Teen Mom

Loving my body after baby (Jo)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Child Loss, Postpartum, Pregnant, Second Pregnancy, Submissions, Teen Mom 12 Comments

Age: 20
2 Pregnancies, 1 Birth
16 weeks postpartum

My name is Jordan, I found out i was pregnant with My son Colin a few months after miscarrying my first pregnancy, I was 19 years old.. young, i know but i was still Very happy about conceiving again so shortly after the loss. Through nearly the whole pregnancy i worried and worried something was going to go wrong, i drove myself crazy. Seeing his little body on the ultrasound wasn’t enough to ease my worries, but when i could feel him kick, alot of my fears went away, until he didn’t kick for a while, then i was freaking out. I had an easy pregnancy, no morning sickness, no aches.. not until the end. My son, Colin was born January 10th 2010, weighing 6 lbs 10 oz & 20 inches long. I didn’t even know i was in labor, until i got to the hospital. All day i kept feeling this pressure ‘down there’ so, we went to L&D to see if something was wrong and they told me i was 4 cm dilated and in labor. Labor was easy, too.. no complications, It lasted about 6 hours and i pushed for 20 minutes. Before i got pregnant i weighed 126 lbs, now i weigh 137, i gained 35 lbs the entire time i was pregnant and i’m going to start working on getting this extra weight off soon. I’m pretty happy with myself and my body, a few extra pounds doesn’t make me any less beautiful.
I love being a mom and i love my son. He’s a happy, healthy 4 month old weighing 16 1/2 lbs & 24 inches long.
Somewhere in the next few years wed like to try again, I really want Colin to have a little sister someday.
Thanks for sharing all of your wonderful photos and stories, and thanks for checking out mine.

1st photo- Me a couple weeks before delivery.
2nd photo- In labor
3rd photo- breastfeeding right after birth
4th photo- 8 weeks pregnant
5th photo- 4 weeks postpartum
6th & 7th photos- taken a few days ago with my hubby.
8th & 9th photos- Me and my son taken last week.

Stretched, Marked, & Saggy at 18! (Kelsey)

Bonnie (SOAM) Before Pregnancy, Belly, Breasts, First Pregnancy, Postpartum, Submissions, Teen Mom 23 Comments

Hi, My Name is Kelsey.. I was 16 when I found out I was pregnant.. This came as a big shock to my boyfriend and I. At The time we hadn’t been dating long, and we we’re just in high school after all! We decided to carry on with the pregnancy and Keep our son..Now named Noah.. He’s an almost 2 outgoing, amazing little guy!! We are married and have turned out to be quite successful. I am now almost 19 only don’t feel it.. My breasts are saggy and marked ( due to 1 year of breast feeding), I have a c-section scar, My sides, thighs and butt have been stretched and marked, and Overall I just don’t look like I Should! My self confidence has really been fading lately as summer comes and I see all the girls “my age” in there cute bikinis and short shorts, and this is when it really starts to hit me that I’m never going to look any different!! It’s starting to effect my relationship with my husband and just the way i interact with people in general.. I would love to get the self confidence back that i had when i was a young teenager.. I mean who wouldn’t ! I love my son to death, always have, always will.. I just hate the feeling of being so discusted when you look at yourself in the mirror.. I just don’t know where to turn????
I Found this website when my son was about 6 months old, and I am finally getting up the nerve to post my story.

AGE:18
NUMBER OF PREGNANCY’S: 1. Noah almost 2 years
NUMBER OF BIRTHS: 1

1st picture My son Noah
2nd picture Myself Pre-Pregnancy
3rd picture Scarred Breasts
4th picture Postpartum body
5th picture stretch marks

PS: I want to thank you for your site.. I find it very empowering to women to see this.. While it hasn’t quite hit me yet, i’m hoping this step will help. Thank you

So insecure about my body! Trying to accept it, but it’s not easy! (Anonymous)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Cesarean, Child Loss, Four or More Pregnancies, Postpartum, Submissions, Teen Mom, VBAC 15 Comments

Age:23
4 months postpartum
4 pregnancies, 3 births(1 miscarriage) (I have a 5 year old, a 3 year old and a 4 month old)

