Teen Mom

Never Beautiful Enough (Savannah)

Bonnie (SOAM) Before Pregnancy, Belly, First Pregnancy, Postpartum, Submissions, Teen Mom 10 Comments

Age:19/ 4.5 months postpartum
Pregnancies: 1 birth/ 1 miscarriage

It must have been prom night that my son was concieved. Even though my boyfriend and I did not go to prom (in order to save money for a trip to Jamaica) we did look forward to the after parties. The alcohol mixed with the graham crackers and the self-serve packets of tingling lube made for a dizzy night conducive of baby-making. I was just 18 years old. Slim, but not skinny. Athletic, measuring 5’7″ and weighing in at roughly 125. I started lifting weights at 15 years old, and at some point went from 135 lb to an unhealthy 112, then evening out at 125 lbs. I am happy to say, that at 4 months post-partum, I am weighing 122 lbs. I feel sexy, but not satisfied. I am grateful to have almost no stretchmarks on my stomach, but I definitely have flab in places that I do not ever remember having flab. I was not one of those lucky women who could put on their pre-pregnancy jeans right after giving birth. I went into labor at 181 lbs and left the hospital somewhere between 160-165 lbs after giving birth to a healthy 7lb 15oz baby boy. If I could give any pregnant woman (or new mom) advice on how to get back into shape it would be this:

1) Get a jogging stroller. This thing SAVED MY LIFE. My boyfriend and I work out a system on the weekends where he watches the baby while I sleep an extra 2 hours, and then when I wake up, I take the baby for a jog so that my boyfriend can have some quiet time.

2) Get a girdle. This is going to sound crazy, but I started wearing a girdle 1 week post-partum because my belly was really saggy. It actually hurt to sleep on my side because it felt like my skin was really heavy. I endorse the “Slimming Waist Cincher Shaper” by Leonisa. At first it was really tight and uncomfortable, but in a matter of days I could put it on without sucking my belly in. I was so happy with my results with the size medium that I went on to purchase a size small.

3) Breastfeed. Being a teen mom, I *almost* gave up breastfeeding due to the excruciating pain. But I found it WAY too hard to clean bottles and mix formula in the middle of the night. In my opinion, I lost a lot of weight by breastfeeding not because it burns calories (that’s just a plus), but because I was more conscious about what I ate knowing that my son was getting a taste of it.

4) Try to walk ASAP. I started walking half a mile to school 4 days after giving birth. This really helped me get some fresh air and not be cooped up with the baby. I would not reccomend “excercising”, though. I waited 6 weeks before attempting to go jogging (and I had to stop after about one block).

5) Lift heavy weights. When you get the “okay” from your doctor, I highly recommend getting into a weight-lifting routine. Weight lifting is really what helps me maintain muscle while boosting my metabolism. Muscle burns more calories than fat, so if you do a muscle-building workout, you will burn more calories in your regular day-to-day activities. Also, weight lifting, will NOT make you bulky. Too many women think muscle=manly body and this is simply not true!

6) Buy inspiration clothes. Before my baby was born I bought a few dresses that were my pre-pregnancy size. This really helped me look forward to wearing these clothes and set goals for losing my baby weight. Also, after having my baby, I refused to let myself purchase clothing that would fit before I got down to my pre-pregnancy weight. Since I had hardly any cute outfits to match my cute baby, I did not “get comfortable”, I guess you could say.

I have attached a few pictures, hope you enjoy!
First three: 4 months post partum. A bikini photo pre-pregnancy at 117 lbs. My handsome guy at 4.5 months.

Saggy skin, stretch marks, and a baby boy! (Ashley E)

Bonnie (SOAM) Before Pregnancy, Belly, Cesarean, First Pregnancy, Postpartum, Submissions, Teen Mom 2 Comments

(age) 19 years old
(# of pregnancies & births) 2 pregancies and 1 birth
(post-partum) 5 Weeks

I am 5 foot 2 inches tall. Before pregnancy I weighed 114 pounds. I gained 37 pounds, making me 153 pounds by the end of pregnancy. I had a scheduled c-section due to my son being breech. Two weeks PP I lost 20 pounds making me weigh 133 pounds. At four weeks PP I weighed 123 pounds. I haven’t weighed since then because I am weighing myself every two weeks, but my total weight loss is 30 pounds and I have 7 pounds to go before I am back to pre-pregnancy weight. I plan on starting yoga and pilates soon to lose the extra pounds and tighten up a bit. I had a lot of extra skin the first few weeks but I guarantee I’ve lost at least one pant size since my loose skin has slowly started tightening again. Oh! And I can button a couple of pairs of pants now others I have to wear a belly band still but I think that’s helping to flatten my belly!

