Does having lots of children have a bad effect on your body?

[Dozeyland]

I'm 22, 23weeks pregnant with my 2nd. and DP & I would love a big family one day :) just wondered if having more & more children have a positive or negative effect on your body in the long run? Not sure why i'm asking, just interested really?

Experiences please :)

There is no real answer to this question. Some women will look wrecked from just having one baby with saggy bits and stretch marks. Others might have five and yet look like they've never been pregnant. It's probably mostly due to genetics surely

Stretch marks
Extra skin on tummy
Saggier boobs
Baggier fanjo and possible beginning of prolapse
Weaker pelvic floor
More wrinkle earlier from years of getting up at night and being very tired/looking a bit older than peers
Varicose veins

These are all things that I and other friends with 3+ children have between us noticed.

Genetics must play a big part, but as you say - it all depends really doesnt it as one lady could look badly effected by one, when another could look flawless after 5........ human body fascinates me

You might think that's reasonable, but just look at Victoria B and Angelina J.

So not necessarily

If these women can do it, why not us?

Money and time with dedicated team of chefs, nutritionists, personal trainers etc perhaps...

My friend has had 7. She has a completely flat, tight as a drum abdomen, perky boobs and not one stretch mark.

Another friend has had 2 and is covered in stretch marks and her boobs are by her navel.

Genetics, I reckon.

And how do we know they're not packing a Tena lady or have had corrective surgery ?

I am pregnant with dc5, my tummy is harder to get rid of after the pregnancy (but then i am not thin anyway - about size 14 normally). I got loads of stretch marks with dc1 but with each pregnancy the same ones have got darker again but i oddly have had no new ones. Other things such as wrinkles etc i havent noticed BUT I am 28 so perhaps this will come later

things that have been worse with later pregnancies mainly that i cant rest in the day so i feel tired and also the more children I have had the more aches and pains i get in pregnancy, mainly back and hip aches but also i have a terrible time with constant BH in the last couple of months this time and last time.

Ah but huw, they could have a hanigng prolapse and terrible piles for all we know
I think the cosmetic side of it is actually very small in comparison to the other effects tbh. All the damage to my body that you can see was done by my firstborn. In the 2 pregnancies since, there's been no more stretchmarks or saggniess. But I think the toll on my joints will come back to haunt me, my pelvis was extremely painful in my first 2 pregnancies though I seem to have gotten away with it this time.

I am expecting DC4, and I agree with Joy!

I think that it totally depends on the individual, I actually look better now than when I was a new mum to one, combination of looking after myself better,being more responsible and aware that I am a mum so in terms of health it matters more to me.

Yep, I got stretch marks but my first pregnancy gave me the most, and tbh losing weight can give you them as well as saggy boobs, which again can happen with age anyway!

My boobs are fine, no complaints on the fanjo and at 36 yrs old I have lots of comments of 'you don't look old enough' (eldest is 12yrs!) !

Of course pregnancy changes your body,but your body is built to have babies and as long as your in good health and its what you want stretch marks and saggy boobs are a small price to pay!

Lockets funny you saying about teeth, since being pregnant with this baby, 2 of my teeth have cracked - but i had a brace when i was 14 and my teeth weren't as strong afer that so may be that.......

Morethemerrier I can't agree more, Stretchmarks and saggy boobs are a small price to pay :) I have a small amount of "babylines" from DD1. but my boobs are fine, DP has no complaints. i was tiny to start with there, and they do go up a couple of sizes but then they just go down to normal but no sagginess (yet!)

I think it depends on how your body has reacted to the first two. I am 5 foot 3 and weighed myself yesterday and am 8 stone 9 and 31 weeks pregnant. I have no stretch marks or any signs of being pregnant except for a bump/bigger boobs. I expect to be back to the same as pre pregnancy within a couple of weeks. I also dont feel any different pregnant really to pre pregnant.

it depends how much exercise you do, how active your lifestyle is, what you eat and luck/genetics.

Sorry will add this is my second, but planning on another and I dont want to look any different than when I started having them.

All the damage to my body was done during my first pregnancy - stretchmarks, saggy boobs etc so my subsequent 3 pregnancies didn't really make things any worse.

I did make sure I lost any excess pregnancy weight before becoming pregnant again though, I think the culmalative weight gain can have a big effect on your body and make it hard to shift after your final pregnancy.

My teeth have suffered since being pregnant with my 3rd and my hips are knackered after having my 4th.

However, my friend had 3 babies in 3.5 years and then had a 4th a few years later. Her stomach is like a washboard, she had tiny boobs anyway so no sagging to speak of and is a perfect size 8 with no stretchmarks. She has more wrinkles than me though so there is a God

My pregnancy with dd3 has left my body weaker in strange ways- I've needed a tooth extraction, a crown and another tooth just fell out! My prescription for my contact lenses and glasses has changed for the worse. My nails are weaker. I've had an eye infection. I'm now being tested for diabetes as there was an anomaly in my routine eye exam. And I can't shift my tummy shelf after my 3rd c section.