible things girls feel about there body. I was absolutely beautiful. I am thrilled to be pregnant and wouldn’t have it any other way, but sometimes I am terrified at my body, because those issues do come back. I was talking with my mother the other day when I realized how good for me this pregnancy has been. If I wouldn’t have gotten pregnant and things wouldn’t have panned out the way they have, I don’t think I would ever realized that I am beautiful, I was beautiful then despite how much I tried to tear myself down, and I am beautiful now because I am a mom. Being a mom isn’t something everyone gets to do! I am 38 weeks pregnant and quite impatiently awaiting our son’s arrival. I found this site because I was miserable over stretch marks, and apparently God needed me to be here, because this site truly changed my mindset. Part of me is very afraid of what my body will be like now, but the other part of me tries to remember that even though I may never look the exact same, I am beautiful now, to myself and to my husband, and every step I take from here will only increase beauty. I am so thankful to be having a healthy baby boy and to have a husband who tells me daily how even more beautiful I am now. I hope that this maybe helps someone realize that just because our body isn’t exactly how we think it should be, doesn’t mean it isn’t beautiful. Lord knows if my body was the way I used to think it should be, I would be a very unhealthy, miserable person. I thank God giving me what I have today, and for opening my eyes before it was too late.

I’m 33 and just had my little Michaela 6 weeks ago. I never thought that I’d have children. In fact, I had established an entire philosophy on why having children, in this day and age, was a bad idea. I was pretty militant with this philosophy too. At the time I got pregnant I was embarking on a career in teaching – a goal that was abruptly put on the backburner (not that I miss it much). I thought I’d be a career woman, with a cool jet setting husband and an easy lifestyle. But mother nature, and my husband, had different ideas. Subconscioulsy I must have been on board too – otherwise I wouldn’t have thrown caution to the wind and ‘forgot’ the contraception on that critical night last July. Once pregnant I never feared the delivery. But I didn’t like being pregnant. Mainly because I was sick as a dog for the first few months – and the last few months I was walking around like an arthritic cowboy. Towards the end, I couldn’t eat more than a couple bites at a time (and I like my food)… there was just no room in there! Body issues: here we go! At the time I got pregnant I was 5’7 (still am amazingly) and 130 lbs. Slim and athletic looking. I have always been this way … and still am 6 weeks after giving birth. I only gained the prescribed 24 lbs during pregnancy – didn’t over eat and exercised a bit. I don’t have issues with the shape of my body now – but what do we all end up moaning about?? STRETCHMARKS. Whoever thinks that stretchmarks are a sign of lack of self control and that only really over weight people get them need to wake up. I got them first in adolesence on the hips, bum, thighs, back of calves. I was 14 and devestated. They faded over the years and I didn’t want to relive the shock and horror of getting them again during pregnancy. But alas! My once beautifully unmarked, toned tummy now bears the marks and my breasts are starting to get them now too. But you know what? They don’t bother me that much. Like my husband says, they are ‘natural marks of life’. Why do we give them so much power to make us feel bad? I like to call mine Michaela marks. When I look at them my feelings are mixed – on the one hand I hold society’s view of them and think, ‘Oh gross’ … but on the other hand I am kind of proud of them and they make me feel like I’ve achieved something great. And I think I have! To that end, I’m not including any photos of them – because really, who should really care? They have no bearing on me as a person – and who I am inside. They don’t effect my ability to love, laugh, and be a good mother, wife and friend. I own them, they don’t own me. My first picture is of me at nine months – the next is me and Michaela. Who, it turns out, is the sweetest little thing. And who is teaching me to be a more patient, loving person everyday that I know her. Hope you enjoyed the read!

I had my baby when i was 16 years old.Iam 18 now. I weighed 125 to 130 pounds at the end of my pregnacy i weighed 204 pounds. I only lost 10 pounds after my baby’s birth. I am so ashamed of my body i feel like my husband has lost total interest in me. I feel like if i got down to being skinny and sexy again i will be happy. I cant even go out in public with out thinking people are starring at me for being so fat. I have had a histoy with eating disorders since i was 13 years old. I am tring so hard to be healthy and lose weight. I cant seem to lose any weight ever. Than i have to see celberity’s looking so dam good it makes me feel like crap.

