Young Mums

PrincessAmyEmms

Not sure if this post belongs in this forum but oh well I'm 20 years old and now have a 5 week old baby boy I was chubby before I had him and didn't put on much weight when I was pregnant but now looking at my body I just feel old. I see a 40 year olds body, not a 20 year olds... Are there any other young mums who had the same or a similar problem? How did you overcome it? My goal is to have a fitness model physique in hopes that if I am super healthy and strong that I'll stop feeling so old.

2joshandles

looking at your profile pic......
REALLY?

PrincessAmyEmms

It's not my face, it's my body. I've always had large breasts but now they've begun to sag, my stomach and legs are covered in stretch marks and my stomach feels the same as my mums who has had 5 kids (rediculously soft and stretch). I'm not sure if it's just a phase after pregnancy but I'm struggling feeling like myself and only feel like a mum.

SSAHM

Your body does take a while to bounce back especially your belly. It will feel squishy for a while. You just gotta remember your body went thru something rough and produced a miracle
It does help to do exercise after having a bub to feel better about yourself but make sure you get the all clear from the doc and don't rush into it. Also not saying you have it but just take note of actually how down you are feeling to ensure you don't have post natal depression. I ended up with it and after nearly 2 years when it developed into full blown depression they finally diagnosed me. Life would have been so much simpler if they had have caught it back then

RoyBeck

I don't have the answer but just wanted to congratulate you on becoming a mummy! It's a hard job and your doing great to be thinking about getting in shape amongst all the sleep deprivation!!

Just go slowly and I'm sure you'll achieve what you want in time. Good luck.

ali4579

I've got a 5 week old baby too But I'm nearly 15 years older than you and this is my second baby.

At 5 weeks post partum, your body has not finished its work. Your uterus is still shrinking back to its original size, so yes, your belly will be squishy!

Your hormone levels have not returned to normal and it will be affecting how you feel about your body. I'm finding I'm stuck half way between pregnancy clothes and normal clothes and can't find anything to wear. My hair is not shiny, my skin is breaking out and I'm bloody tired, not a good look! With Christmas just around the corner find myself thinking about how I will look in my baby's first Christmas photos.

Fortunately, you are young, and young bodies recover much better. Your skin will have a much better chance of regaining its firmness than mine does! If you choose to, you have every chance of being able to have a flat belly and washboard abs - all you will have to do is work towards that goal when you are fully healed. But to do it properly will take a bit of time and patience.

Be kind to yourself, reintroduce exercise in a sensible manner when your doctor says you can, and don't restrict your calories too much if you are breastfeeding. Time is all it will take and by the time your baby is a year old you will probably be feeling a lot better. Your stretch marks will always be there, but they will fade to the point where you barely notice them.

I hope that helps, I think I know very much how you are feeling right now, but I promise it gets better xxx

ali4579

Also not saying you have it but just take note of actually how down you are feeling to ensure you don't have post natal depression.

I agree! It can happen to anyone, and it's hard to know when the baby blues turns into PND. Here's a test that is commonly done by child health nurses (at least in Australia it is) that can help you objectively decide if there is a problem:
http://www.beyondblue.org.au/resources/for-me/pregnancy-and-early-parenthood/edinburgh-postnatal-depression-scale

PrincessAmyEmms

This might be abit personal but how long till everything 'down there' goes back to normal? I didn't get any stitches thank god. Also thanks everyone for the answers feel a lot better now

SSAHM

It takes a whIle. Make sure you do your kegal exercises