I had my son at age twenty, and during my pregnancy I gained a very unhealthy 150lbs. I weighed 300 lbs when I gave birth. 60 of that went away at birth, but I still had 90 lbs to deal with! I was frustrated, upset, and depressed, and like many women, I turned to food to deal with my depression. When the weight stayed on, I went off the edge. I tried everything! But then I thought about the gift I had been given; my beautiful son, the perfect thing to help me lose weight! Playing with him burned calories, taking him to the zoo burned calories, anything I could do with my boy in tow burned calories! So I took him everywhere! The zoo, the park, the grocery store, anywhere! I got two benefits out of it. Not only did I get back in shape (only 30 lbs to go!) but my son learned beyond his 3 and a half years! He can read, knows his animals, his colours, all sorts of stuff, all because I included him in the simplest things we take for granted, like reading a soup label. My stomach is still pouchy, and my bum is still round, but I am no longer obese! Take your child and go everywhere you can put an hours walking into, and teach them along the way! it will make you feel better, look better and your child has a head start for school!
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Name : Jessica G., Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 24, City : Greenville, State : SC Country : United States, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Lower middle class, Jessica: This is my first time reading this website, and I can provide you with some answers. That's what happens to your body with childbirth. There are a number of things that you can do to improve the situation, but you won't get back to what you had previously. People will tell you all kinds of things, but the truth is that how we do after pregnancy is largely dependant on our genetics. Exercise will help enormously. Toning the rest of your body will make you feel better. If you smoke, stop. You are most likely too heavy for your height. You also need to focus on some other successes. Start with getting your GED. I would also encourage you to look into some parenting classes, as being a parent can be very rewarding. Would you consider a career, or are you a stay at home mother? There are a number of fade creams out for stretch marks, which really don't work well, so don't waste your money. If you sun tanned your stretch marks in the first year, this could make them look worse. (sun on scars can cause them to become dark and noticeable---usually this is only a problem with scars under 1 year old) There are surgical ways to improve your appearance, however I would recommend waiting until you are done having children. Tummy tucks are very effective at removing stretch marks and flattening the abdomen. However, smokers have more complications, and the surgery is very expensive--at least $6000 in this area. When you are done having children, you could consult a plastic surgeon, or if money is a real issue, look for a plastic surgery residency program. They will offer cosmetic procedures for a much lower price. Tummy tucks are cosmetic surgery, and are not covered by your insurance. I know my advice is heavy on the surgical side, but please remember the most important part: beauty comes in many different forms, not just what we see. Please apply immediately to get your GED and improve your life for you and your son.
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Name : Tracy24220, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 38, City : Brookfield, State : WI Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper class, Stop focusing on your weight and start focusing all your energy on your child. Play with him, take him for long walks in his stroller. You will be amazed at how your weight falls off. Enjoy your son.
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Name : Tina24623, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, Age : 42, City : Alpharetta, State : GA Country : United States, Occupation : homemaker, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, Hey Jessica, I know how it feels. I had a daughter when 21 and a son at 25. Now that I am 28, I have learned to reduce that extra weight. Diet and exercise and a cheerful, healthy mind is what it takes. Be positive. As suggested to you earlier, work on yourself rather than just your body. Be someone your child will be proud of!
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Name : Lavina, Gender : F, City : Kuwait City, State : NA Country : Kuwait, While your body may never return to its pre-pregnancy state, exercising can help you become more toned and have the added benefit of increasing your self-esteem. I always feel better after I exercise, both physically and mentally. Stretch marks may fade with time. If you feel yours are particularly bad, ask your doctor if there is anything you can do to fade them. I liked using Shea butter and vitamin E.
