To think it’s physically impossible for some women to regain their pre-pregnancy shape?

[HarryHarry]

Did your shape change permanently after pregnancy? I used to be a UK size 10. After I had my baby I lost all the weight (about 30 pounds) quickly but found that I was struggling to fit into some UK size 12 jeans/trousers. I don’t think I am carrying any extra fat - it’s as if my hip bones themselves have expanded. Is that even possible? Is there anything I can do to be thin again? Or am I stuck like this forever? Give me some hope please! I hate dwelling on “trivial” stuff like this when I should just be grateful for my beautiful, healthy baby, but it’s really getting me down. I feel so old and frumpy and I never thought that would happen to me.

I think this topic has triple-posted.

Yes, pregnancy can permanently broaden your hips because of the effect of relaxin on the ligaments holding your pelvis together. It can also make your feet permanently bigger. It may reverse/reduce somewhat but it also may not, I'm afraid, and there's really nothing to be done. It's not unknown for women to have to throw away all of their pre-baby shoes and buy new larger ones.

I am actually smaller than I was pre pregnancy but I have only had one child and she was only 4lb4 and I put on very little weight. Tummy is not the same and boobs are shot.

Oops didn’t realize it had triple-posted - I kept getting “Access Denied” when I tried to post. Thank you for your replies though!

Your rib cage can spread as well and not return to pre pregnancy shape.

I didn't gain much weight in pregnancy, lost it and a few more pounds besides, and I still can't get my old jeans over my hips. Bra band is a snug 34 now too, where it used to be a comfortable 32 and I don't think there is more chub on my ribs now than there was! My feet are also about half a size bigger too I think. I can still get my old 4s on, but I swear they are tighter than they used to be. Happily though, my boobs and belly have recovered pretty well. So that is something at least!

I have lost hope that hips/ribs/feet will return to their previous state, as the 'baby' is almost 4 now. He was a pretty big baby though, so that may not have helped!

I got down to the same weight, but was exercising 6 days a week. I was still a dress size larger, even though muscle weighs more than fat and technically I should have been slimmer

I think it’s impossible.
Some women who are very fit may regain an impressive physique back (not me too lazy to try and like cake).
But I think pregnancy will always alter somethings, that means you don’t return exactly to pre pregnancy shape.
I don’t necessarily mean a worse shape, just different.
You clearly are thin if you aren’t carrying extra fat, it’s just that your hips are curvier. Not a great deal you can do about it just embrace it!
Wish I could say I’d lost all my pregnancy weight I’m still 9lbs over!

My hips are wider now. Though ive lost all the baby weight years ago.

Your hips and ribs definitely expand.

I think it depends a lot on how fit you were before you got pregnant and also how much exercise/healthy eating you do after. Everyone has different priorities though and if you don't want to spend months exercising, that's fine too.

There shouldn't be all this pressure on women to be perfectly skinny and slender all their lives.

I think my hips, rib cage and feet are broader now. And I now have a wobbly tummy, even if I lose lots of weight. And my boobs seem smaller.

Ya think?!

Why must women judge themselves on their ability to take up less space?

Isn't it a shame that our society doesn't appreciate women being a womanly shape rather than requiring they aspire to a teenage boy aesthetic?

I personally didn't notice much hip/ribcage expansion (feet yes), but I definitely had a wobblier tummy for a few years after DS1. When he was around 3.5 I suddenly realised I was fed up of feeling unfit/tired/achy in my 20s, so took up a rather intense aerobics class, along with yoga at home. For a few months I felt fit and slim and strong, and had the flattest stomach I ever had in my adult life!

... then I got pregnant with DS2

He's now 8m and the wobble is back but I'm really not worried about it. I know I will soon get back to doing proper exercise and feel strong again.

Seems your baby is still quite young? So give yourself a break and don't stress too much about your body yet, if you can!
If you are unhappy with how you feel, then when you feel ready why not take up some exercise with a focus on feeling fit and strong and healthy (rather than on how you look). You might find feeling happier and more confident in your body follows as a pleasant side effect!
You can still definitely still be happy, healthy, fit, slim, strong and beautiful after a baby - the width of your hip bones is irrelevant to all of the above!

Even when I lost the weight, I was a different shape and clothes size. It took some adjusting to and learning to dress for my new shape.

How old is your baby?

It's trite, but the expression "it took nine months to grow your baby" is so true - while some women may appear to return to their exact shape quickly, for most there are bound to be some changes and the body can takes a long time to recover from such a huge event.

My understanding is that the rib cage expands for the baby and the hips widen to make childbirth easier. I think after DC1 my rib age alone didn't go back until about 8 months. My hips never did and nor have my feet - I'm 1/2-1 shoe size bigger (oldest DC is 4 now).