2 Months PP belly. Hate it, but will learn to love it. (Anonymous)

Bonnie (SOAM) Before Pregnancy, Belly, First Pregnancy, Postpartum, Submissions, Teen Mom 17 Comments

I was 16 when I got pregnant had my sweet little 8 pounds and 7 ounce baby boy after 40 long weeks of pregnancy at age 17! Im 5 foot 7 inches and 147 before i got pregnant at the end of my pregnancy i was a whooping 193!! I now weigh 172. And i know it’s only been two months but it’s hard for me to love my body at such a young age. However I wouldn’t take my son back for anything! I just need a confidence boost that hopefully maybe my belly will look better? My belly button is STILL sticking out…will that go back in? The first two pictures is me in my bikini right before i got pregnant. And the next 3 are 2 months after pregnancy, but the last one is me and my wonderful gift from God!

My belly, the first home of my biggest blessings… far from flawless, but I love it anyway. (Julie)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Child Loss, Four or More Pregnancies, Gestational Diabetes, Hyperemesis Gravidarum, Polyhydramnios, Postpartum, Submissions, Teen Mom 5 Comments

-24 years old
-6 pregnancies, 5 children. (1 loss at 9 weeks gestation.)
-J, 7 years old. P, 6 years old. K, 5 years old. G, 3.5 years old. L, 2 years old.

– Hello ladies! Thank you for allowing me the oppeortunity to share my own story. :)

My husband and I found out we were expecting 6 months before we planned to marry. Our relationship is a little unique. He is 5 years older than I, we have been together since I was 14 and lived in our own home since I was 15 & he was 20. I was 16 when we found out I was pregnant, April 20th 2004. We had been planning to wed, with the blessings of my parents, October 16th 2004. 2 months after my 17th birthday. When we found out we were expecting.. I was 5’1, very lean and toned, and weighed 112 pounds. We did indeed wed on October 17th, with our daughter present in utero. :) My pregnancy with her was for the most part uneventful once I got past the first trimester. The first 13 weeks I suffered from Hypermesis Gravidarum and before I was finally prescribed Zofran for it, I vomited all day, every day, and felt awful. I frequently landed myself in the ER because of dehydration. I got down to 108lbs, and that is when they decided to prescribe the Zofran. Later in pregnancy, I developed what they call “polyhydramnious.” This meant I had a lot of extra fluid, for unexplained reasons. Because of this, my stomach grew rapidly and I experienced very sudden weight gain the last few weeks. My last weight before giving birth was 162lbs. Going off 108, I gained 54 pounds. J was born at 38 weeks on December 21st, beautiful and healthy, weighing 7lbs 1oz.

My husband and I knew from the get-go, even being young parents and newly weds, that we wanted a large family. We are both from large families and we wanted the same. So we decided to let go with “not trying, not preventing” as far as our sexual relationship went. Coincedently, I found out I was pregnant for the 2nd time, AGAIN on April 20th, 2005. The EDD was the same as J’s, as well! We were shocked given the circumstances & the fact their dates were exact, but we were ELATED! J was 1 day shy of 4mos old, and I still had a lot of work that needed to be done to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight. Obviously, that was going to have to be put on hold. The next month consisted of a lot of blood work, a lot of doctor visits, and a lot of ultrasounds. Unfortunately on May 26th, 2005.. after a month of no growth or change in the embryo, including no heartbeat… we realized the pregnancy was not viable. My midwife scheduled a D&C with the OBGYN at the clinic I went to. On May 27th, 2005, we said goodbye to our Angel that wasn’t mean for this world. We were obviously heartbroken, disappointed, sad, etc. But we had J to keep us busy and we focused on what we had been blessed with, each other and our beautiful daughter.

And then just a few weeks later, mid July, we found out for the third time we were expecting AGAIN! Obviously we were very nervous because of the miscarriage, but thankfully the pregnancy progressed and everything went well. Our 2nd child, a beautiful baby boy, was born also at 38 weeks on April 10th 2006 after an uneventful pregnancy. He weighed 8lbs 1oz and like his sister, was healthy as can be. J was 15 months old when she became a big sister.

Now if I continue to give the run down on all my pregnancies, my story will get ridiculously long… LOL! So I’ll just share the bare minimum from here on out.

