My body was perfect before I had a baby.

But isn't your life so much more fulfilling?? :-)
Babies are wonderful!
Everyone always told me..."Good luck! Nothing will ever be the same after you have a baby!"
I was more determined that it wouldn't be the same....it would be BETTER!
I may be 10 lbs heavier than when I got married but i'm 10 lbs lighter than the day I first saw the + sign on the pregnancy test.
I'm also in better shape in every way! I feel amazing!
There is hope! Do not compare your body to what you were. Just be the best you that you can be and appreciate your body for the amazing creation it is!

My wife was always in peak condition, and we've been together since we were teens.
She was always great in a bikini, and I don't just mean inner beauty bologna.
We married and had 5 kids. After each delivery, she worked her way back to peak condition.
She did it - No Excuses!
One suggestion is to just work toward your own personal best, and don't set a standard that compares your results to a body before kids. That might be unrealistic. Things change, but our best is still our best.
Good Luck:flowerforyou:

i was in the same situation as you, perfect body before the baby, yucky body after the baby.... but now, i'm on my way to getting back to where i was.... but it doesnt happen without a CRAPLOAD of work.... >.> i've been busting my butt. But keep in mind, you are not a celebrity, you dont get to pay thousands of dollars a week for nutritionists and fitness instructors... nor do you get to call nannies and get them to do all the hard work for that cute little baby of yours. give yourself time, but dont lose your hope!!

i hate to say it, but your body will never be exactly the same as before.

Wrong!

I had a baby at 20. I look better now than I did before having my daughter. There is hope!

I also look better now at 32 than I did before having children. I have two. However I never got that big while pg. The most I gained while pg was 40lbs.

Tummy tuck!
Well, possibly. How long ago did you have your baby?

I'm in the same boat, my dear. After my first daughter, I was well on my way to being right back to thin and hot but I got pregnant again just 9 months after having her. My second pregancy was just a wrecking ball on my body and now I'm working on losing the weight AGAIN and toning up AGAIN. I actually told my husband that there would be no more children just because of what it did to my body. Hope he doesn't want anymore.

So, will you look great again? With some work, yes! I have had 3 kids. All weighed in at 9 lb 12 oz, 10 lb 1 oz, and 9 lb 12 oz. My stomach is so stretched out that not much can be done for it. On top of it, I have diastasis recti, where the stomach muscles did not come back together after the kids were born.

I was a size 14 for a long time. I breastfed all 3 kids. 18 months for the first, 12 months for the middle (I got preggo with my last and lost my milk), and 18 months with my last. I had tons extra milk with my first and ended up donating 760 oz of frozen pumped milk to the Milk Bank at Christiana Hospital for the preemies and "failure to thrive kids". With my middle one, I kept using the milk I froze in the deep freezer once I lost my milk. With the last, I stopped pumping at 12 months and she had pumped milk until 15 months.

After the first, I was able to get down to size 10, but that was with pumping extra 10 oz a day to freeze on top of what he was nursing. The timing btw 2nd and 3rd was 17 months, so no time for my body to bounce back. I looked 5 months pregnant long after my 3rd was born. She is now 2.5.

I took control of myself last september and with watching my calories and exercising, I dropped from size 14 then to size 8 now. I am not done yet. However, my stomach looks like the skin of an old woman. It's thin, stretched, and hangs there all wrinkly. My mother is after me to get the diastasis corrected and the skin tucked. I will never be in a bikini otherwise, no matter how much weight I lose. I might do it. Just not yet. I want to be done and maintain my weight for a while.

So, will you look like you did before? Nope. Will you look great? Absolutely. Baby steps!

Before I got pregnant I was 120 lbs. I am 5'10" so i was a size zero forever.I worked at Hooters and was doing alot of modeling on the side. I got pregnant and almost got up to 200 lbs. I had a baby girl that was 9lbs 12oz. My stomach was ALWAYS flat. Now I am wearing my husbands clothes because nothing of mine fits (not even shirts, or shoes) My stomach is so stretched out the skin is just saggy and stretch marks everywhere. I just want to know how long it takes for your body to recover after having a baby? Is there any hope for me to get into at least a size 5? I NEED HELP

Welcome! Your stomach IS NOT the ONLY part of your Body that is Stretched out, for good, or maybe bad...anyway. Didn't you understand the "having a Baby thing...having a Family thing" YES, It IS WORTH ALL OF THE WORK YOU WILL HAVE TO PUT IN EACH TIME YOU HAVE A BABY!!! You will be alright whether size 0, 5 or 8. Just don't forget to STOP gaining, especially if you have "Stair Steps." And take some "ME" time to make the changes needed; try not to feel guilty.

OHHHH, you might want to start working on that OTHER Body Part that was Stretched, Quietly your Husband is saying YES, for that!!!

My body is better now than it was before I had babies (and I'm 32 and have had 3). But I also got very lucky and don't have stretch marks on my stomach and have very minimal extra skin.

Having babies IS rough on the body AND the mind. Make sure you are being check for postpartum depression and get treated for it if you are suffering. I know I had a minor case and I turned a lot of the negativity toward my body. It's hard but give yourself a full year to recover. Eat sensibly at a moderate calorie deficit. Exercise. Lift weights. Try to get a more positive sense of self-worth that doesn't depend so heavily on your appearance. You are a wife and a mother now. Surely your appearance isn't the best thing you have going for you. If you do have a lot of skin it might not go away with time but I bet most of it will. The stretch marks will fade and they don't need to be hated / feared / or hidden. Birthing a life is worth a little bit of scarring. Be patient. Give yourself some time. You can do this.

I lost all my baby weight twice now. I however only gained 28 with my first and 22 with my second and since I was so low on the gain, I only had a couple of stretch marks in my boobs, nothing else. I went from an A to a D tho with my first. Went from an AA to a B with my second so no added marks on the second baby. I lost alot of muscle with my second baby tho. You can get back it just takes a while. I am 8 months post partum and I am finally below my pre prego weight, was at 5 months post partum however, I am missing alot of muscle and trying to tone in some areas. If you plan on having any other kids I would recommend staying active and eating as healthy as you can when you are pregnant. Alot of women gain alot of weight and it takes much longer and does more harm to your body in the way of stretch marks. Sometimes they fade over time btw. Mine on my chest you can’t really see anymore. Not for all but for alot. Just so you are aware at 5’10 your ideal weight should be anywhere around the following. Small frame (132-145) Medium frame (142-155) Large Frame (149-170) When you become pregnant and are under weight your body kicks it into high gear to get you at the proper levels that are healthy to have a baby. Meaning you were really low so your body kicked you up high. Just like you see some larger women not gaining so much, sometimes nothing at all, you see really skinny girls gaining a truckload especially if they are not careful. For a size 5 you probably will be around 135 I am guessing which is still on the low end for your height but completely obtainable! Where are you at right now?