Anonymous wrote:My ribcage expanded and has never gone back. Some things just don't move back.

Yup. Mine, too.

Yes, me too. All my shirts are shorter.

Oh hell yes. I was a 36 band size before pregnancy. Now I'm a 40. And I *felt* them. Millimeter by millimeter. Weeks 14-22, pretty much.

I'm 5 lbs over my first baby pre-pregnancy weight. There's not a chance in hell I'm going to ever be that shape again. It was more than a decade ago. I stopped fretting about it about 3 years after having my first.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My ribcage expanded and has never gone back. Some things just don't move back.

Me too! And I had a big one to start with.

Btw, I lost all 40 lbs within 4lbs of each child and body fat went back to 15% like it was prior to kids and my ribcage is still slightly bigger 5 years after last and feet 1/2 size bigger. It happend.

Anonymous wrote:Ribs expand and rarely go back. It is one of the biggest post-pregnancy secrets. Even Kate Middleton - skinny as she is - looks wider on top. So, feel better, it happens to everyone!

Reese Witherspoon also publicly stated her ribcage grew after her first two children---and she was young when she had them. This was way back in her 20s. She said even though weight and everything else went back her measurements by designers were bigger in ribcage.

My ribs expanded after my second pregnancy and went back to normal size about 5 years later (with another pregnancy in between). I know for sure b/c the post baby #2 shirts I bought are too big for me now (and not just in the chest area). My feet also shrank back to their original size (having gone up a 1/2 size) so it is possible people! It just takes YEARS!

Ribs expand and rarely go back. It is one of the biggest post-pregnancy secrets. Even Kate Middleton - skinny as she is - looks wider on top. So, feel better, it happens to everyone!

Maybe it's back fat? I know it is for me

During both of my pregnancies I've developed back fat and love handles, have no idea why. I'm thin and went back to my pre-pregnancy weight and size but I still have fat and weird places that I've never had before and it just won't go away no matter how clean I eat and how much I exercise.

Anonymous wrote:My ribcage expanded and has never gone back. Some things just don't move back.

Me too! And I had a big one to start with.

I trained in Opera in Undergrad, and went on to get a degree in health science. When I trained in the sustained deep breathing for Opera, my ribcage grew in size due to my building the muscles and expanding the rib cage through stance and exercise (us older girls always told the newer ones in the department to not buy any new bras at the start of the year because they'd outgrow them by midterm!).
When I took anatomy, I learned that the rib cage is made of cartilage, bone, and muscle layers inside, in between the ribs (called "Intercostals") and on the outside.
Pregnancy softens the cartilage of the shorter, softer lower ribs and the spread apart to accommodate the baby, your organs, and give the lungs more room to expand. Yes, you may have some extra fat padding on the outside too, but most of the expansion is due to the softening and spreading of the ribs while the relaxin in your system makes the cartilage soft.
Can you get your ribs back into their old shape while the relaxin is still in your system? I plan to pull out an old corset and give it a shot, because it makes sense that I could. I certainly plan to use a hip band to reign my hips back in! Hope this more scientific breakdown is helpful!

Just because you're back down to pre-pregnancy weight doesn't mean things should fit the same.
You may carry more weight around your middle now then you did pre-pregnancy...unless you're exactly the same measurements.

I'm in the best shape of my life after baby #2. Having children gave me the motivation to get to the gym. I'm at the same weight as my wedding day, but much more compact due to exercise.

At the end of the day, exercise was critical to getting my body back and then some. Babies also added some curves that look great now.

I am 5 pounds lighter than pre-pregnancy and it's been 2 years.

My bra size was a 32 and is now a 36. MY RIBS Expanded!

I went from a 34 to a 38 bra size around. It took me almost a year to return to 34. My ribcage is back to normal size now. So there's hope! I'd given up.