It was my 22nd birthday when I found out I was pregnant with my son. It was an unplanned pregnancy but a very welcomed one by my and my then boyfriend, now husband. At the time was 105 lbs and had been since I was 14 years old. I am a skinny person by nature, never dieted or worked out a day in my life. I had a wonderful pregnancy. I consider my self very lucky! No morning sickness, no cravings, not even pain! A few stretch marks appeared here and there but nothing major. I had 15 hour, easy, vaginal delivery. My son was born at a petite 6 lbs 6 oz and 20″. After the pregnancy my small body had changed a lot. My hips were huge and my breasts were saggy and the areolas were huge compared to what they used to be. I was still small but not near the size 3 I was before. I was 130lbs postpartum and never lost a pound the the baby weight. I had no idea where to start. I was ok with it though, I have never been one to care about appearances. March last year I found I was pregnant again. This time with a little girl. Again the pregnancy was perfect. This time however my belly got HUGE. Literally, twice the size it was with my son. The stretch marks got worse and worse and my belly was horribly itchy! I often thought maybe I was pregnant with twins and they just missed one on the ultrasound. My child birth was quick and surprisingly easy considering my daughter was born at 8 lbs 14 oz and 22.5″ Almost 3 lbs and 2.5″ bigger then my first child. My belly now is drastically different then after my first child. When I got those first stretch marks with my son I was bummed, thought they were terrible, but I got over it. What happened to me after my daughter is so much worse, but I didn’t even think twice about it. I gave birth to two wonderful, healthy children which I adore with all my heart. My body looks the way it does because of the gift of life I gave to my two children. We are undecided if we want more children, but if we don’t I am considering becoming a gestational surrogate because I love pregnancy and the gift of a child more then anything in the world.

*the first picture is me at 19 years old, no babies. The second photo is 6 months postpartum after my first child. The 3rd is me 39 weeks pregnant with my second child. The 4th is my belly a month postpartum and the 5th is me now, 5 months postpartum.*

I was 1 month to turning 21 when i had my gorgeous heaven sent. She was 9lbs 4 oz and it was an emergency c-section, which came to no surprise. I already knew i was going to have a big baby. Im married to a Samoan so yea lol. Im 5’8 and 1/2 tall and my pre preg weight would be around 130-140 (got comfy with my hubby, so i gained a lil) and right before i had her i was 200. So i gained a good 60-70 lbs with her. Stretch marks were popping up towards the end…i was using all these diff kinds of lotions, sppppsssshhhh that wasnt gonna stop them. But i really didnt make a big deal of those, i call them “love marks”. The belly is what gets me. I am proud to be a mother. I love my daughter and wouldnt trade being her mommy for the world!!! So i try not to be selfish and get down on myself, but sometimes its just hard when you have people around you that are BLUNT. I work at Walmart as a cashier, so im around people constantly. One of the most annoying things that i go thru on a daily basis is hearing the question “awww when you expecting???!!?” That is sooo rude. You shouldnt ask that question…unless if ure positive. And then i have people i know personally that say “ewwww”…and say im just messing with ya, but you know they really arent. Why else would they say it if they wasnt thinking about it? I dont care if i get in a 2 piece, i just wanna wear jeans and a shape fitting shirt again!!! Im only 21 and kno that i can get a nice figure again. Never will i have the same one again…but i actually LOVE my new body…everything EXCEPT the belly. A lot of people complain in a lot of different forums i read on the internet when i google…and i wonder why they complain….you gotta do something. Its not gonna go away. Some women are lucky and bounce back right away….some others have to work for it. So dont complain if you aint worken for it. I just started about a month ago, gradually when i can get to the gym. Starten in June i have plans to get a move on it. Waiting for my best friend to get back home, shes my motivation. I read a lot that when u have a csection, u will always have a pooch. I DONT believe that for one second. I believe you will when you dont do a thing. So because i dont like my belly, i will do something about it. LOL And hope that i keep the butt and breasts. My husband tells me im beautiful and sexy alllll the time. And sometimes i get mad at him. But i realize something…i am the mother of his child, i am his wife, and in his eyes there is no other woman like me so he is right…too him im beautiful and sometimes i forget to thank him. We should all accept the compliments we get from our nears and dears. I love me even with the extra…but its gotta go…haha. If u get my drift. BTW…I lllllooooveeeee this site. Stumbled across it googling. Lol. Keep up the great work!! All you women are awesome!!!!

I found this site and the testimonies about pregnancy and the mothers that have the same issues with their bodies that i have. i have been pregnant twice the first being miscarried at 6 months and the second my son was still-born. I hate my body. the stretch marks, the extra skin, and even worse my saggy breast. Finding this site has lifted my spirits and had inspired me to take a second look at myself. My husband and i are talking about trying to have another child but after my previous two i just dont know how my body will react again. These pictures not only took me forever to take because of my body issues but it has taken me a couple of months to get up the nerve as like the other brave mothers on this site and taken this step has helped me out quite a bit with my body issues and so forth.