I was 17 when I became pregnant with my first child and I weighed 100 pounds. I was tiny. When I delivered him I weighed in at 140 pounds. By the time he was 3 months old, I was back down to 100 pounds. I didn’t do anything, I just dropped the weight like that. When I got pregnant with my daughter when my son had just turned 1, I assumed I would be the same way again. I gained a lot of weight with her. I delivered her by emergency c-section at 165 pounds. I have never really lost the weight since then. I got down to 155 pounds, but that’s it. My stomach hangs over the c-section scar and I hate it. No matter what I do, it won’t go away. Right after my daughter turned 2, I got pregnant again. At 13 weeks, I miscarried. Got pregnant again about 2 months later and delivered my second daughter in December. I only gained 15 pounds with that pregnancy, weighing in at 170 when I delivered her. I am breastfeeding her, and I lost all the pregnancy weight within 2 weeks…was back down to my pre-pregnancy weight of 155. But I just can’t get under that, it seems. I guess it could be worse. I just don’t feel pretty anymore. I used to be so tiny and now I can’t wear any cute clothes because my stomach hangs out and looks gross. I just want to be able to accept the way I look :-(

It looks like a frowny face (Kerry)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, First Pregnancy, Postpartum, Submissions, Teen Mom, Update 9 Comments

Previous submissions here and here.

Age: 19
First pregnancy/birth: 1 year pp

Thats what my 5 year old nephew says about my belly button. It bothered me immensely the first time he said it, then the more I thought of it a little chuckle escaped.. how many people can say it looks like their button is frowning? That short sentence pretty much sums up my whole postpartum journey thus far; denial, anger, mortification, acceptance, appreciation, and enjoyment! If you asked me a year ago if I ever thought I’d enjoy my body again I’d have given you a very quick and convincing, “NO!” I was very depressed about my body, I compared myself with every single female I saw, childless or mother; and in my eyes they all looked better than me. Every time someone complimented me or told me I was looking great I was sure they were lying, there’s no way I could look great.

Over this past year I have changed a lot, but its more my attitude than my body. My breasts are shrunken and saggy, yet I cherish the memories they give me.. my son kneading and tugging on them as he nurses and in those moments I’m the only thing in the world he cares about. The right side of my belly has far more stretchmarks than the left, and every time I look down I remember having his back pushed up tight on that side of me for the entire pregnancy. The stretchmarks from the top of my breasts to my calves remind me how strong my body is and I marvel in the fact that I was privileged enough to grow another human being inside me and it never ceases to amaze me how a body can morph to accommodate that baby. I don’t think my body is better or worse than any other mom out there, we each have our own stories and our bodies illustrate that individuality. What fun would it be if we all fit the same mold??

I finally started working out around the new year, before that I had felt hopeless. It’s helped boost my confidence, energy and moods so much! I’ve lost 55 of the 60lbs I gained during my pregnancy so far. I hope to lose 5 or so more and continue to get in better shape. I just wanted to say how much I appreciate this site for helping me see what really matters, I firmly believe I would still loathe my body had I not found SOAM.

Picture 1: 1 yr pp full body shot
Picture 2: 1 yr pp close up of the “frowny face” button and strechmarks
Picture 3: 1 yr pp side
Pitcure 4: Levi 1 yr old!

Updated here.

My Body After Baby (Tessa)

Bonnie (SOAM) Before Pregnancy, Belly, Cesarean, First Pregnancy, Postpartum, Pregnant, Submissions, Teen Mom, Update 8 Comments

I became pregnant and the age of 19 years old. Before I was pregnant, I was quite thin. I always had body image insecurities either way. Looking back at those photos, I find myself asking how I could have ever been displeased with my body pre-pregnancy. When I found out I was pregnant, I was 128 lbs. By the day of my induction, I was 198 lbs. Throughout my third trimester of my pregnancy, I often got asked if I was having twins. No, just one baby. One very large baby. My baby was born at 9 lbs 13 oz via cesarean section.

Although I was large, I was told numerous times that because I chose to exclusively breastfeed my child, that the weight would come off faster. Much to my dismay, the opposite was true. I was only able to breastfeed for a few months before my baby boy went on a nursing strike. I then exclusively pumped breastmilk until my baby was 6.5 months old. After I weaned myself from the pump, and thanks to the warmer weather and more walking, I finally started to get comments that I looked thinner. It wasn’t until I quit breastfeeding that I was able to lose weight. Right now I am at 160.5 lbs, 7 months post-partum. I’m running some, doing some ab workouts, but only when I can squeeze it in around taking care of my son.

