Will my body ever be the way it was before??

[Anonymous]

your boobs will never look the same. never.

[Anonymous]

Yes it will take time. I have my body back and i have had 3 kids. Two were twins. I am a runner as well.

[Anonymous]

The weight is the least of my concerns. I'm just hoping that these repulsive and painful varicose veins on my vagina!!!!! will go away postpartum. They just appeared last week. My OB told me that they would, but I'm so afraid! Only three more weeks to go! I'm so sad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, but please don't worry about it now. Some people gain a ton and take it all off. I agree with a PP that some people just need to during their pregnancy. They lose it pretty quickly afterwards, especially if they are breastfeeding. Eating right and exercise are key. And you are lucky that your mom bounced back, so good genes are in your favor.

My mom wore her pre-pregnancy jeans home from the hospital. I wore something resembling a tent. Of ocurse, she had her first baby at 20 and I had mine at 36...

No, OP, you will not ever be EXACTLY the same. But you will be a new you that you will ultimately be pleased with. In my case, the best thing my internist ever did for me was to go on and on about how most of his women patients in their 40s who had two kids didn't even have a waist, much less weigh 115 lbs as I did when he commented (I'm 5'4"). I can't wear the jeans I wore when I ws 20, and things are arranged a bit differently now, but I am happy with the new me and, more importantly, so is my husband. The strongest and fittest I have ever been in my life is when I started lifting pretty serious weights after both my kids were born. You are not somehow all washed up. I promise!

[Anonymous]

I think it depends on your genes and what happens to you after the baby. I was severely injured during delivery and still can't exercise well. I didn't have great tummy genes to start with, so it's all a mess!

[Anonymous]

OP, I was 5'7 and 118 (or so, fluctuated some and never really used a scale to determine whether I was happy with my body as much as the mirror) when I got pregnant. I gained about 35 lbs or so and lost 20 of them within the first week. If you nurse and are eating what you need to eat (but making sure most of what you eat is healthy), I bet you'll do just fine. As for me, I'm 13 weeks postpartum and am within a few lbs of my prepregnancy weight and can fit into most (not all) of my prepregnancy pants. I haven't worked out at all, BUT, my baby had colic and we spent the first two months putting a lot of mileage on our slippers walking baby around and around and around and around! I'm also breastfeeding. My body is not the same as it was before pregnancy -- it's almost like the small amount of fat I had then (and now) has been rearranged. Some for the better (my ass looks better than ever!) and some for the worse (I, too, have the weird little "ledge" of belly). I suspect that the belly will be better within a few months, too. The other thing I might say, however, is that I have a new-found appreciation for my body as a superstar after giving birth. It is like childbirth was the miracle solution for my body image problems. Now when I look in the mirror and see my imperfections, I think "pretty damn good for a recent mommy!" instead of "oh my goodness, my hips look so wide in these pants." I hope you will feel the same way -- it is liberating!!! In the meantime, keep doing what you're doing (except for the worrying part).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:your boobs will never look the same. never.

Mine actually look better now, slightly larger but still perky. I guess that's an advantage of being on the small side to begin with.

On the other hand, I'm 10 pounds up, don't have time for the intense workouts I used to do, and my stomach is nowhere near where I'd like it. But like one of the PPs said very eloquently, I have a newfound appreciation for what my body can do, and I'm happy with where I am.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have always been thin and have always been able to eat whatever I wanted and stay thin. During my pregnancy, I only gained 20 pounds and I lost all 20 pounds in the first 2 weeks after having my baby so I was back to my pre-pregnancy weight very quickly- that being said, now at 11 weeks postpartum, my body is not at all the same: even though I have lost all the weight, my belly does not look flat the way it used to, there is some sort of pouch there/stretched out muscles and skin, I still have an ugly linea nigra and my boobs are smaller than they used to be (I am not breastfeeding). I was telling my OB the other day that my belly looked awful and he said I should not complain since I am much thinner than most of his patients who've had babies and who never lose the baby weight. So to answer your question, no I don't think your body will ever be the same again.

Do you exercise? I have been exercising (almost) every day for 15+ years, and had no problem with skin elasticity.

