To wonder why nobody told me about post pregnancy body

[Muse84]

Maybe I was just naive

I'm talking about the whole body changes here (down below... Let's not even go there!)

Pre pregnancy, I honestly thought that the extent of my worries would be a saggy belly (fixable with diet and exercise) and possibly saggy boobs (manageable with bra)

I'm lucky that I don't have a saggy belly and no stretch marks. Thank you universe.

But my god, my hips are wider, my ribcage is wider. My boobs currently stick out either side on my sides, if facing mirror.

Basically, I look like a frump

Why did nobody tell me about the general width expansion????!!!

I know this is superficial, but I'm so sad and tired of feeling like a big wide frump. Clothes don't sit on my like they used to (All I see is boob and hip. My grandmother, basically) and I genuinely don't feel as if I recognise my old self anymore

It's a little hard to take with crap post pregnancy hair and massive dark circles.

I'm just a bit sad. Sigh

Moan over. Sorry! I know it's a minor worry in the grand scheme of things

My advice is to start off by being hippy and not less than a size twelve. Oh and also having big boobs so they are saggy anyway.

5 months after both kids I was back in my prepreg clothes (and shoes). I do have a permanently sad belly button in the middle of a wrinkly belly, but I have never worn a bikini in my life so it's not a huge issue.

Just to anyone about to give birth and shitting herself, it's not a given that your body will be destroyed.

My hormones went completely mental.

Heavy periods, acne, greasy skin, youngest is 3 years old now so I don’t think it’s going to improve!

Depends how long ago you had your baby it can take over a year for ypur body to go back to relatively normal. Give it time.

Hear hear OP, but as PPs have said, things will get better.

I've come out of it relatively well compared to lots of you, but hate my saggy boobs, and my hair has lost it's curl . I spent years getting used to the curl and finding the right products and it's only gone and bloody changed again!

I was really lucky after my first. Back in my pre pregnancy clothes 2 weeks after dc was born. No change to feet, ribs, hips or anything. Only issue was a slight c section overhang, but that wasn't too noticeable after a few months.
Hoping after dc2 I won't have a shock! (Not pregnant yet but hoping for a 2nd at some point)

The information is all out there on forums like this - I think we just don't believe it.

Can diastis recti not be fixed? I had it after the birth but it went away?

can definitely sympathise. im 15 weeks post partum and can not believe the sheer size of my belly button! will it always be this big??

I do think age is a factor, as pp said. My friends who had babies in the 20s definitely fared better overall. I had mine in my forties. ☹️

Age is a contributing factor but also I don't think the first thing on any new mum's mind is getting back into her skinny jeans. Also a lot of what we see in the media; I saw some pictures of Heidi Klum in a bikini and was astonished that a body that had birthed 4 children looked that bloody great.

I had great physio about a year afterward due to bad assisted delivery trauma. While I'm still not back the same it's such an improvement.

Health visitors urged me to see my doctor who was great. None of them, all women and mums too, said i shouldn't suffer in silence . It's only since being honest about the trauma and incontinence that I hear so many others just playing it down as 'Just the way it happens.

I still look pregnant too. Very hurtful when someone asks. Between all the injury and side effects it's taking a long time to get back to normal. Weirdly I found wearing my old style makeup and carrying my bag helped.

Helped make me feel normal not muscle repair...

My boobs stayed huge even after bf. Pre DC i was 34B for years. Now I'm 34FF at least. I hate it. (DC now 17 and 14)

re: ribcage, apparently the old fashioned post birth compression garments are great for this, as well as for the separated muscles thing. I'm totally going to buy one for straight after, unless of course I end up with a CS for whatever reason.

I have a few and the changes have got more noticeable. Bigger feet and hands-no idea others had this as well. No stretch marks but bottom of belly is jelly. Vaginally much different. Never went back. C section with the last, no sensation below belly button down to pubic bone. Skin like meat which doesn't belong to me.
Achy legs, heavy at the bottom. Some varicose veins. Sagging breasts.
Stress incontinence, severe piles and difficulties opening bowels. More prone to thrush.
No idea how other women meet new partners after having children. No way I'd get naked in front of another person ever again.
On a positive note, periods are lighter and painless.

Its taken a year for my hips and rib cage to go back. My feet too. It will take much longer for those that breastfeed as the body still produces 'relaxin' until you stop. Apparently.

I was quite lucky with stretch marks, barely any but my ribcage, it never went back. I had melasma too but it went with time. I renewed my passport when my daughter was a year old and it was visible in my photo but it completely disappeared eventually.

my hair has lost it's curl

Mine was the opposite! I now have wavy hair. My hair also completely changed colour, it gradually went really dark . My mother thought I had dyed it.

Babies mean my sleep has been ruined forever, though. I'll never get that back. We can't even discuss sanity
I can sleep stood up now.
On a serious note my mental health is permanently fucked.

My twins are aged 31 and my body has never recovered!.
My skin from under my bust to just above my pubic bone was severely stretched + c section overhang.
Twins together weighed over 16 pounds, and to this day I get upset if I catch a glimpse of my naked body in the mirror.
No amount of diet and gym has made much difference.

My youngest is 4 and my body is permanently wrecked! Size 8/10 all my life (didn't have kids til late 30's) and now I'm a 14/16. Back is wider. Ribs wider. Hips wider. I literally look like an old frumpy mum of kids now. I've tried everything :( Even when I did lose the weight, it still didn't fix it all.

You may just have to accept the new you!

I have gone up a whole dress size and a bloody shoe size. I've had to replace everything in my wardrobe. I convinced myself I would be a size 8 again in no time

I’ve had 3 and my body barely changed ...I was wearing bikinis on holiday 4 months after #3 was born. I know I was very lucky. however before you all hate me after #2 I developed horrific varicose veins on my legs that not only were ugly but painful too...they got even worse after number #3 and I had to fork out £3000 to sort those bad boys out seeing as the nhs no longer treats them 😩

I do hate the pressure that exists these days to “bounce back” though as if a pre pregnancy stretch mark free perky tits young girl style body is the only “good” body ...

I went back to normal apart from my feet stayed at a 5.5 rather than size 4.5. They've recently shrunk back to a size 5. I'm approaching menopause. I find the body changes I'm experiencing now way worse than post pregnancy ones.

Yes to feet going up a size, youngest is now 4 and my feet have just returned to a six from a seven.

Ribs wider, it's put paid to all the little waisted dresses I used to love.

And weird as fuck but my nose got wider during pregnancy and never returned to shape.