Post baby slump

You sound like you need a hug, so I gave you one How old is your baby? Mine is 17 It does get better. Maybe never quite back to pre-baby, but time and perspective are both great healers.

Pregnancy did a number on me too. Stretchmarks, oh the *kitten* stretchmarks! I posted a sappy, feely thread amount them a few months ago. Short version - 21yo me felt ruined by the aftermath of pregnancy. 38yo me knows better.

I remember feeling that way after having my first. Nothing can really prepare you before-hand for how much everything is going to change. I ended up with stretch marks in places I didn't even know could get stretchmarks.

I've had four more children since then, so here's what I can tell you. Do not feel hopeless. I don't know how old your baby is, but having a baby rocks your world. Do not base your future on what you're feeling right this moment. Your body did something amazing. You performed a miracle! Everything you knew before that moment (including your body) changed in an instant, and that's going to take time to get used to. So practice grace and kindness with yourself.

Nobody goes back to being who they were before they had children. Nobody. Don't try to go back in time. Keep moving forward and create a better you. Set long-term goals for self improvement. Be someone better. Whatever that means to you.

I have loose skin and stretchmarks from my armpits to my knees. Those aren't going away. So what can I do? I can lift really heavy weights and be strong as hell. I can improve my fitness level and endurance to be able to go on any crazy adventure in the world that I want with my kids. I can take care of this body that has given me so much, regardless of what the outside looks like, because I deserve that. And so do you!

Kcliff317 wrote: »

Thanks for the hug! My little man is 9 months old. He was almost 10 pounds when he was born so you can imagine the destruction he caused. Current 25 y/o me feels like a broken mess. Learning to love what's left of me feels like a long journey that I can't find the starting line to.

Eventually you just come to accept that it is what it is. I'm 5'1" and gave birth to several babies who were almost 9 pounds. I don't consider myself destroyed or a broken mess, although it was hard to adjust in the beginning after my first. It's part of the journey I had to take to get them into this world. The body of a 20 year old is fleeting whether we have children or not. If we're fortunate enough, every one of us is going to age and our bodies are going to age along with us. There's no escaping it. The trick is learning how to do it gracefully and developing new strengths and goals that make us proud. You are still you. You didn't lose something when your baby was born. You gained a child and your body changed. That's it. The starting line is the point where you let go of what you can't change and focus on the things you can.