How did pregnancy affect your body?

[TheWitchIsBack]

My body has changed in what I would deem to be a negative way (loose skin, stretch marks, reduced boob size after breastfeeding and quite a bit less pert!) however I feel significantly LESS self-conscious about my body after giving birth.

It’s very difficult to explain, but after I’d had half a hospital staring (and reaching!) into my vagina, and seeing me in an almost primal state I just feel a whole lot less bothered about how my body appears to other people. I’m not sure if it’s because I had so many people openly staring at it and seeming unphased when I had anticipated abject horror or if it’s because I’m absolutely amazed at what my body endured and achieved in birthing my kid but it’s made me a lot more at peace with myself and my body.

Best of luck to you!

 

[Pinkii]

I gained nearly 3 stone and have managed to lose that and a bit more l, however my body shape has changed. Can’f get my pre pregnancy jeans up my legs

One thing that’s come out from it- i am happier with my body now than I ever was. Yes I have a soft squishy tummy and my boobs arent great but who cares? i grew a healthy human and i’m proud.

 

[Lollypad]

Sorry, I haven't been pregnant before but I do have a friend of a friend who had a severe eating disorder in her teens, but she loved pregnancy and the changes in her body because they were growing a human. I know that's quite a wholesome attitude to have, but just thought it might be nice to hear a "success" story, even if not my own

 

[Mrs Cucumber]

Since having my children i'm alot more body confident, even though I'm over weight!
I think knowing it created my two babies, carried them safely etc then fed them made me see it differently.

 

[Keepitw0nky]

I feel like there’s lots of layers to how you can feel about your body during/after pregnancy. For me I loved my bump and feeling kicks etc, didn’t like how my face rounded and boobs got stretch marks. Loved my baby and being a mom, proud of what I had made and what my body went through but didn’t feel like ‘me’ after and held onto extra weight. It’s a bit like someone giving you a million pounds but kicking you in the vag and taking all your good clothes all sorts of feelings exist at the same time.

 

[S29S37]

I hate my body after having 3 children. I gained wait just on my bump and then once I gave birth it shrunk too quickly and I'm left with a really saggy belly with big, deep, wide stretch marks that look like knife wounds.
I stayed slim throughout pregnancy and after birth (except my bump) but with the saggy belly I feel that I look awkward in all clothes. I live in leggings because I can put them over my belly but any type of shorts, trousers or jeans feel uncomfortable and give me a B shaped belly if I wear them over my belly, and my belly hangs really far over if I wear them at hip level.

 

[Cloak]

Sorry, quite a personal Q but I would love to know how it affected you, whether it was better/worse than you thought, how you feel about your body after pregnancy?

Reason for asking is that I have suffered from disordered eating in the past so I am worried that I will lose confidence after pregnancy and fall back into old habits. Any stories welcomed.

 

[Flossy2019]

I hate my body after having 3 children. I gained wait just on my bump and then once I gave birth it shrunk too quickly and I'm left with a really saggy belly with big, deep, wide stretch marks that look like knife wounds.
I stayed slim throughout pregnancy and after birth (except my bump) but with the saggy belly I feel that I look awkward in all clothes. I live in leggings because I can put them over my belly but any type of shorts, trousers or jeans feel uncomfortable and give me a B shaped belly if I wear them over my belly, and my belly hangs really far over if I wear them at hip level.

Have you tried knickers with a band at the front? My belly is the same it’s like a deflated balloon and I find knickers With a bigger band at the front make me look slimmer in my jeans Give it a go you’ll feel miles better

 

[Wishwash]

I grew to epic proportions when pregnant even though I did try and be mindful about what I was eating! I thought I'd be so upset at my post natal body prior to giving birth but now I'm a bit like fuck it life is too short. I'm probably a stone heavier that my pre pregnancy weight and have a very saggy belly but nothing some spanx won't sort out. My baby means so much more and all my money and time is now spent on lovingly preparing meals for him, buying clothes, toys, playing etc and overall I'm a lot less self conscious when in public. I think it took having a baby to realise nobody cares what you look like!

Sorry just to add I was bulimic as a teenager/young adult but the thoughts haven't been there and I haven't thought about binging/purging. My mindset is a lot healthier

 

[ChloChlo]

I feel that I was far too slim before I had children. I was always scoffing my face in a bid to try and get over a size 8, as at 5'6" I always wanted a more curvier figure or at the very least a bottom that would fill a pair of jeans and that was exactly what I got and was very happy with.

However, I am left with stretch marks- not particularly big ones but they are every where. The excess skin round my belly wounded me more than anything, I had to change my whole style after I had my first as no matter what clothes just didn't fit well around my post partum flabby belly.

My vagina was of course "different" and perhaps I would go as far to say I felt tighter after my first, indifferent after the 2nd, noticeably damaged by the 3rd and a complete write off by the 4th.

Also I suffer with hyperpigmentation when pregnant (mask of pregnancy if you will) which is unfortunately around my top lip and needs alot of concealer or looks like a 5 o'clock shadow. It is a real ball ache as it takes a good year for it to fade away again.

 

[Plasticbox]

I would say that I feel even more self conscious after having my baby. I had a c section and although I don’t have a big stomach and there was no over hang it has given me what I would call a kangaroo pouch. I just feel so self conscious of it when wearing dresses. And my hips got wider too which I didn’t need to happen as they were already wide!!!

