My belly has gone far and beyond what I ever thought it would… I’ve carried two large baby boys to term (both 8lbs+ and both 2+ weeks early!!) and while pregnant, I could not believe just how big my bump got. I used to think to myself in the later weeks… it CAN’T get any bigger… but it did… and did… and did. I LOVED my bump the first time, but for some reason, I felt differently the second time. I was ecstatic about the pregnancy of course, but I didn’t have the same love for the way my body looked.
I was luckier the first time around. I remember feeling so surprised at how flat my belly was after having Ollie and how fast I lost the weight. I was back in pre-pregnancy jeans 2 weeks later and weighed what I did before I got pregnant. I had a few stretch marks but nothing too major or noticeable… I was really happy with how I looked!
This time around, I guess it has something to do with the fact my belly was stretched beyond belief for a second time… my belly just isn’t the same. After having Nate, I again, lost the baby weight really fast. Believe it or not I weigh a little less now than I did when we were trying to get pregnant with Nate. In clothes I think I look ok for someone who only gave birth 6 months ago.
But… when I’m getting dressed in the morning etc, I sometimes cringe at seeing myself in the mirror. I don’t like seeing the way my belly looks, but then I feel guilty for feeling so insecure, when really I should be astounded. My body changed twice in 4 years… an incredible amount of change… and I brought two gorgeous little boys into the world… I feel like I shouldn’t care. But sometimes I do. I wish I didn’t. I guess it’s not so much about how bad it looks…. but more about how unfamiliar it is. I look at my belly and it doesn’t feel like it’s me.
When I’m clothed and wearing something I love, I don’t give what’s underneath a second thought. I look in the mirror everyday trying to be more accepting and I keep telling myself that I never was and never will be a supermodel…. and who wants to be that stick thin anyway!? Ha! I need a real kick up the bum… I need to remember that there is so much more to life than how that bit of skin at the front of my tummy looks. Why are so many of us so hard on ourselves?? I’ve grown and given birth to two little boys… two little boys who sat, snuggly in my belly for 9 months each, absolutely thriving. I have a husband who loves me and thinks I’m quite sexy despite the way my belly looks. I need to realise that it DOESN’T MATTER. I’m not overweight… I’m a perfectly average weight… I shouldn’t care that a part of my skin doesn’t look how it used to.
I’ve been through a lot to be where I am now… a mum of two…. and a flabby stomach covered in stretch marks and wrinkles, is a tiny tiny tiny price to pay.
This photo is what I look like now… 6 months after giving birth to my second baby… the marks are there because I’m a mother and I feel SO incredibly lucky to be one.
You look absolutely amazing, I feel for you as you have just described exactly how I have felt for years about my body, I am 18 months past having a baby and my stomach is still flabby and no where near where I want it to be! It’s taken me years to accept the way I look and even now I still cringe in the mirror. Those stripes are for your babies and you earnt every one, the way I see my belly is although I may not like it, and want to change it daily, it’s also a constant reminder of what I have and so many don’t, and every time I think of it like that I always smile even if it’s only on the inside xx
THANKYOU for sharing so many people hide the way they really feel and so many people will relate to this! Xx
You look fabulous! Well done for sharing that. It’s great that you can share your insecurities, but also know you’ve done an amazing thing (twice!). X
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Emma- what a great brave honest post. And believe me- you look fantastic! I am so self conscious of my tummy- it wasn’t great to begin with and 5 kids later, it’s a right state. But it’s SO important to see the big picture- your two beautiful boys! I struggle all the time….and I thank God for spanx! Ps check out the website Shape of a Mother- I found it very inspiring. Emxx
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You look amazing! I know exactly how you feel- it has been 8 months since I gave birth and sometimes I look down at my body and hate what I see – other times I’m proud of what all the stretchmarks and wrinkles mean
Great post xo
Bex recently posted..Like, Love, Loathe 042 {linkup party}
I think you look great. We put ourselves under too much pressure to get back to pre-baby state and we forget why we’re doing it in the first place; because we brought a beautiful little bundle into the world. I ballooned when I have my daughter and never got myself back to my slim self.