I understand your feelings, I put on three stone in both pregnancies. I used to be a size 8. Second DC is nearly two and it's taking longer to lose the weight (still nearly 2 stone to go). It made me feel like I'd lost the old me. I will never be the same shape - two sections have left a huge pouch and internal scarring. My waist is much wider and was even after DC one and losing the weight. The extra fat does bother me, but I will lose it and the other changes I have come to accept. You've had a baby, it will change you. Be kind to yourself and remember you will keep on changing for maybe a year to two after giving birth. And being a size 12 does not make you old or frumpy!

Yep. Sorry OP, my body has perma-changed. My hips AND my rib cage are now wider than they were before! Absolute horror. I went from a 36C to a 38B in bra size and don't appear to be able to get back down again. It happens I'm told. I was a comfortable 12 before pregnancy, now I'm a solid 14 and not super happy about it. I think I have about 5-7 kilos I could do with dropping, but I doubt it'll get me back in the 12s as my hips are visibly larger.

Now I'm just trying to love my new body instead :)

I think you need to look at your tone and shape rather than size or weight. I could understand a size 0-6 not being able to return to their pre-pregnancy size / weight but a size 10, unless you are over 5 ft 7, isn’t very slim. It’s very possible that you lost muscle tone during the pregnancy and when you perform strengthening and cardio exercises you will be able to return to your pre-preg weight. The rib widening and hip widening that occurs during pregnancy isn’t drastic - at most an inch or half an inch, it’s the weight gain and loss of muscle tone associated with pregnancy and child birth that causes the size and shape changes.

Suggest you speak to a physio that specialises in post-natal care if you’re worried. They can guide you through appropriate exercises.

My body has definitely changed. My tummy seems to enjoy being permanently round, from underneath my boobs down to my c-section overhang.

My feet went up in size and my boobs are a good cup size larger.

I had a terrible pregnancy and was devastated to gain 4 stone. A lot of this was fluid so I lost 2 stone within days of giving birth.

The remaining 2 stone have been the bane of my life. I have lost and regained them at least 3 times. It's like my body believes it should now be 2 stone heavier than it was. It takes a lot to keep my weight down. I gain weight in huge chunks very easily. I can gain 5lbs overnight by going out for a meal and having a glass of wine.

Sometimes I think to hell with it, just embrace my new body, other times I'm in despair looking at my lovely wardrobe of clothes of all sizes.

Sorry this got s but ramble. But in answer to your question... your body will change once you've had a baby. How you respond to those changes is up to you.

Mine never went back some of it - wider hips, bigger but droopier boobs was fine with me as I always wanted a bit of curves

But my areolas really changed. I literally developed areolaboob. Where my areolas grew so massive they covered my whole breast. They shrunk a bit since but I really dislike how they look like flat cookies.

The second thing I hated is that I got diastasis Recti and knew nothing about it and was told nothing about it by midwife or GP and made it 100x worse by doing traditional situps etc and then got a hernia. I eventually had an op to correct it but still not knowing about diastais recti I just gave up stomach excercises and nothing I do now helps. I have a belly that sometimes makes me look 5 months preggers.

Then there's the stretch marks

I was always curvy before I had my children. Had them one after the other, wnt on a diet lost 5 stone and never looked better. I have a better stomach now than before kids and I don't have a single stretch mark. Thank god.

I thought the rib cage widening was just me. I haven’t lost any weight really, not anything to write home about but even where I’m bony on my rib cage, it’s definitely wider. What a relief!

I'm really not sure it's helpful or accurate to say "I could understand a size 0-6 not being able to return to their pre-pregnancy size / weight but a size 10, unless you are over 5 ft 7, isn’t very slim"?

The average height of a woman in the UK is something like 5ft 5, and the average size a 14. I'd say being a 10 is slim unless you are very, very short. When I was an 8-10 (big hips and boobs) and I'm considerably shorter than 5ft7 I had a BMI of 21, definitely looked slim and was referred to by friends as being so. Being a size 0-6 doesn't suddenly give you the edge on getting back to your old weight - being fit and muscular might, but that's not size related. And even then, so much depends on what you went through during pregnancy, hormone changes, breastfeeding, birth trauma and after effects (eg diastasis recti, as mentioned by PP).

I was back to my pre-pregnancy weight of 8 stone 5 lbs, 5 days after giving birth. However, DD was a large baby for my small frame, and my pelvis certainly widened. I went up a hip size in trousers, and never went down again.
I’m not sure if it would be possible to fix it - would you want to try wearing savagely tight strapping round your pelvis for weeks post delivery?!
And I echo a PP, who said it’s a normal healthy thing for women to have wide hips. It’s one of the natural sex characteristics that distinguish us from men, and is useful for childbearing.

My shape has not changed one bit. It just always has at least two stone more flesh than it used to have on it, but I am still the same shape.

I have a better stomach now than before kids and I don't have a single stretch mark. Thank god.

Bitch

My shape has not changed one bit. It just always has at least two stone more flesh than it used to have on it, but I am still the same shape.
Bitch