Update

The P90X Experiment (Mary)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Positive Body Image/Words of Enouragement, Postpartum, Submissions, Third Pregnancy, Update 13 Comments

Original post here.
Website: https://slowthisridedown.blogspot.com/

When I wrote “Mirror, Mirror on the wall….Who’s the Most Damaged Mother of them All?” last year I thought that was the end of my journey in accepting my body…little did I know it was just the beginning! I submitted my article to SOAM in February and it was posted on March 9th, a hard day for our family as it’s the anniversary of the death of our niece and nephew, but all the beautiful comments to the article made the day much brighter, thank you!

Over the past few months I’ve been shocked over and over by…how I really do NOT hate my body anymore! It’s a hard feeling to get used to that’s for sure. And I think that loving who you are makes it easier to let go and stick with a healthier lifestyle (for me anyways, I know all mothers are different)…because you know you deserve to treat yourself better. Since I wasn’t depressed about my body I stopped binge eating and had more energy to work out. I even started going to the gym, something I had been too embarrassed to do before, which brought on a whole new appreciation of my body as I watched it change shape once again. My gym is closed for the summer so for the next few months I am attempting to do P90X and I’m blogging about it so that other mothers can follow along and see if it’s the right program for them. The neat thing is that my hubby is doing it with me! 2 years ago I would have never been comfortable enough with my body to huff and puff half naked in front of him but now there is no embarrassment and we are having so much fun working out each night!

This site is amazing and I love how it’s changing so many minds about beauty. A year ago I would have died of embarrassment if anyone had saw one of my stretchmarks….and now I wear a sports bra while I work out and hope that everyone sees them so that they will start to think of them as normal on a mother!

Age: 29
Births: Three
Children: 12, 10, 4

Photos:
1. Me, one year ago.
2. My belly, before I started working out a few months ago.
3. Me today, 50 pounds lighter.
4. My belly today!
5. I love this photo because I think that the stretchmark that is showing is so beautiful.

Round 2: Here we go again! (Ashley)

Bonnie (SOAM) Pregnant, Second Pregnancy, Update 9 Comments

Previous entries here and here.

~Age: 28
~Number of pregnancies and births: 2 pregnancies, 1 birth (currently 15 weeks pregnant)
~The age of your children, or how far postpartum you are: My daughter is 26 months.

So here we go again. I’m 15 weeks pregnant with baby number 2! I’m a little worried about weight gain as I don’t want to gain 60lbs again this time! I would be VERY happy if I could keep it under 40lbs this time but I’m not off to the best start. I’ve already gained about 12lbs, my waist line is long gone but I don’t look pregnant yet, my favorite (sarcasm) stage! I might just have to accept that my body knows something that I don’t and that I might actually NEED to gain 60lbs.

I am working out pretty consistently through this pregnancy unlike my last one and I’m trying to eat reasonably so hopefully it won’t be too bad. At least I know I can lose it! As fast as I lose the weight last time I have wondered if maybe I actually needed to gain that much to be able to breastfeed my daughter?

I guess what I’m saying is that I’m going to try to stay fit throughout this pregnancy but if I can’t keep the weight gain down I’m going to try not to beat myself up over it.

I’m working out at least 3 days a week lifting and walking a lot whenever it’s nice. Now that the 1st trimester is over I’m starting to get some energy back so hopefully I’ll be able to start going a little more again. I also played ice hockey until 11 weeks this time. I found plenty of info about contact sports while pregnant and my Dr. okay’d it as well. Contact and collision sports are generally considered safe during the 1st trimester as long as the mother is healthy and the pregnancy in not high risk and as long as your body temperature doesn’t go over 100. I felt a little weird but I actually took a thermometer to my games and took my temp between shifts lol. My temp never even got close to 101 :) I’m still lifting pretty “heavy” and will continue to as long as it still feels comfortable. I have cut back a little but still lift more than most women at the gym.

So while I’m gaining a good amount already I’m definitely doing better in the exercise department than I did with my 1st! I pretty much didn’t work out at all that time!