CJ x
Crystal Jigsaw recently posted..Let a Child be a Child
I think it’s amazing that you so openly talk and also show your tummy post- pregancy! There’s so much pressure on us seeing all the celebs, so seeing a real mama tummy that carried 2 beautiful babies is so refreshing! You look fab hun! x
I already kind of commented on the blog frog post, but again, you look great and I’m happy for you that you feel comfortable to post your thoughts and your photos about it.
My body looks basically the same after baby #1, and I’m expecting that I’ll be in the same situation as you, where once I have baby #2 it’ll be different. Still, pretty amazing how a belly can stretch big enough to grow a human in the first place :p
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You look great! But I do know how you feel. I’m 8 months pregnant with my second now and feel exactly as you did – that I’m not loving how my body looks as much this time. I’m assuming it will take me longer to lose the weight too. But you are right – a tiny price to be so luck!
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Visiting from SITS!
I think your belly looks just fine (especially after having given birth twice) but I think your attitude is even better!
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You look great! Much better than I do 20 months post-partum. And I will tell you – I had my first two kids 2 1/2 years apart, and I gained plenty of weight with each of them. It took probably 5 years (maybe because I didn’t put forth a ton of effort – I’m not sure) for my stomach to look pretty normal again. Stretch marks faded to almost invisible and no so much extra hanging skin. But it did happen! Of course I had another kid, so it’s ruined again for now
But I like your attitude – I need to remember that this is the right approach whenever I look at my own belly. I’ve had 3 awesome kids – it’s okay if my stomach’s not perfect looking!
Visiting from SITS.
Katie E recently posted..An Interview with Brinkley – August 2012
Your stomach looks fabulous. Six months post partum rarely looks that great. You have motivated me to finally do my post partum posts. I finally got stretch marks and then some.
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Visiting from SITS.
What a great post! Good for you.
After carrying twins I can absolutely understand how you feel. I also mourn the loss of my belly button. It will just never be the same…
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You look great! We are tigers earning our stripes. I was not as fortunate to bounce back quickly, but I’m making it happen slowly but surely and with the same attitude that it was TOTALLY worth it. Happy Saturday Sharefest!
Emily @ TheBusyMomsDiet.com recently posted..Tutorial Tuesday- Sleep Training: Our Journey to Dreamland
My belly now looks the same as yours after having my 3rd child. I was pretty fine after having my 2 children–I didn’t have the stretch marks and flabby stomach, but after having my son, it was just different. I was sad at first, but now I don’t mind. I love your last line! Yes, the stretch marks (and even the flabbiness) reminds us that we’re moms–and it’s great!
Visiting from SITS Saturday Sharefest.
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I think you have a body to be proud of because it’s a body that carried and brought two children into this world. And I’m glad you can see it!
Stopping by from SITS Sharefest.
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You look fantastic. I lost all my weight (and more) after having my second son, but my third son is 22 months old now and I’ve still got a baby belly. I hate it too sometimes, and I need to remind myself that my body has been through lots and I’m never going to have the body I had in my twenties again, no matter how many sit-ups I do!
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Fab post! you look amazing by the way.
they are way worth it x
I know how you feel, we will still have our off days when the mirror is NOT our best friend, but we always have the kids
Chelsea Williams recently posted..I Love Naked
After 5 children and 4 c sections I have learnt amazing tricks with big knickers, long tops and belts. The only person who sees underneath doesn’t mind one bit thankfully!
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I’m so glad I read this, it has made me feel so much better about my bump feelings. Last time I adored having a bump and this time I’m just “….blurgh….” about it. I don’t hate it, but I just don’t love it like I did last time. And I suffered from serious bump envy when the little man was born too. I kind of had it in my head that I should be feeling the same about the bump and that it’s somehow a reflection on me that I feel differently. I suppose part of it is because I’ve been there and done that.
I think you look fab by the way. My attitude to my body changed a lot when I became a mummy and I felt happier in my (albeit flabbier) skin than I ever had before. Probably because I felt like my body was so clever. And I think maybe that’s the key, mummy bodies are rarely perfect but they have performed their job perfectly and we should be extremely proud. X
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You look great! I love your perspective. We earned these stretch marks and you are so right that they were such a small price to pay!