 

[Wishing1990]

I didn’t gain that much weight (probably about a stone which I lost within a year), though I noticed my body shape changed and the clothing styles I used to go for just didn’t look right on me anymore - that was strange as I was used to going into a shop and picking something up I liked and getting it - whereas I found I was having to try different clothes that I wouldn’t normally look twice at.

In terms of other changes:

My boobs - my babies both preferred feeding from one boob over the other, so I ended up with one boob considerably larger than the other! That itself didn’t bother me - but not having a bra that fits properly did. It drove me crazy, and eventually 10 years after my last child, i had a boob job. Not to make them bigger... just to make them the same size again so I could wear a bra that fitted.

Stretch marks - I have some, but who doesn’t? They don’t bother me in the slightest. They were initially quite red and noticeable, but faded a lot over time. I actually quite like them!

Skin - I’ve got some excess “crinkly” skin on my tummy, but again, I’m not that bothered by it.

So I’d say overall, the most difficult changes for me were changing the style of clothes I chose and also my boobs not fitting in bras.

 

[Unknown1]

I’ve always struggled with my weight and disliked my body. I lost some weight and fell pregnant, I’m only 5ft and had bad food aversions so I ended up massive with lots of stretch marks and slightly saggy boobs. However even though I have a lot of work to do to get rid of my c section pouch I don’t hate my body at all and used to despise it, it gave me a beautiful, funny baby girl.

I did feel disappointed in it initially because I couldn’t go into labour and I didn’t get any milk through. Both the opposite of what I had planned.

 

[TheBabeWithThePower]

I suffered from disordered eating in my teens and early twenties but not to a severe degree. I have struggled with body image most of my life but in the two years prior to getting pregnant I was really working on getting more body positive. I think pregnancy/birth/being a mum has been the best thing for my mindset, I actually feel quite body neutral now which is where I wanted to be!

In terms of the numbers, I was pretty petite before getting pregnant (around 7 and a half stone), didn't gain loads of weight, lost most of it fairly quickly (back to 8 stone about 6-8 weeks pp) and from when my baby was about 7 months old I'm actually lighter than I was before.

My body has changed, not too noticeably for those who don't know me really well, but it has and I miss exercise as I've got no spare time but becoming a mother has helped me take a step back and reframe so many things and I'm just proud of what my body has done and also totally over obsessing about it! That said, I recognise that I have a lot of privilege going into this situation and it's important to note that everyone will react differently to pregnancy, physically and mentally, but the important thing is to seek support as soon as possible if you are struggling with any aspect.

 

[Fenella]

My body was shite before pregnancy so I don’t feel differently about it now. In fact during pregnancy was the only time I’ve ever felt confident in my body and had a bit of love for it.

my feet grew a whole size though during my first pregnancy and didn’t go back- shoes were the last thing I thought I’d have to replace but there we go. No change in the subsequent pregnancies though, thank goodness!

 

[Rose18778]

Im quite petite but was a bit obsessive about my weight pre-pregnancy and dieted/worked out a lot to stay at a size 8. My daughter is 6 now and I’m about the same weight as I was before having her but I’m a lot more relaxed and comfortable in my body. I don’t know if that’s motherhood or just getting older or a bit of both? I wear a size 10-12 (always a 12 in jeans!!) and my shape has changed, my hips are definitely wider and my stomach is a big saggy. But I’m happy and thankful for my body growing and birthing my daughter, I’ll definitely never be a size 8 again but that’s fine by me

 

[Amber90]

I'm exactly the same and feel its a big reason of why I put having children off because of my eating disorder history (selfish I know). I've put a stone on in lock down and its made me feel vile so not sure how I would cope being pregnant. I find it hard to talk about it as I my friends/family etc don't understand.

 

[Herefortheteeeee]

I have always struggled with my weight. I have never been huge, but always had a belly, regardless of how much weight I lost. I had my miracle baby last year. Since Jan, I have lost almost 2 stone. My body has changed in that I don’t lose weight as easily as I did before.
I had gestational diabetes when I was pregnant so much more likely to have type 2 diabetes if I don’t keep control of my weight. I also suffer from gallstones since having my baby. So you have to think not only about the impact weight wise but also your insides.
As cliche as it sounds, my baby was worth every single problem. I would do it 100 times over x

 

[bubbadabut]

I've always been very strict with myself and self conscious about my body due to being anorexic. I had 3 kids naturally with no problems, but the 4th ended in caesarean and left me with the dreaded caesarean shelf/saggy tummy pouch. I absolutely hate it and it makes me feel really down about myself. Lockdown hasn't helped because I've been sat on my arse most of the time.

 

[Lillypot221]

After my first pregnancy 6 years ago I bounced back straight away. I had a awful birth and had a bed bath and the hca was shocked how skinny I was after. But deflated but that went quickly and a few stretch marks.
My second pregnancy (baby's 16 months) I ballooned and haven't manage to lose the weight properly not that I've really tried and with lockdown that's not helped. Lots of stretch marks. Boobs that if I'm not wearing a bra come dangerously close to my belly button. I was a ff/g. Before kids I haven't had them measured since but I have the same volume it's just alot lower.