Aside from the weight gain struggle I’ve been struggling with HOW to have this baby. I had an emergency cesarean with my last and I really don’t want to have another c-section. But I’m also a little worried about the risk of a uterine scar rupture. I know it’s only about 1% and that doesn’t sound like much, but that’s 1 in 100 and if that were the odds of winning the lottery you better believe I’d be buying a ticket! So I keep going back and forth between another c-section and a VBAC. My OB will let me try a VBAC but she doesn’t seem to think I’d be the best candidate for it because of the circumstances with the last birth. I’m also pretty sure that if I try a VBAC I want to do it at a birthing center because I don’t think I could comfortably have a natural birth in a hospital after my last experience which has left me a little traumatized! I’m going to at least go to the birthing center for a consult and see what they have to say and how I feel about it.

I’ll probably update at the end of my pregnancy or some time postpartum.

070110-ashley-1

Still Working At It – Update (Anonymous)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, First Pregnancy, Postpartum, Submissions, Update 12 Comments

Original entry here.

Age 21
1 child, 10 months postpartum

It feels like forever since I posted my last entry here, even though it has only been nine months! I must admit that I’m not feeling nearly as confident now as I did at a month postpartum, I guess because the adrenaline of giving birth has finally worn off. I am still working hard to feel good about myself and get my body back into a shape that I feel comfortable with.

The day I brought my little lovely home I weighed 149lbs. I’m now at 125. I have been walking a couple miles everyday and doing a half hour workout on the Fit channel (most days, anyway!) I am still exclusively breastfeeding my daughter and it has most definitely helped me lose the weight. Although it is important to me to feel fit and sexy again, rather than just “being skinny” it is my ultimate goal to create for myself a positive body image no matter what I look like! How can I teach my daughter to love herself if I don’t love me? Despite the title of my last entry, I don’t. And I really want to. So I’m just going to keep working at it. My boobs are saggy from feeding my baby, my hips are widened from carrying her, my butt is completely flat for reasons unbeknownst to me, and I could list a million other things if I cared to….but I am beautiful.

These pictures were taken yesterday and I feel pretty good about them. It was my first time back in a bikini!

Belly Flop (Jill)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, First Pregnancy, Postpartum, Submissions, Update 8 Comments

Previous entries here and here.

Back for round three! I figured I’d submit one each postpartum “trimester.” Well, my little man will be one way too soon, this has been the fastest year of my life. We’re planning a birthday party, gearing up for summer, and enjoying every minute of it. Here are my most recent pics at 10 1/2 months postpartum. I still hate my stretch marks more than anything. :( Plus, the texture of my tummy skin is less than desirable but whatever. Thank goodness for modesty! I’d be covered even if I didn’t need to be:) Happy summer to all you mama’s!

Updated here.

A Stomach Like a Deflated Balloon (Sarah)

Bonnie (SOAM) Before Pregnancy, Belly, First Pregnancy, Postpartum, Submissions, Update 15 Comments

~Age: 24
~Number of pregnancies and births: 2 pregnancies, 1 birth
~The age of your children, or how far postpartum you are: 6 months post partum

Up until 4years ago I had never had body issues. I’d always been slim and fit, but after one termitated pregnancy at 19 I had implanon inserted as a contraception. I gained 15kg (33pounds) in the 6months following. Previously I weighed 60kg (132pounds) and ended up 75kg (165pounds).

During my pregnancy with my now 6mo baby boy I got upto 86kg (189pounds). I am now back to 76.5kg (168.6pounds) and very unhappy with this. Even though I am not a lot heavier than I was pre-baby, my body shape is completely different and I have a lot of purple coloured stretch marks covering my belly. I hate what I look like in the mirror and for the first time I look at photos of my body and think, “Am I really THAT fat? Do I really look like that?” My stomach looks like a deflated balloon and I feel very unattractive. My partner has told me he really doesn’t care what I look like and he’ll be with me regardless, I’d love him to tell me he thinks that I am beautiful, but he has never been that type of guy.

I look at other mothers that are slimmer, not so stretched and just look amazing after giving birth and feel quite jealous. My son is worth everything, and I realise that long term this should not matter, because I am fortunate enough to have a beautiful, happy, healthy little boy who is the light of my life, and a supportive partner who always stands by me.

I’d give anything to get back to 60kg, but I know it would never happen and I am never going to look that way again. I just want to feel beautiful and sexy again.

My photos are of me 34weeks pregnant, my baby boy Kevin at 5months old, a pre-pregnancy photo in a bikini, and various pics of my stomach and sides 6 months post partum

Updated here.