Emily @ TheBusyMomsDiet.com recently posted..It’s not happy people who are thankful, it’s thankful people who are happy
The media really messes with our head doesn’t it? We get fed all of these images of “Look how fast this celebrity lost her baby weight! Look how perfect she looks in a bikini after a baby!” and we take that to heart and believe it’s what we should be. When in reality most women have the same tummy badges of honor that you have after the miracle of birth. We are still beautiful (and you are gorgeous by the way!) just a little softer and with a few marks to show what our body is capable of. You’re not alone in being a little disappointed we don’t look the way we used to but I hope we can buck the media and think we are beautiful no matter what season of life we are in. Oh and my hubby is from Ireland and we were lucky enough to visit 2 years ago. Going back with 2 toddlers next year! Oy!
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Great post! I love this kind of honesty and it’s so important for us women to share it. Visiting from SITS today and I’m so happy to have found your little place. Your header is fantastic by the way!
I agree; you look great. But it’s tough when our bodies change. It’s hard to look in the mirror and not see what we expected to see. I hope you are feeling more at peace with yourself today.
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You look great! I had my kids a few years ago (ahem) and my stomach is still trying to get where it was. You are right, it doesn’t matter….just keep yourself healthy Happy SITS Day to you!
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Thank you for the post. I wish you could iron skin like clothes but…
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It’s one of those things that never goes away. But it’s a badge. It says, “I’m a healthy Mom with a gorgeous Mom belly”. I love that you were brave enough to post pictures. They look awesome, even though I’m sure they don’t feel that way to you.
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{Melinda} It’s been 12 years since my last baby bump and my washboard abs have not returned (oh wait, I never had them to begin with).
I am a healthy weight with a soft belly — and I’m just fine with that. I try to be fit, but more time at the gym means less time with my kids. Not willing to make the tradeoff! 
Happy SITS Day!
Mothering From Scratch recently posted..girl power is a terrible thing to waste
I get it– totally. I feel the exact same way. My belly has been stretched and kicked 3x over and it isn’t what I remembered it to be. I am also “skinnier” than I was before becoming pregnant with our third, but none of my parts are the same!
I love how as women, not only are we insecure about our bodies, but then we become insecure about our insecurities, as though having insecurities is somehow another fault for us to cover over. Good day, Ms. Kettle, my name is Ms. Pot…
Happy SITS day!
Classic NYer recently posted..On conversations with rodents pt 2 (the birthday edition)
You are so beautiful. Seriously, mommy tummies are so gorgeous, I love it. Beautiful.
Kristin recently posted..I’m Having A Sale!
You ought to see mine after having had 4 kids! Happy SITS day.
Jean Lynd recently posted..Reality Foundation with Anti-Oxidants, Not So Great?
You look great! Thanks for being brave and baring it all.
{Stopping over from SITS}
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Hello from St. Louis! Stopping in from SITS. You are right…such a small price to pay when you think of all the joy you receive. Thanks for sharing.
Andrea recently posted..Musings from Natalie #15
This was a great post! Yep, we all go through it after we have babies. I am amazed that you lost the weight so quickly!! BTW, I am visting from sits!
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Hi
I’ve just started a new blog hop The Friday Baby Shower for all new baby related posts – new and old – and would absolutely love for you to link up some of your fab baby posts. I love this one so much!
Alice @ Mums Make Lists xxx
http://mumsmakelists.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/the-friday-baby-shower-lovely-new-blog.html
Mums make lists (@mumsmakelists) recently posted..The Friday Baby Shower – A Lovely New Blog Hop!
I am amazed at quite how many stretch marks I have developed this second time round but I guess getting pregnant when your first is only 9 months old doesn’t give your body much time to recover! I am certain I have more stretch marks than you and not looking forward to my tummy deflating and seeing the damage but as you say – I could not be prouder of carrying and birthing two litte (chunky) boys x
Bex @ The Mummy Adventure recently posted..The Waiting Game
Thanks so much for linking up to last week’s Friday Baby Shower. This week’s party is now live and would love to see you there – Alice xx
http://mumsmakelists.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/the-friday-baby-shower-linky-party-2.html
Mums make lists (@mumsmakelists) recently posted..The Friday Baby Shower Linky Party #2
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