What does your body look like?

[Zola78]

I'd like to have more children but the vain part of me looks at my body and thinks oh no. I'm a size 12 but my tummy wobbles (only had ds3 11 weeks ago) as does my bum. My breast are edging closer and closer to my to my knees. Whilst alot of these defects can't be seen by others they can be seen by myself and my dh.

What has been the effets on your body of having a large family and do you care?

i find it harder to keep a reasonable weight gain (like 3 stone) in pg but the only thing that keeps me going is fear of stretch marks

think i screwed that link up

oooh i joined that will look later when more time

You do not snap back.Ins tead you work at it. Part of the problem is women eating too much of the wrong food whilst pregnant and when you are really tired and have a stressful life with a small baby

Your right Xenia you don't just snap back you've got to work at it. However, that does stop you wanting to snap back once the baby's safely delivered. Even though this is my 3rd ds I still felt like I should have lost more weight than I have. Even though I know that it's unrealstic as I am breast feeding and running a household etc.

Somehow once the baby's gone so should the fat. I want to fit back in my jeans!!!! I'll get there, I know I will but I can't fool myself that I'll look the same as I did pre children. I can simply hope to be fitter and healthier.

When I had the twins I felt like there was a third one still in there.

You can certainly be thinner than before you had children of course. Anyone can. It's a myth that having babies has to mean you put on weight. I also think if people have time, rest and a good diet and enough sleep they can also get to look even better than before but again that take leisure, some money, inclination and all the other stuff most new parents have absolutely none of.

I have a theory that unacceptably saggy breasts only happen if u have gained too much weight at some point, or u havent worn a bra, or were enormous 2 start.

Is this unfair? Who started out with moderate size norks, wears a bra like religion, never gained excessive weight & still ended up with nips near your knees?

(Clings in hope.. )

I'm 40 have 6 kids, youngest nearly a year.
I am back in my size 6-8 clothes BUT I have a terribly loose and saggy tum even though it is pretty flat and toned.
I guess given my age that will never go
My boobs are tiny but I always wore a bra when pg and feeding, still they are def lower than they used to be.
I have exercised as much as poss, long walks, kettle bells etc.

i guess ive been reasonably lucky..4dc and not a stretch mark in sight! i guess thats down to not putting on too much weight when pregnant, always seemed to go back to my average size 14. thats not to say that my boobs are pert, or my belly is flat-far from it! and as for the pelvic floor...well does anyone really remember to do those excercises?

I'm a very lucky girl. I am naturally thin anyway but after 5 I actually look better and am a healthy size 10
No stretch marks either.
Boobs are still pert but thats coz they were never big to start with

I am 41+2 with my 5th child. I have a huge comedy bump, and dd1 has asked me why the rest of my body has swollen up too

After my 4th I went to the gym and was a size 10-12 and pretty toned. I'm not sure I'll ever get any where near that again.

I think it gets harder as you get older. Also the more children yo have the less time you have to 'exercise'.

I now do biggish walks, after dropping 1-5 off a various establishments I strap dc6 on my back and walk for an hour or 2.

I also have my kettlebells and the exercise prog I have with them can last as little as 4 mins.

Still I am most def wider around the midriff and it pisses me off. I'm not sure whether my pelvis has widened after so many pg's OR it's my penchant for hot bread smothered in lashings of beutter
But I get SOOO hungry

Hi I,m new . I,m forty and have 8 kids. I keep fit by doing 3 hours of kickboxing a week and running a few miles three times a week.
You can see what I look like here www.starnow.co.uk/catherinewilliams3
although I have put on more muscle since these were taken 6 months ago and lost the quater inch of fat I had on my tum then.
It easy to keep fit with kids these days with running pushchairs classes with creches and exercise videos. I ran from when I was a teenager and ran through most of my pregnancies. If anyones interested I run a company selling maternity fitness wear although I,m am a bit low on stock at the moment.
see www.activemums.co.uk

yes kittywise I,m sure the pelvice gets wider. I have old size 10 jeans levis theres no way I can get into although I have,nt any noticable fat on my waist. Even Paula Radcliffe on the front of Runners World in which she looks very thin her hips look a lot wider than before she had her daughter.

Wow kickingcat, thats really impressive!

What belt are you in kickboxing?

Pre-children I also used to do 3hrs of kickboxing a week and was working on my blue belt.

Four children and six years later, I am very unfit and untoned. I can barely get up off the floor during my Pilates class

kickingcat, that makes me feel a bit better!

well I did get to bluebelt with one kickboxing organisation but fell out with them. I now go to a much friendlier full contact club which is ,nt really into belts but more into competitions and trains a lot harder.
I was directed here from another forum and this was the only topic that I wanted to comment on.
I must say that a lot of the headings in this big family section are so offensive I dread to think what the comments are like eg how do big families breath the same air?, how do they have breakfast ? whats wrong with people who ask stupid questions yes I get a lot but these take the biscuit!!

That's mumsnet for you KC.

Mostly it's a very supportive place, but like anywhere you get your share of 'annoying people' shall we say.

I take no notice