#3, our 2nd son, was born on June 24th of 2007. I had polyhydramnios with him as well and gained a massive amount of weight. Because of the severe PH, my water broke at 36 weeks. Even so, K weighed 7lbs 2ozs and other than some jaundice from his premature liver, he was healthy as can be. At the time of his birth, J was 2.5 years old and P was 14mos old.

#4, our 3rd son, was born at 38 weeks gestation on December 18th 2008. G was another uneventful pregnancy, born healthy weighing 8lbs 10ozs. At the time of G’s birth, J was just shy of her 4th birthday, P was 2.5 years old, and K was a week shy of 18 months old.

#5, our 2nd girl, was born at 38 weeks gestation on April 19th 2010. With L, I had what my midwife called “borderline gestational diabetes.” I failed my 1hr Glucose test with her, just as I did with G, but with him I went on the pass the 3hr. With L, I failed by just a few points. I was RIGHT under the “normal” range. Because of this, I had to monitor my blood sugar during my pregnancy and eat a semi-diabetic diet. At 2 weeks early, L was born weighed 8lbs 15ozs.. 1 oz shy of 9lbs.. and that is AFTER she took a nice pee on me just seconds after she was born. I think it’s safe to say she would have weighed at least 9lbs even if she had been weighed before peeing. They tested her blood sugar shortly after her birth since she was such a good sized baby even 2 weeks early, which is a sign of macrosomia… large baby caused by gestational diabetes. Her blood sugar was absolutely fine… she was just a healthy girl. At the time of her birth J was 5yrs old, P was 4, K was 2 mos shy of his 3rd birthday, and G was 16mos old.

A grand total of 5 pregnancies, 1 loss, and 5 healthy blessings in 5 years and 4 months time. The grand total of the baby weight my uterus held comes to 39lbs, 15ozs! That’s just the weight of the babies.. not to mention the fluid, blood, placenta, etc. Obviously with only 4-8 months between each pregnancy… I didn’t have a lot of time to lose the baby weight, and instead it just kept piling on. I breastfed, but unfortunately I was not one of the lucky mamas who shed the pounds with the help of nursing.

I grew more and more uncomfortable in my own skin as the years went on… and for some reason, I lacked the will power and confidence to get back in shape. Around the time of my daughters 2nd birthday.. I finally became fed up. She hadn’t nursed for quite some time, and I knew it was time to take control of my life and get back to a point whre I could be comfortable with myself. So I got serious, and I decided to make a lifestyle change. At that time, my starting weight was 195lbs. At 5’2. I was morbidly obese. The girl who was always “naturally slender,” was morbidly obese. I know you ladies can imagine how I felt. I visited my family physician, we set up a weight loss plan complete with my goals, and he prescribed me a weight loss aid to help me along. My goal is not to become skinny. My goal is to become HEALTHY and be COMFORTABLE with my body. The body that has done AMAZING things for me and kept the 5 most important people in my life HEALTHY until it was time for them to be born. 12 weeks later I have managed to lose 45 pounds, 13 combined inches (waist, hips, thighs) and 2, ALMOST 3 pant sizes. I am 15lbs from my goal weight, and granted my weight loss has slowed down significantly from what it was in the beginning.. I am still working hard to get there so I can be healthy and feel good about myself… and I can honestly say I grow more and more comfortable with my body each week! The stretch marks do not bother me. The loose skin does not bother me. As I said, my body did the most amazing thing for me… FIVE times. The weight gain, the struggle to lose it… it has all been MORE than worth it. I will never have that tight, perfectly toned, flawless body I had before kids and that is perfectly fine with me. That’s not my goal. I am so proud of myself and my confidence, the way I feel about myself, is better than it has ever been. I am proud of my body regardless of the fact I still have 15lbs to go to my goal (which by the way is on the heigher end of “normal” given me height. But like I said, I’m not trying to get skinny.) and a LOT of toning to do. Fitness and exercise have become an every day part of my life, and it will be even after I hit my goal. It’s something my family and I can do together, and it makes us feel good. The weight loss has been a blessing.. but the biggest blessing of all is my children and I will forever be greatful for the body that carried them and kept them safe during their gestational period…. MY body. <3 Oh, and for the inquiring minds.... no, neither my husband or I got any permanent sterilization. We are using precautions and plan to for a while longer.. but we do intend to welcome at least one more child into our family sometime in the future, assuming it is meant to be and we are blessed again. Just taking a break for now. :) Thanks again for allowing me the opportunity to share my story. :) If you made it through the novel, kudos to you and thanks for reading! (My progress pictures are ready to be updated with the 12th week photos. This is start, 3 weeks, 6 weeks, and 9 weeks. I have lost 5 more pounds since the 9th week photo.) [gallery]

