Did you get your old body back after pregnancy?

[Preggooo]

My wedding was this time last year - we looked through our wedding pics last night and I feel like I look like a different person.

Currently pregnant and feeling so hefty (still have 3 months to go).

I know it won’t be immediately and I will have to work hard but I just want to feel comfortable and confident in my own skin again and get back into exercise. Have a low placenta so all I can do atm is walk.

Hips were wider but not devasted by that.
Boobs are a bit saggier and I definitely suffered mum bum, aka a lovely round bottom in pregnancy followed by breastfeeding and a flat bottom.
I'm pregnant again and hoping that other than the above I'm the same

Snapped back into shape within weeks after no.1 at 31yo, then pushed my luck with another at 32. I never returned to my pre-pregnancy weight after no.2, but stayed in reasonably good shape until middle age caught up with me.

I think the difference was that with no.1 I had time to keep really fit and toned right up until they were born.

Yes. I think I look better after having two kids as I was very thin beforehand (5’7.5 and barely eight stone). Now I lift weights, and am almost a stone heavier.

Not far off! I’m actually thinner now (after 3 kids) than I was before, boobs are totally wrecked but they were too big before (not a humblebrag!) and I actually prefer the size of them now, although wish they were a bit less soggy and wrinkly 😂 but age would have caught up with them at some point anyway I’d expect and they’ll probably fare better with ageing now they’re less than half their previous size 🤣 everything else looks pretty much the same. I think I look fine and DP can’t get enough so it’s all good 🤷‍♀️😁

I did, DD is 4 & I’m 38. It was probably 2 years before I was 100% back or better. Lockdown/WFH has been great for my work life balance and I am pretty sporty. I gained maybe 1.5 stone or a bit less with DD, had massive blood loss then in hospital for 5 days when I ate basically nothing so I suspect a lot of the weight came off immediately. I also had undiagnosed hyperthyroidism for a few months, was looking fairly skeletal after 9 months but not fit/toned again until she was about 2 and I lost the 10lbs I’d gained 🤦🏼‍♀️. I felt like my metabolism was slower after my thyroid resolved but now I don’t really think about what I eat anymore (which was my default pre baby).

I gave birth 3 weeks ago. No stretch marks and pleasantly surprised that stomach has gone right down to near pre pregnancy state. Ii was v fit and toned pre pregnancy but did no exercise during pregnancy other than daily dog walks as I had low ferritin which made me breathless.

I have a stone to lose but I’m really pleased with the aftermath so far! however, I would have accepted stretch marks and saggy tummy in exchange for my scrumptious son 😊 I’m 48 if that is of any interest

Over all shape of body is different after DS2. Hips are so much wider. I d describe myself as 'softer' too, belly and bum 😅 boobs / nipples are knackered 🤣

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha 😂😂😂😂😂😂
No. Mine didn’t anyway. Massive nips (as a pp mentioned), my hips and ribcage widened, my tits got huge and then deflated like old balloons.
all in all, I suppose I look a bit passed my sell by date. However, other than having slightly flabby upper arms now (and this was not pregnancy related) I don’t think I’d change my body. A few years ago I was considering a boob job but never went through with it, I’m actually happy with my body now. Okay it doesn’t conform to ‘beauty standards’ but I look alright, I’ve accepted my fate!

Not the second time around, no. But I am now also old enough not to give a shiny shit anymore 😁

Yes I was fine. Had a section and I've had multiple abdo surgeries leading up to and after my section.

I didn't get very big in pregnancy and naturally have a tiny frame. I exercised in pregnancy with yoga. Luckily my cravings were chewing sponges so I didn't really indulge in much.

Delivered a 7lb4oz average size baby and was back in my 6-8 jeans within 10 days.

To get back to totally normal probably took me 3 months. A lot of it is genetics really. Some say you carry like your mum. My mum was huge in every pregnancy and it changed her body and she got wider everywhere. I was the total opposite. Good diet and exercise helps though. I found yoga a godsend. Only changes really are one tiny stretch mark under my boob and my nipples are slightly darker and bigger.

Some people do, some don’t. I had my first child as a teenager so I don’t really know what my adult body would look like. I have lost the pregnancy weight (3kids) eventually, but even then I still had a stomach. I tend to lose, gain, lose, gain. I lost 24lbs in lockdown, got to 7.5 stone (I’m only short so this was ideal weight range), then gained most back, now back on a diet. I gain so easily, and I do exercise too

An acquaintance posted photos on social media this morning that said 9 months of pregnancy, 9 months afterwards. Her body has gone back to normal. I’m still crying. Mine will never be normal again. How come she gets to have a baby and a normal body while I have to suffer in this wrecked shell? It’s not fair. My husband suffers too because I’m so ugly I won’t let him touch me. Eventually he’ll get fed up and leave and I’ll lose my marriage and my home too.

