pregnancy doesn't "ruin" your body...

kawickham85

...and it shouldn't be an excuse to let yourself go.

When I got pregnant, I searched the internet, hoping to come across post baby belly pictures. No one continues to take photos of their belly after the baby is out! I desperately wanted to know what to expect and was terrified of what pregnancy would do to my body. I'm here to tell you that it doesn't ruin your body and you will bounce back quickly.

few days before delivery
http://oi39.tinypic.com/343qm38.jpg

6 months post delivery
http://oi41.tinypic.com/1zd43o7.jpg

now. 1.5 years post delivery
http://oi44.tinypic.com/1tu87r.jpg

BarbaraCarr1981

Nice belly. You are lucky. I had my first at age 30 and belly is not so lucky. 16 months after csection baby and well I don't like my belly and wouldn't wanna post a pic of it. Protruding and poochy belly and white, squiggly stretch marks under belly button area.

kawickham85

i am having the hardest time making the pics show so i've resorted to links.

dimsumkitty

Thank you for posting these! You look incredible, and this is amazing motivation!

chymerra

it definitely alters your body and your metabolism. i know that after having my daughter and being in my mid-30s, my metabolism has changed (slowed down). i've had to change the way i workout and be very disciplined with my food in order to see results. it's def not as easy to lose weight as it was when i was younger.

aimforhealthy

I have to say, it really ruined mine. I weighed 115 lbs when I got pregnant; I did put on a little too much weight (I put on about 40 lbs, though my doctor says the first 15 of that wouldn't count since I was underweight for my height at the time), but that wasn't what ruined it. My belly was HUGE - I lost nearly 40 lbs when I gave birth, I was carrying around that much water - and my boobs went from a 34C to a 38G almost overnight when I started nursing. The breast volume increase nearly tore the skin on my breasts and the stretch marks it left were so bad that it took 3 or 4 years for them to stop being nearly see-through. Same with the stretch marks on the sides of my belly. My son is 16 and the stretch marks on my sides are still awful. If you think your body can bounce back from that kind of abuse to its original form... well, I don't know what to tell you. Maybe yours could, but mine sure couldn't.

rowanwood

Congrats for having good genetics and being young and perfect.

Some of us aren't so lucky, some of us had babies at 35, have stretch marks and had complications that caused weight gain. Try being locked into a hospital bed and told what to eat and see what happens to you.

I really don't appreciate being told how I "let myself go" because of my kidney stones and pneumonia and a list of other stuff you don't care about. I'm working hard to get back in shape and I don't appreciate your flippant attitude. One size doesn't fit all in life. Please don't pretend it does.

stephanj

It's genetics. I am really happy for you that your results were different than mine. Bedrest, high blood pressure, extreme water retention, at one point my belly measured 50 inches around. Only so much my moisturizing could do for me. Now my skin is messed and I need a tummy tuck. Sorry, you fail to inspire me, but congrats to you.

cgrout78

i've had 3 csections...and I'm not sure I"ll ever be able to totally get rid of that pooch, plus the stretch marks which I'm sure will never go away...and the scar from the surgery itself...*sighs* I guess there go my dreams of being a swimsuit model...LOL

onwarddownward

Six kids, seven pregnancies, cumulative nine years of breastfeed (yeah, some were in it for the long-term). The last one, I was 43 and that pregnancy ended in a miscarriage. But really, that's life. My babies didn't make me fat. I chose to eat. I chose to sit. I know moms who work out, like my daughter Kimberly, she's in the Army and she runs every day, does squats, pullups, pushups. She's in tremendous shape.

My body got like this because I LET it get like this.

Now it's time to take it back.

stellcorb

Let me start with saying that I completely agree that having children is not an excuse to "let yourself go" and that it is vital to make your personal fitness and health a priority even though it most definately will be harder to find the time and energy...
Just to play a bit of a devil's advocate, let's bring in a big ol' but...
BUT... after 2 babies, my body is ruined in the way that I will never wear a bikini to the pool again due to stretch marks and loose skin that puckers a bit in wrinkles. Also, my size is off as my hips are slightly wider (at the same weight pre-baby I'm about a half a size larger)... and oh yeah, pregnancy helped wreck my hip cartilidge (small tear just before pregnancy became much worse by the time I could fix it. And my breasts are definately ruined as they inflate to an F immediately post partum (even at a normal weight) and settle back down to a C when I'm done nursing.
My point is overall, that everyone's body is different and responds differently to different things (espeically pregnancy and nursing). It worries me when overgeneralized statements like this are made that could make a woman who IS doing all that they can, get very discouraged when thier results do not compare to yours...especially in the same timeframe.
But (another but!) I congratulate you on your success and you are an inspiration!