A letter to my body 1 yr PP (Emily)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Breasts, Cesarean, First Pregnancy, Positive Body Image/Words of Enouragement, Postpartum, Pregnant, Reader's Favorite, Second Pregnancy, Submissions, Uncategorized, Update 18 Comments

Age: 23
1 pregnancy, son is 12 months old, 1 yr PP

Dear body,
Thank you for all that you have given me and others. I am sorry for what I used to think of you, I was wrong you are beautiful. I promise to never be ashamed of my body anymore. I promise to love this body and treat it with respect for the rest of my life. I promise to be PROUD of my belly, my breasts, my scars. I created and brought a life into this world and so far have nourished that life with only my body. I am too insignificant to realize the gift god gave me by making me a woman. I am a creator of life and beauty, I do not have to look like a bikini model to be happy. I am a mother, like the earth with hills and valleys. I love you body!!!!

Skinny, But Strong… My Way (Skye)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, First Pregnancy, Postpartum, Submissions, Update 17 Comments

So, here I am again, this is my second post, my first is here.

Now that I’m 13 months post partum I feel the need to share with you all something that has been amazing for my body…
I didn’t say too much about my body in my first most so I will give you a bit of an overview now.
I grew up very very skinny till I hit 16, things suddenly popped out!! you know how that goes I’m sure:) and being the shy, self conscious girl that I was I fell into a downward spiral of bulimia/anorexia for the next 7 years, either starving for months on crazy diets or bingeing and purging all day long.

When I met my now husband (he was hitching a ride!!) I had finally come to a healthy happy balance and was basically a veggie loving mungbean worshipper!!
3 months later I was wondering why my boobs were getting bigger… haha! we were surprised and happy though, it was all happening so fast, we were living together out in the rainforest and about a month earlier I had asked him to marry me! some things are just meant to be.

I was constantly nauseous and tired for the first 3 months, a never ending hangover. I went from health nut to having ice-cream for breakfast. My weight started at about 52kg/114 lbs, I’m 5’5 tall, and I went up to 58kg/128 lbs in the first 3 months.. I was very curvy:)

We married when I was 12 weeks along and about a 2 week later we moved across the country to be with my family for support.
Slowly my appetite disappeared as my last few months of pregnancy were in the height of summer, I weighed 63 kg/139 lbs at 41 weeks.

So, as I wrote in my first post, I had a magnificent home water birth, completely drug free despite excruciating back labour due to having a sway back.. I still feel so proud that I birthed my baby myself, I took him from the water and absorbed every last drop of beauty in that experience.

In the last few months of pregnancy I did a lot of research on natural birth etc and happened to stumble across a whole new view of parenting, part of which is wearing your baby… so, I bought a ring sling and a stretchy hemp wrap and oh how I love them! I have never used a pram, I don’t use playpens or things that hold, swing or bounce… instead I carry my baby boy where ever we go, shopping, bush walking,hanging washing, dancing, vacuuming, doing dishes, cooking, in the shower etc etc… he is always with me viewing the world from my perspective, he is involved in my interactions, learning language, gesture and movement and I have the pleasure of observing him grow..
Not only is it wonderful for him but the changes I have seen in my body are amazing!! I have never been so strong before, as my son grew so did my strength, I am now 46kg/101 lbs and my son is 12kg/26.5 lbs, so you can imagine what kind of a workout I get when I go for a 4km walk:)
The idea that you need to leave your precious one in the care of someone else or at child care so you can trudge of the the gym is, in my view, ridiculous! Seriously, put your bub in a sling, wrap, mei tai, whatever and go for a walk, better yet, dance around the house! you will feel it, trust me and your little one will LOVE it!

I’m not saying this will change stretch marks or bounce our boobs back to their former position, what I am saying is keep your baby where they belong, in your arms, and create a strong body while doing it.. think about it, how could it not have a positive impact on your body?
I honestly believe this is how nature intended it to be, just like breast feeding contracts your uterus, it just makes sense, don’t you think?

Now, I know there are going to be those who are defensive about what I have written here, just as many were about a previous post about flat bellied mums, I have posted this only to give a new perspective as I haven’t read any other posts about the positive effects of wearing your baby and well, I feel so strongly about it that I just had to share…

The proof is in the pudding, so to speak… so here are some pic’s of me.