I'm not the PP, but I had my DD 3 years ago, and am the same prepregnancy weight before her (I dropped to 11 lbs below pp weight while nursing) - I'm 5' 9" and 154 lbs. I always have had a very small pooch, but got some major stretch marks there, and now, I can't seem to make any changes there. It's like a little bowl of jelly. I'm just accepting it. It means no more bikinis for me, sadly, but hey, I have a great DD to show for it. And hopefully I'll have a #2 as well.

But if someone has had luck getting rid of this, short of a tummy tuck, I'd love to hear about it.

Oh, and I'll add... once I stopped BFing after 13 mos, my boobs (36A pre-preg - I probably maxed out at a 36C - oh, those were awesome!!!) did look awful. Deflated. But a few months later, they were totally back to normal. I think they look the same now as they did pre-preg.

[Anonymous]

8:08 poster. Oh, and I should add that I weight train and run 3-4x a week. And I only gained 38 lbs during pregnancy.

[Anonymous]

There is hope for you OP.

A fellow runner (who ran all through the pregnancy even at 9mo.) and yes, you can get your pre-preggers body back....you can still fit into your jeans, your favorite t shirt, a thong will still look hot on you, etc.

It's all relative though...For me, it was about 4 weeks post partem (I cheated and started running at 4 weeks even though I was suppose to wait until 6 weeks which helped). Plus, you can accessorize your look - plunging neck line t shirts, low cut jeans to hide any muffin tops, etc.

I'm bfing so my boobs are still fluffy, but after doing this with 2 kids/pregnancies, I am confident I'll be the MILF people on DCUM get jealous of

[Anonymous]

I was 5' 7, 119 lbs before my first pregnancy at 28. Use to be a big runner (ran in college) but only ran 2-3 time a week for a couple of miles through the 7th month when pregnant. Did walk some as well. I put on 25 lbs. Lost all but 5 at birth, and three when breast feeding but probably never got rid of the last two lbs. That being said. My body is definitely different. My hips widened and three years later, they haven't changed back. I do have more of a butt now although still tiny and some padding on my hips but my stomach is pretty flat, at least it was until I got pregnant again. Now I fell like I am already showing and I am only in week 6. I think people who are on the thinner side show a lot earlier.

That being said, before I got pregnant the second time there were definitely some pants that I couldn't fit into comfortably anymore after my frist pregnancy but those were pants from my early college year and I think your body just changes as you mature. I'm sure if I became motivated and slightly obsessed to get into them, I could have worked out like crazy and accomplished it but it wasn’t an issue for me. I am fine with my "newer" mature body.

Plus, I find that the clothes in women’s stores such as Ann Taylor now fit me appropriately as before the cut was off but I can no longer shop in the Juniors departments at stores.

Everyone is different but I'm sure with some work after you have your baby, you can get your body to resemble it pre-pregnancy.

[Anonymous]

I worked out daily and was in great shape before I got pregnant. I worked out almost daily during the pregnancy (though less intensely) and didn't eat like crazy and still managed to gain 52 lbs. (much of it turned out to be water.) I found it bizarre, but didn't freak out or obsess about it. A year post-partum, I work out most days and I eat pretty well, but don't diet. I've lost all but a couple pounds and people say I look as good as I did before the pregnancy. My body is not *exactly* the same - things settled a bit differently than before - but I still look good and I fit into my old clothes, and I'm happy with my body. (though i do wish my boobs hadn't gotten smaller - i didn't have enough to begin with!)

Try not to obsess about it if you can help it - what's important is that you feel good and that your baby is healthy. Your stomach will take awhile, maybe 6 months, to get back to normal - it takes awhile for your uterus to completely shrink back to the regular size - but it will happen. Just try not to let what should be a really wonderful, special time become about your body. This isn't about your body; this is about growing another person who you will love more than you ever thought possible. (sorry, not to sound self-righteous or holier-than-thou, i just hate it that some women let body insecurity or obsession get in the way of enjoying their lives.)

good luck!

[Anonymous]

I just want to echo that there is hope! I bounced back very quickly with my first and attribute a lot of that to breastfeeding in my case. However, I agree that the boobs will never ever be the same, at least not for me. Get ready for the deflated ballon effect.

But, otherwise, I thought I was looking pretty good! Try to enjoy the beauty your prengant self, it really is a miracle and something that most women only experience a few times in their lives.

Sounds to me like your weight gain is quite normal. I gained 30 or so total the first time around and think I'm set to surpass that with this second pregnancy.