redheaddee

Sadly, not all of us are blessed in the genetics department. Pregnancy doesn't ruin your body, but it most certainly can scar it for life. The hard part is accepting ourselves for who we are and focusing on being the best "ME" that I can be, as opposed to what some dumb@ss ideal of perfect should be.

hfester

I agree with the idea that pregnancy and motherhood are not excuses to "let yourself go."

I disagree with the "Look at me, if I did it, so can you" thing.

I have split abdominals that no amount of crunching or lifting will heal. Only a surgeon can put those back together. You can reach down to my guts through my belly.

I have stretch marks all over. I look like I got mauled by a tiger.

I have loose skin in my belly from having my huge husband's gigantic offspring.

I am not you. Parts of my body are badly damaged from pregnancy, and that's okay. Do not hold everyone up to your standards.

katimama

I'm not too sure how this fit's in with the 'motivation and support' section, but I'm totally jealous of the fact that you don't even have stretch marks!

TeachTheGirl

I concur with other posters.

If you're in shape before you have kids, it's likely that you'll be prone to snap back into shape afterward. I was not in shape. I ruined my body BEFORE pregnancy and the pregnancies didn't help one bit. I think it's awesome that you're proud of your achievements, but there are a lot of people who are going to disagree with you because it's not the norm for many mothers.

metacognition

I've never had children, but some people are genetically prone to have less elasticity to the skin. They end up with stretch marks, sometimes severe, and loose skin around the belly that no amount of exercise will remove. Sometimes the muscles of the abs stretch apart and there is a permanent pooch.

I also think it's a bit harsh to push someone with a newborn to get in shape right away. Some women bounce back, and others do not. Healthy weight should be the goal, not resembling a model after birth.

kdiamond

You look awesome.

My husband has said (and I concur) that my body looks better now at 36 years old and having 2 kids then it did at 21 years old.

The difference is, now I want it more, and I work hard for it. There are some stretch marks I will always have, and a little bit of loose skin on my tummy, but overall I am in good shape and was after my second baby was a year and a half. And I gained 50 pounds with each pregnancy, so I gained and lost 50 pounds twice all within less than 3 years total.

There are some things that can't be fixed without surgery (I should know, my boobs were a mess from breastfeeding for 2 years and I had to fix them), but overall I agree, having a baby shouldn't be an excuse to let yourself go.

mjwarford

I am happy for you and your results. You have put in the hard work and it shows.

Your blanket statement seems to indicate that if you can do it, anybody and everybody can which is simply untrue. No amount of work will remove my excess skin and stretch marks. Nothing but a scalpel will. As someone who is willing to put in the hard work (three time triathlete and running my first half marathon next week) I appreciate the thought behind trying to motivate us in getting it done but find it patronizing. Not everyone is just like you and just because we might still have a belly does not mean we are not working hard.

sizzle74

I'm going to keep my mouth closed so I don't get a strike. :grumble:

msleanlegs

Pregnancy affects women differently. Heck, each pregnancy that one woman has can be as different as night and day. Your body bounced back beautifully. Not every mother's body will respond as well to diet and exercise. Those of us who are less fortunate just have to make the best of what we've got. Thankfully, our appearance is only part of the total package. :happy:

Achrya

IDK, my mother would disagree. Five pregnancies, six kids, and a fair amount of breast expansion and shrinkage later her body has suffered some permanent damage that only a a bit of surgery could fix. Her abs are split, she's got a very saggy tummy (Not fat, just an excess of sagging, discolored, wrinkled skin), her boobs are (in her own words) like golfballs in a sock, and stretch marks run from top to bottom. My mother is a very fit woman, who puts in 12 hour shifts at a hospital 3 days a week (on her feet the whole time) and does Zumba 2 days a week. She's the 'smallest' and most in shape she's ever been in her life but none of that is fixing the things I mentioned above.

She's getting a boob job for her next birthday though; she's been saving up all year and with the adult kids pitching in it's finally enough.

But! You're lucky to have bounced back so well and good for you for all the progress you've made.