But still, those comments about me looking thinner are made when my body is hid by clothing. My stretch marks cover my entire stomach, hips, thighs, and calves. My stomach doesn’t pouch out as much, but instead it went south. I have plenty of loose skin. To top it off, I have the c-section overhang.

Getting used to my new body is hard at times. I do truly really struggle sometimes. I don’t love my son any less; he was absolutely worth every stretch mark, every lb, and all the extra loose skin. I was so hopeful that because I was tiny before, that I’d loose the weight quickly. I was so hopeful that breastfeeding would help me lose the weight quickly, as everyone promised. But it didn’t. And although I still plan to exercise and try to be healthy, I know I need to learn to be comfortable with my body, knowing it looks the way it does know because it created my child. I’m not there yet, but I do have some good days. I may not be young and “hot”, but I am beautiful and my body is amazing for the sole reason that it created, housed, and gave birth to life.

I’m attaching an 8 weeks photo, 40 weeks pregnant photo,two 6 weeks post-partum photos(white sports bra), a few 7 months PP photos(pink bra and shorts), and a photo of the wonderful little life that is the reason for these photos

Updated here and here.

My Story With Lily – Update (Marissa)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, First Pregnancy, Postpartum, Submissions, Teen Mom, Update 3 Comments

Original entry here.

I have lost 76 pounds, 10 more to go. im right now a 140 lbs, but the new pics are when i was a 144 lbs. I have finally started my period and the weight is coming off quickly. Plus, i eat right and jog. so its been helping alot. i hope i end up in my pre pregnancy weight of 130 by summer. I hate my stretch marks still, they attacked everywhere and i see they only faded, but are still highly noticable. Also, i lost alot ofhel weight in my breast and thats bumming me out, i hate for them to sag. But im slowly loving my body, its difficult but im accepting it. I just want to feel sexy again i suppose. But the pictures of me in the red underwear was from about 4 months ago, and the one with the white/pinkish was taken about a a couple of weeks ago. Im still hoping to drop these last ten pounds! but i guess im fooling myself, in my mind i think that if i lose the last pounds, my stretch marks will disappear, my boobs would perk up and my flab will be flat again. but i just want to feel good in my own skin again. Im not sucking in with either picture. but thank you for reading! I love this supporting site. =]

Living For So Much (Natalia)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Breasts, First Pregnancy, Positive Body Image/Words of Enouragement, Postpartum, Pregnant, Submissions, Teen Mom, Update 15 Comments

Age: 20
Pregnancies/births: 3 pregnancies/ 1 birth
Number of children: 1 son, Ronin, age 2

I found out I was pregnant when I was 17, which truly caught me by suprise. I know I wasn’t on birth control, but we used a condom every time. Could it be possible I was the 1% that the condom didn’t work for?? Lame right? Well to be honest, part of me was really excited to have a baby! I know I was young, but my heart and my mind said this was right. After making it through a kidney infection 10 weeks in, everything went smoothly and I was getting closer to my home water birth. During that time, I got stretch marks in ungodly places…places I thought to myself “you can really get them THERE??”. My breast size…went from a 32A to a 34DD. Crazy right? I actually got some tiger stripes on the back of my calves too! But the exstacy I felt when I was able to hold my son right after birth….washed away all those thoughts of my changing body. He diminished all my innercomplaints of the ever expanding butt and feet I thought of. He is 2 now, and I have to say, trying to bounce back was hard, and I’m not even fully where I dream of being. But quite frankly, I don’t give a darn. I say hurrah for mothers! Hurrah for tiger stripes! Together we stand, an army of life! The flabby skin, the not so tight areas…the dark nipples and sagging boobs…the dimpled buttcheeks and wider hips. This all just proclaims that we, yes we, have used what god gave us! I’m ready for more and more children. I know what lays ahead for my body, but that is the least of my concerns. I congradulate all mothers on this site. And I wish everyone the best of luck and love. Keep on skipping along mommies, and know that you have an army of us with you :-) Peace out

pic#1…..7 months preggo
pic#2…..3 weeks postpartum
pic#3……now
pic#4……now
pic#5……now

Updated here.