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Name : GH21745, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Lutheran, Age : 29, City : Utica, State : NY Country : United States, Occupation : RN, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, I've been there. I was 20 when I had my son. When I was pregnant, I was huge. I felt the same way you did. I didn't want to eat afterwards, I felt so ugly and huge. I don't care what anyone says, the whole 'get over it' comment - yeah right! It's hard to get over. You will lose the weight, though, don't worry. It took me just about 4 months to get back to normal. And still, even if you hit your previous weight, your body isn't going to look the same. I'm back down to 120 and my hips are a little bigger, my breasts are just a little lower and I just don't have the body of a girl ... it's a woman's body now and it does look different. My point: don't worry about your weight too much; it will go away if you do normal routine crunches or run. Keep in mind, your skin won't return to its original elasticity for over a year, so you will have what seems like excess skin.
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Name : Victoria, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Catholic, Age : 21, City : Novi, State : MI Country : United States, Occupation : Federal Agent, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, I don't agree with either of these women. Your body, like many things, is about genetics. I know of women who've had children and are in great shape with no effort at all. I know others who are in great shape due to eating right and excercise. If you want to look better, you need to change your lifestyle. Eat right most, if not all, of the time. Excercise a minimum of three days a week. You can absolutely change if you put your mind to it. I don't buy into the whole 'accepting your body for what it is' approach that some people have decided to take. And, although you should always be thankful for what you have, that should not replace striving to be and have more. It's not going to be easy, but you can do it if you really try. But do try to finish school first and foremost.
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Name : Austin30424, Gender : M, Age : 31, City : Frankfort, State : KY Country : United States, I understand how you feel. I had my son when I was 19 and everything changed. All of a sudden I was in this body that I didn't know. I had hips and other things. I hope you don't go the way I did: I just let it go. In the last few years I have finally gotten to the point where I have accepted my body and now I am to the point where I want to try and change it to the better to be healthier. So hopefully I can help you get there faster. You will never go completely back to what you were before, because when you carry that baby your body changes, but this is not necessarily a bad thing. The stretch marks are badges of honor that mothers wear - I don't show mine off, but they are not evil things to get rid of. There are supposed to be lotions that can reduce them, but I never had the money to spare so I don't know. I met my husband after having my son and he doesn't seem to mind them. You can perhaps do exercises to tone up your tummy area, as most things we do don't affect that area often, even carting around children.
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Name : Sheila, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 38, City : Tucson, State : AZ Country : United States, Occupation : Tech engineer, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, Same thing happened to me, but at age 36. You created a whole other person; how awesome is that? It will take awhile - that weight didn't get there overnight - but in the meantime marvel at the fact you have a wonderful child. He loves you for who you are - Mommy!
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Name : Jennifer19501, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 38, City : Sierra Vista, State : AZ Country : United States, Occupation : teacher, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, Try a Japanese market - oh crap Louisville might not have one. In Japan it's common for women to wear a tight band around their tummy for a few weeks after pregnancy. It reduces stretchmarks and can make the shape back to prepregnancy style. It also helps, they say over there, to squeeze out any old blood leftover, and to get the intestines and organs back where they belong. I don't know about that... But anyway it certainly doesn't have a big danger, because they sure do live a long time.
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Name : Dan, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 45, City : L.A., State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : manager, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, I was 18 when I gave birth to my son, who I gave up for adoption. I too had, and still have at 33, deep, wide stretch marks due to contractions during delivery. I have had no children since. I felt insecure about the changes it made on my body, but I have also learned that for some of us it's a badge of honor. We carried and delivered healthy children. All you can do is try the normal things to strengthen your abs which will reduce the appearance and flatten the 'baby-belly'. But other than that, it's mental. Just know that even with the stretch marks, you are beautiful.
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Name : Lara D., Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 33, City : Abilene, State : TX Country : United States, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, Stretch marks aren't sexy? You can certainly find people who regard them as sexy. You can't be 'good looking' with a 'different' shaped tummy? You certainly can! It may even add interest in someone else's eyes. Take a look around. People come in all shapes and sizes. If you start to feel bad about yourself for any particular physical feature, you won't feel entirely good about yourself even if it is 'corrected'. And you may be missing the type of person who loves that particular feature on you. If it is unhealthy, do something about it. Otherwise, accept yourself as being you, especially as you age/change/experience your life.
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Name : Craig19506, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, City : Somewhere in, State : MO Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, 
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