12 months pp swimming with my son
13 months pp sitting under a tree
13 months pp strong arms

Anonymous

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Breasts, First Pregnancy, Postpartum, Pregnant, Second Pregnancy, Submissions, Update 4 Comments

~Your Age: 22
~Number of pregnancies and births: 2
~The age of your children, or how far postpartum you are: 3 weeks pp

I am a 22 year old mother of 2 girls. The oldest is turning 2 in June and the younger is 3 weeks old. My body changed a lot with both pregnancies. The first time around I only got stretch marks on my hips and avoided them entirely on my belly. I began at 125 lbs and gained 36 lb. She was born at 40w1d. It took me 13 months to get down to 132 at which point I got pregnant with my second daughter. I gained 37 lbs with her and got more stretch marks. At 11 days pp (last time I weighed myself) I weighed 150 so lost about 14 lbs so far. I’m not overly worried about losing the weight. I hope to lose more by breastfeeding and eliminating junk food and just taking the kids out for walks. I had a hard time accepting my body after my first daughter but over time I have learned to love it for what it did. If I had to choose to have my kids or my old body back, I would choose my kids. I know my husband loves me and says he finds my body more attractive than before because of the fact that he watched it transform to bring life into the world. I won’t be wearing a bikini anytime soon but in no way am I ashamed of my body. I have many reasons to be happy, 2 of which are my sweet little miracles! The first picture is me at 9 weeks pregnant before I starting showing with my second daughter to see what I looked like after my first pregnancy. The second picture is me at 40 weeks pregnant with my second. The rest are of my belly at 2 weeks pp.

Updated here and here.

Hard Work 14 Months PP (Elissa)

Bonnie (SOAM) Before Pregnancy, Belly, Cesarean, First Pregnancy, Postpartum, Pregnant, Submissions, Update 28 Comments

Original entries here and here.

24 years old
1 Child-14 months old
C-Section
Gained-61 Pounds

Weight before pregnancy-137
Weight at the end of pregnancy-198
Weight 14 months PP-139

Clothing size before pregnancy
Pants size 9
Shirts-Medium
Bra size 36 C…Sometimes D

After pregnancy
Pants size 3 and 5’s
Shirts medium
Bra size 36 D…

I am now doing P90X after losing all my weight I decided I needed to get fit. My 61 year old mother was on a walk with my daughter and me…I couldn’t make it up a hill and she wanted to keep going. I decided I needed to get healthy, even though I lost my weight I was out of shape and P90X is completely reshaping my body and my curves are coming back…No matter how much I worked out before I was preggo I was NEVER able to achieve abs or tone my arms and after two weeks that is possible now…It really is an AMAZING workout and for only an hour a day!!! Eating healthy and working out is a hard change but it’s easy when you are doing it for your child! My previous entries will tell you how I lost the weight and I check my stories from time to time to see if anyone is asking for advice…It wasn’t easy and it was discouraging at times but you push yourself and remember that you want to stay fit, happy and healthy for your child and that is what keeps me focused. Breastfeeding also helped…I am trying to wean as she is 14mo old but the girl has a mind of her own!!! Every single time she had a growth spurt and wanted to feed a lot I would lose weight and my stomach would suck up. I hope my story helps mommies because it really did work for me and I know it wont work for others as well but it’s worth a try!…:)

Picture 1-Before I got pregnant
Picture 2- During pregnancy
Picture 3- After I had my daughter
Picture 4-14mo PP
Picture 5-Day before P90X (Left) Day 6 of P90X (Right)
Picture 6-Day 10 of P90x

5 weeks post-partum after second child (Anonymous)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Breasts, Postpartum, Second Pregnancy, Submissions, Update 10 Comments

Previous entries here and here.

For the first time in my life I feel no need or desire to malign or discredit my body, or to qualify it with any explanation for why it is the way it is. I am five weeks post-partum with my second child. He was 11 lbs, which was quite a shock, and I delivered him naturally. Following the birth I felt such a profound sense of pride and delight in my body– in what it was able to accomplish in growing and delivering into the world such a large and beautiful baby. After I had my first child I felt so disappointed with my body and couldn’t come to terms with the fact that it didn’t go back to what it was before. For some reason now I feel so differently. I definitely want to be fit and healthy, and that will likely involve losing some weight, but I want to hold onto this feeling of joy in my body and acceptance myself. We are amazing creatures. Love yourself!

These photos were taken 4 weeks post-partum.