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at 7 months PP I am still not happy with my belly, it is soft, rippley and covered with stretch marks, however, when my baby lays his head down to rest or play, these are all the reasons why I love it. It was a soft and warm place for him while he was inside, and continues to be while he is on the outside.

I’m really happy to have found this website as alot of you I also was very skinny and then became pregnant with my first child who was very large and had gotten lots of stretch marks. I now have a hard time accepting and even loving my body. I also feel somewhat disgusted when I even look at myself in the mirror. I hate it honestly.

During my pregnancy I gained 60lbs, I went from 115 lbs prepregnancy to now 6 months postpartum 153. I haven’t been able to lose any of the weight, I am miserable and have now started showing signs of a possible eating disorder. I will not accept my body how it is. I workout like crazy and it’s been 6 months and I have yet to lose 1 pound. I feel so disgusting, I hate looking in the mirror. I will not give up, I will keep trying to lose this weight. This site really helps, it’s amazing how different all of our bodies handle pregnancy and how supportive all of the ladies are. Thank you!

My only son is 5 years old. I had him very young and needless to say, the past 5 years have been quite the journey. I weighed about 105 pounds before I got pregnant and about 180 the day he was born. WOW! My weight has fluctuated the past few years and is about 155 right now. I used to be so ashamed of my stretch marks since they are EVERYWHERE. My son’s father was completely freaked out by them. We were only together a little while after he was born. I remarried when my son was 4 and couldn’t be happier. My husband didn’t even know me when I was pregnant and loves me, my son and my crazy looking body! I know I’ll never be able to wear a bikini but I’ve found some pretty hot one pieces! I don’t think my boobs look half bad considering their size. I’m so proud of my son (who started t-ball this year.) My life is defined by ME, not by the comparison of my body to other peoples. I’m not totally in love with my fat roll but I’ll work out every now and then. I’ve learned life is way too short to worry about what anyone thinks of MY body. It’s mine and I’m starting to like it!

My body has created a safe and warm environment for 2 healthy babies. My beautiful body continued to provide nourishment for my children after each of them were born. My amazing breasts have provided wonderful milk for over 22 months. I am currently still nursing my 16 month old son, whose main source of nutrition is still through my breastmilk. I have more self esteem now than I ever have due to my success as a mother, my strength as an individual, and my passion for the work I do. As a doula and a lactation counselor, I know many women have issues with self-confidence. Not only with their bodies, but also with their ability to speak up for themselves and advocate for their families. I encourage all women to embrace their beauty. I believe that all women should feel confident and empowered through their birth and breastfeeding experience. I also wish for every woman to know and understand that her powerful body is all the more beautiful for it’s every accomplishment.

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So this is one week after my husband and I gave birth to our very first little boy. We had a 24 hour labor and a 7 minute delivery and went all natural even with pitocin. It was fabulous and i’d do it all over again. My body has bounced back pretty quickly. We’ll see what the top half of me decides to do when I’m done breastfeeding in a year. I’m pretty proud of what my body can do. Make babies AND milk? I feel like a super hero. :O)

I was petrified of stretch marks during my pregnancy and when I started getting some I was horrified. But after the birth, nothing really mattered because I get to stare into my son’s face every day. I know I came through the pregnancy relatively unscathed so consider myself lucky. I also grew to love my stretch marks as a sign of motherhood. I plan to have more children and hope my body continues to bounce back. I have to admit I am quite vain and it is hard to see your body changing so dramatically. Plus, I really would be devastated if I couldn’t fit into any of my clothes… But in the end, seeing your child (and children) is worth it. I also lets you live through the realization that life has real meaning and superficial beauty does last and can’t fill you with real joy. I was very slim pre-pregnancy… 5’5″ and 105 lbs. I put on 38 lbs during pregnancy even though I ate healthily. I lost 20 lbs in the first week after birth. The first photo is of me 5 days after birth. The rest are of my now… at 10 weeks postpartum and nursing. I wonder what will happen to my breasts after I finish nursing. As you can see, they are not full even now. I don’t love how my body looks but I am proud of it. And someone already said… in the end, we will ALL be wrinkle and saggy… it’s just a matter of time. But at least mothers have something to show for it, and beauty and love in our lives. (On a side note, dads have it really easy! They should definitely appreciate us!)

This website always makes me think of how I saw my mother when I was younger. I remember her constant dieting and nitpicking about her appearance, and I remember thinking, “What is she talking about? She is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen!” If you are squishy, you are all the better for your child to snuggle up with. A lot of who you are on the inside reflects your children, so why shouldn’t your outside show this amazing accomplishment, too? And remember, although you might think that you resemble an old hag, that little person at your feet is probably looking up at you with his or her wide eyes thinking that you are the most beautiful being in the world! One minute I was a carefree college student about to graduate and with a little pink plus sign (okay, three little pink plus signs…I was in denial!) my world was flipped upside down. The first few months were hell. I did not want this new life…I longed to be able to go where I wanted and to do what I wanted without having to worry about anyone but myself. I found out about a month after I took the pregnancy test that not only would I have one little person to take care of, I was expecting twins! As the months went by and I began to feel two little beings coming to life in my womb, I decided that it felt right. I was blessed and felt lucky that I was chosen to carry these two people through pregnancy and the beginning of their lives. I have never been too pleased with my body. I have chicken legs and my stomach has always had a pooch, so I decided, pregnancy would probably be the best thing to happen to me! Now I have an excuse as to why my stomach already looks like I gave birth. I started out at around 145 and topped 200 when I had the boys at 34 weeks and 6 days. They were amazingly healthy and pretty big considering they were born 5 weeks early (5.14 and 4.13). I was back to my pre-pregnancy weight by my 6 week postpardum appointment. I attribute most of this to the fact that I had twins….all of the weight I gained while pregnant went to the boys and breastfeeding two piggies sure helps shed some pounds, too. My boys are almost 6 months old, and are exclusively breastfed. I am hoping to continue these amazing bonding moments into their 2nd year of life, if not longer! You are all GORGEOUS!!! I had to add the second picture. It was around a 90 degree day and we had no air conditioning, so I was sweating buckets. I was wearing my pregnancy-induced carpal tunnel syndrome wrist guards, and I had my hair beautifully slicked back in a head band, and I thought I looked GOOD!!! HAHA…my boyfriend had to take a picture.

Yesterday I was sitting at my best friend’s house. She was playing with her 8 month old son and I asked her; “Do you ever miss our old lives?” She looked at me, with true love in her eyes, and said very simply and without hesitation, “No, I don’t at all. Sure, there are days I’d love to go out and have a bunch of beers and not worry about a baby, but those days would never be worth it.” This made me feel good…and hopeful. I’m 11 weeks pregnant with my first and my fiance and I heard our little ones heartbeat today. It’s hard to imagine giving up my life as I know it. Trading in my beer bottle for a baby bottle, and giving up the freedom that my fiance and I have enjoyed to do whatever it is we want…but to hear my best friend, who was my partner in crime, tell me that she doesn’t miss our lives as they were, it shows me there is more to this being a mom thing than I realized – it’s bigger than me, bigger than her…bigger than anything i could ever want to do. And I hope I am ready for that!