Uphill Battle (Jade)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Breasts, First Pregnancy, Postpartum, Pregnant, Submissions, Teen Mom 22 Comments

-Age- 18
-Pregnancy’s- 1 and -Birth’s- 1
-Children Age- almost 2yrs

I was only 15 when i concieved my little boy, zander. I had him June 1st of 2010 at 12.51pm. he weighed 8lb 14 oz and 21 1/2inches long. I have had a hard time dealing with the way i look. i know it could be alot worse but from where i was before having my son to now is a big change. at 15 pre-pregnancy i was 5’5″ 95lbs and a 34DD. my body was so perfect in my mind. my boobs where so perfect and perky, my nipples where the right size and shape. my tummy was supper flat, i was a dancer and had a dancer belly. now my sides have strectch marks, which u cannot really see in the picture, and truely they arent to bad compared to others but for me i worry so much about them. I hate almost everything about me and i know i shouldnt but i do. my fiance is kind of supportive. i know he thinks he loves me but i know i love him more than he loves me. but last october he did cheat on me. so i worry about his mind set it also made me feel so ugly and not good enough. we have been togethere for 4years now hes 4years older than me making him 22yrs old. sometimes i feel stuck because i want my son to have a daddy in his life but i dont know if me and him are right for each other. i have a fear of being alone and i dont know if someone is going to want me for the fact of the way i look and i have a child. now im rambeling haha. but thankyou for reading this and i love this site it has made me feel better and less alone

well the one picture is of my son Zander
my belly as of today 2years after birth(weighing 105lbs and a 34D)
me at 9 months pregnant

18, Overweight, and Pregnant (Trish)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, First Pregnancy, Plus-Sized Mom, Postpartum, Pregnant, Submissions, Teen Mom 6 Comments

I have always been over weight for as long as i can remember, at 18 i met my fiance and he was 33! he was so fun and it was risky and fun to be with an older guy and i knew my family would hate it. but 4months in i found out i was pregnant, i freaked out how could i be? i was on the pill! but i was. he was so understanding and actually excited! well my family dis-owned me and his dis-owned him, we carried on our relationship, i moved in with him & in Nov. along came our son! he was amazing and 6months later i am finally ok with my body because my son loves me no matter what and so does my fiance and thats all that matters so i started to love myself to, i am working on losing some weight, to be healthy not to look any better! :)

the photo in the tshirt i am 38 weeks pregnant. the others are 6months PP.

This is Me (Leanne)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, First Pregnancy, Legs, Positive Body Image/Words of Enouragement, Postpartum, Submissions, Teen Mom 9 Comments

23 years old, 1 pregnancy 1 birth, daughter aged 4

I fell pregnant a month after my 18th birthday. It wasn’t planned and came as a total shock, but once the initial shock was over, I was happy. I prepared myself mentally for everything that was to come; except the changes to my body. I developed stretch marks at around 22 weeks. I remember seeing one in the mirror for the first time and thinking ‘Oh no, I’m going to have that scar for life!’ but I wasn’t prepared for the dozens upon dozens of stretch marks to follow. By the time my beautiful girl was born, I was covered. I was so happy and thrilled to be a mother that at first I put them to the back of my mind, but as she got older and time went on the more I focused back on myself. I hated my body. I was over-weight, covered in scars, my breasts had dropped after breast feeding and I felt like an old woman. But I didn’t give in to my negative thoughts. By the time my little girl was one years old, I’d joined a diet club and was exercising more and began to slowly lose my baby weight; that’s when the turning point came. As my friends and family complimented me on how much weight I’d lost and how healthy I was looking, it spurned me on. I didn’t go over the top, but just kept to what I was doing and still enjoyed precious time with my daughter. I accepted that I could lose weight if I tried but would never lose the scars. Once I accepted it I started to love my body again. I’m now 23 with my confidence back. My scars tell a story of the most important journey of my life and make me who I am. For the first time since I had my daughter, I wore a bikini on holiday last year. Yes, I don’t have the beach perfect body, but I’m a young woman, who wants to wear a bikini and why should I let worries of what other people may think stop me? As a woman, the greatest thing you can do is bring life into this world, why be ashamed of the signs that have proven you did just that!

Learning to Move On (Anonymous)

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

Age 22
2 children – 4 year old and a 6 month old.

I came across this site by accident. It came at the right time as the night before I’d opened up to my partner for the first time about my hatred for the way I look. I’ll start from the beginning of my story.