Same weight - but very differently shaped!

Bigger boobs (breastfeeding) but drooping a bit now I'm 50

2 c-sections and will never lose that belly pouch unless I have surgery - but I don't think I can justify the risk/cost for vanity

Legs a bit thinner but hips definitely wider

Wouldn't change it though
Congratulations on your pregnancy

After DC1 I bounced back with a couple of tiny stretch marks.
DC2 gave me a few more but still an acceptable shape.

Who knows about DC3, I’ll probably be made of jelly by the time I’m 40 weeks. 😐

After my first yes, very quickly but I didn't put very much weight on, second took a little longer,few months. I had my kids early 20s, often wondered if that helped, I was generally very slim back then too, having kids seems to make me want to eat and drink more now though ha.

Internally a slightly different story though!

Yeah, pretty much. Stomach a little softer but I was fit before so it helped. I had a section so I have a little bump over the scar but Pilates is absolutely incredible. Give yourself time to heal and don’t try to rush into kickboxing/weights etc. Reconnect with your core first and rebuild. Try to love on screen workouts as my issue is being able to get to the gym!
But it doesn’t matter if you don’t-you are growing a human body from scratch. Best of luck for the birth!

I'm so sorry you're struggling with this. It does help to talk and to talk to your husband about how you feel. I'm sure he loves you just as you are and would be concerned to see what you've posted here

With both pregnancies was back to pre pregnancy weight within a week of birth and subsequently lost some more weight after both pregnancies. Only gained a stone during first pregnancy and 19 lbs for second. No stretch marks or saggy skins/boobs.

36 years later still same bra size as at age 16, gone down a dress size and still have flat stomach despite menopause.

Never seen the inside of a gym! Think it is genetic - naturally small.

Ive only got 1 but yes I'm more or less the same shape, hips are wider though! Dsis has had 2 within 2 years and hasn't changed a bit!

I appreciate what you're saying and it sounds incredibly tough but I don't think it's unfair that she's got the body she wanted. She may have been lucky and done fuck all about it. Or she could've worked her arse off.
If you're struggling to the extend it's harming your marriage then you really ought to speak to someone as resenting others will only make you more upset.

What about seeking some therapy and set your own goals with a realistic timeline and work with a professional PT? If it's a healthier body you want to have.

Stretch marks if you have them fade over the years and somethings are irreversible but with work and persistence you can make slow changes in yourself.

But saying you don't think it's fair that she has that body 9 months on, isn't fair either. If someone's feeling confident and proud of their body they're entitled to show the world that.

Do you really think you'll literally lose your home because of your post baby body? Why? If things are that bad then you need to seek help and work towards getting to a shape you're happy with. Because resenting others and saying it's unfair will just make life harder for you.

Only had one baby so far and my body looks pretty much the same as it was pre-pregnancy. My tummy and boobs feel slightly softer to the touch but aren't saggy.

I ran half marathons, did pilates and cycled a lot pre-pregnancy though. I want a second soon and I'm now slightly nervous having read some of these posts!

The damage I really noticed was to my pelvic floor. I still pee sometimes when I run even 5k and it makes me sad from time to time. I had a forceps delivery though.

I've had 3 children - the last 2 were twins - everything definitely softer and squishier than it was before but actually I'm in the best shape I've been in for years - probably because I don't have time to eat or sit down or sleep

Oh and I breastfed the twins which hugely helped

I'd thoroughly recommend the twin diet 😂

Yes. Had two babies, no flabby tummy or stretch marks. Breasts a little saggier but not really noticeable.

Mind you my downstairs is a different story, 4th degree tear. It healed very well and I have no lasting issues but it definitely looks very different.

With ds1 the birth was complicated and there was issues but I recovered very quick. I was getting married 3 months after his birth. I absolutely threw myself into healthy eating and an exercise routine. My gym had a creche were they took new borns for 2 hours ( or 1 hour59 mins to be exact!🤣) I went every day Monday to Friday morning. I did an hour gym and 45 mins swim. The first time I swam I was like lead in water but I soon got better.
I was in the best shape for a long time at my wedding.
25 years later I wish I had the same motivation now!!!

I did with little issue however my body shape changed post menopause. I only weigh probably 8 pounds more but my waist is thicker and my boobs are two cup sizes bigger. I hate having D cups now.