I Hate My Stomach (Emma)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Complications in Pregnancy, First Pregnancy, Mothers with Health Complications, NICU, Postpartum, Preemie, Pregnant, Submissions, Teen Mom 11 Comments

I never liked my body before I got pregnant at 18, but after going through a very rough pregnancy, I wish I had appreciated it more when I could. My pregnancy was unplanned, and I spent much of it wondering if I was making the right decision. It was also rough on me physically – I was out of shape to begin with and I put on a lot of weight very quickly. Because I have type 1 diabetes, my baby grew larger than average, and as a result I was measuring full-term at about 27 weeks. I literally could only walk for a few minutes at a time, and was in almost constant pain – so much so that when I went into spontaneous labor at nearly 33 weeks, all I felt was relief that I was done being pregnant. When Zoey was born she weighed 7 lbs 10 oz. Even though she looked like a full-term baby, internally she was still 7 weeks early. She stayed in the NICU for 3 weeks and came home with no complications, thank god.

Before pregnancy I weighed 160 lbs (at 5’2″ I was already overweight). When I delivered, I was 218. I managed to lose most of the weight fairly quickly, but my clothes still didn’t fit. Almost 7 months after giving birth, I’m down to 150 lbs (with a goal of 130), but I still can’t button most of my jeans. I still look like I’m pregnant. I keep my gut constantly sucked in. My love handles are humongous. Even my back is fatter than before. My breasts… oh, my breasts. Zoey struggled to nurse, so I’ve been pumping so I can still give her my milk. But now my once full, high breasts droooop halfway down my stomach. I don’t even care about the stretch marks. I just miss having smooth, unwrinkled skin. I miss having a decent shape.

My baby girl will be 7 months old in a few weeks, and I’m still in awe of her. I can’t believe how amazing and perfect she is. But I wish I could love myself, too.

Pic 1 is me at 27 weeks
Pic 2 is me about 1 month postpartum
Pic 3 is me 6.5 months postpartum
Pic 4 is me 6.5 months postpartum
Pic 5 is Zoey, the day she was born
Pic 6 is Zoey today

~Age: 19
~Number of pregnancies and births: 1
~The age of your children, or how far postpartum you are: 7 months

Teen Mum of One (Anonymous)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, First Pregnancy, Postpartum, Pregnant, Submissions, Teen Mom 11 Comments

I’m 19 years old. Found out I was pregnant when I was 18 and turned 19 during my pregnancy. I felt really terrible about myself from 6 months pregnant on. I felt I looked so huge and disgusting and cried about it alot. My body after having my baby turned out not to be much better. I had gone from 154lbs to 188lbs and felt so awful. I managed to get my weight down and am now 148lbs but the stretch marks are still pretty upsetting. I really hoped to be able to wear a bikini this summer, after I had lost all the weight, but now I don’t know that I could show my stretch marks. My tummy is also a bit wobbly and yuck. I do definitely feel better though when I come on this site. I love how people aren’t afraid to show themselves as they really are. It makes you feel so bad when you see celebrities on magazine covers in tiny bikinis 6 weeks after their babies and they look perfect. It’s comforting to know that other people feel self-conscious sometimes about their post-pregnancy bodies. I am now 15 weeks postpartum and although I’m looking better than I did, my tummy is definitely not right :S . The first pic is me when I was 9 months pregnant and the second and third are me 14 weeks postpartum. I love my little girl to bits but still hard to accept my new body…

Loving the new me, sags, stretchies and more. (Christina)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Child Loss, Postpartum, Second Pregnancy, Submissions, Teen Mom 11 Comments

I got pregnant when I was sixteen. But from the moment I knew what was going on with my body I loved it. I saw past the new milk filled boobs, that I loved at first; as food for my growing child. I saw past my ever growing rear end, and the dark mark making its way down my ever swelling belly. I have always loved my body, and being pregnant didn’t change that. After the birth of the most gorgeous little seven pound, fourteen ounce little boy, I still loved my body. Until a little while after recovery, when I realized the belly sag would probably never go away. The stretch marks on my breasts, thighs, butt, and stomach were all there to stay. I had an awful bout of post partem depression, they made me feel saggy and stretched out. With this new body though (and a lot of convincing from my boyfriend) I learned not to be ashamed of the stretch marks, but see them as a reminder every day of what I accomplished; see them as a badge of honor. Now I feel as though each stretch mark tells a story. I’m proud to have a mothers body! :)

My age as of now: Nineteen.
Number of pregnancies and births: Two pregnancies, one birth. (Miscarriage Jan. 30th 2010)
Age of child: One and a half.

(I only included pictures of my tummy, as it was hard to get pictures of my rear on my own LoL.)