My first son came as a surprise to me. I was almost 5 months pregnant when I found out I was expecting. At 17 I had not planned on having a baby! As soon as I found out I was over joyed and scared. My partner at the time was not a very nice man, we broke up several times and finally finished for good not long after I had my son. My fear of my body stems from him I believe, he would scream at me that I was discussing and nobody would want me. If anybody else had said that to me I don’t think it would have been so painful, but I had carried his baby in my body and I honestly did not care about my stretch marks or sagging skin, my son was beautiful. However as time went on his constant belittling of the way I looked started to take its toll. I found my self alone with no friends that understood what it was like to be 17 and have the body I did. I watched as they all went on with their lives with their young beautiful bodies while I sat around feeling sorry for my self. For a very long time I didn’t think I was worthy of anybody to love me.

When my son was 2 I met my current partner. He is the most wonderful man and I love him more than I can express. He loves my son as his own and I could not ask for anything more. When we had our second son I feared that his feeling would change towards my son but they didn’t he loves him just as he always did. My own insecurities resurfaced after giving birth again however. He showers me with compliments and I know that he really does love me as I am, stretch marks and sagging skin included!! I just don’t. I push him away constantly, I can’t understand how somebody can look at me and think I look nice! Recently we have talked properly about things and I have realised that it doesnt matter, he loves my body, why shouldn’t I?

It doesn’t help with all the pictures of the celebs with their fantastic figures after and hour of giving birth! This is why this site is so amazing, it has helped me realise that we really are beautiful. We should be proud that our bodies carried our whole worlds for 9 months and be grateful we where so lucky to be able to. I’ve come to realise that it doesn’t matter what I look like, I am lucky. It’s not fair to those who haven’t been unable to conceive or to my children to care how I look. They are a blessing. I am slowly dealing with my issues and I hope that everybody out there can do to!

Your all beautiful ladies – be happy!! X

Face of a Single Prayer (Allyshia)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Eating Disorder, First Pregnancy, Postpartum, Pregnant, Second Pregnancy, Submissions, Teen Mom 7 Comments

age: 17.
Pregnancies: 2 // births: 1 and 1 on the way!
Age of children: 13 months and 9 weeks pregnant :)

I was 15, struggling through anorexia and I was 78 lbs. I was 4’10” and still am at the moment! I was about 87 lbs at the time I conceived my daughter and my weight went up and up and up! I had a sudden realization that I needed to eat. So from 200 to 1800 calories a day I went. I put on about 25 lbs in the first 20 weeks. Which, was actually 20 lbs of weight I needed for myself. So 5 lbs for baby! By 38 weeks, I was 138 lbs. I had gained about 30 for baby and 20 for me. I felt pretty good. Big but good! I didn’t get stretch marks untl 28-29 weeks though. So I had a long way and a lot of stretch marks to gain. I got them on my boobs, butt, back, belly, the back of my knees, my ankles, everywhere!

On February 24, 2011 at 12:30 am, my water broke. At 8:50 am, after only 3 hours and 20 minutes of hard labor, my beautiful 7 lb 11 oz baby girl was born naturally. No epidural. Nothing. Just breathing and relaxation. She is a beautiful little toddler, healthy and happy and just so happy! She has the normal health issues any baby would have; ear infections here and there, a yeast infection once, bladder infection once. I think it’s because I didn’t strengthen her immune system by breast feeding. I feel bad for not being able to but she has done so well anyway.

On February 15, 2012 her little sibling was conceived! (From the ultrasound we got) We are 9 weeks pregnant and ecstatic. It was unplanned but one night of passionate Valentines day love turned into another loved little one :) He/she looked like a little bean on the ultrasound.

My weight is about 118 lbs right now (still healthy range) and has only gone up a lb since this baby. Our weight gain goal is about 25-30 lbs. I plan on exercising and walking and eating healthier this pregnancy so it is easier to flatten my tummy. I don’t care about the extra skin. I just want to stop looking pregnant whenever I eat (except now. it’s okay now!). I might get a belly band as well. My stretch marks have faded all naturally. No procedures at all.

Thanks for reading :)

PICTURES!

1st) 5 weeks/pre pregnancy body:
2nd) 20 weeks with baby girl:
3rd) 34 weeks:
4th) 38 weeks belly! :
5th) 8 weeks with this bub! :
6th: 8 week 5 day ultrasound:
7th) postpartum belly (taken today):
8th) my girl on her 1st birthday:
9th) my Lilia today! :