How Pregnancy Changed My Body

I've had two 10lb babies, and this is my 3rd pregnancy in six years. 
One thing that my friends forgot to share with me about pregnancy was the way your body could look after you gave birth.
I gained 75lbs with Nakiah. I had weighed 140 for a while, and could fit into a size 6/8
When I'm not pregnant I'm a size 10/12
I was never a petite person to begin with. I've always been curvy. Over the years I grew to love my curves.
After Nakiah was born and we came home from the hospital, I looked at myself in the mirror and wondered what the heck happened to my stomach!

My stomach has always been a problem area for me, when I gained weight, that's where it went first, then to my hips. Before we got married, I finally had that problem area worked out. I was doing Pilates and Tae bo, and I felt really good about the way I looked.

Watching my body transform, and having the baby belly was amazing. I still think pregnancy is amazing.
I was completely unprepared for the way my body would look later on. The stretch marks, and the way my belly was hanging down just made me feel disgusting. I hated that I had to wear maternity clothes for so long after she was born. I wanted to know why my body didn't snap back into place like the women I saw on TV.
I wanted to know when it was going to snap back.

I was already feeling depressed after her birth, it was winter time, and I couldn't find anything to fit me correctly. My boobs were huge, my butt and hips were bigger, and my stomach looked like someone had went crazy drawing and pulling all over it.
Everyone said breastfeeding would help take the weight off. I was breastfeeding, so why wasn't the weight coming off?
It took me about a year to lose 40lbs, remember I gained 75lbs. 

Finally after another 6-8 months, I lost another 20 lbs. I was ok with that. Then I found out I was pregnant with Ava.
During her pregnancy I gained about 40 lbs. This time breastfeeding did help take the weight off, and I was retaining a lot of water. She was born in the spring, so being able to get up and out during the warm weather was a blessing. I ended up losing 50lbs with her after a few months, and the weight kept coming off.
My stomach still bothered me, but not like it had in the years before.

During her pregnancy, I was really able to embrace how beautiful pregnancy is. I took pictures of my growing belly, and I didn't hate my stretch marks.
Here I am pregnant with number three, expecting another decent sized baby, taking pics, and loving my stretch marks. You read that right, loving my stretch marks. They are there because my body was growing another life for nine months!
I am not a model, I do not have a personal trainer, and my husband loves the way I look.
He had never made me feel bad about my body over the years. He loves my curves, and I love them too.

Wearing maternity pants after giving birth doesn't bother me anymore. I actually find them comfortable. I understand that it will take time for my body to adjust. With each pregnancy something with my body changes, but I'm learning to embrace those changes. Some days it's easier than others.
I make it a point not to complain about my body around the girls. I don't want them growing up hearing their mom say she thinks she's fat, or she's too this or that. They'll get enough of what a woman should look like from the media as they grow up.

The other night, Charles and I had an impromptu date. We went out with our neighbors to see a movie, and I got to wear heels again! It's been about a year since I put on a pair of heels. I wore makeup, and I felt good about myself.
Since being a mom I feel I need to dress a certain way, and I certainly can't chase the kids around in heels.
I do still buy clothes that make me feel good about myself, just because I don't look the exact way I did five years ago, doesn't mean I can't look nice. I've always been a girly girl, pregnant or not. I love wearing makeup, and I love different kinds of jewelry, and fragrances. Even when I'm not going out I try to put on some mascara and lipgloss everyday. It brightens my face up, and makes me feel good.

I feel good saying that I have a healthy body image now. I know what to expect after pregnancy. I know I need to eat right and exercise, and I think I know how to dress my new body.
As long as I'm happy with the way I look, and so is my husband, then that's all that matters.

The Shape of a Mother is a great website dedicated to a mother's body, and how it can change after pregnancy.
You can see pictures of real women, no airbrushing, all shapes and sizes.

******************************************
This post is participating in the Body Image Carnival being hosted by Melodie at Breastfeeding Moms Unite! and MamanADroit who will be posting articles on themes pertaining to body image all week! Make sure you check out their blogs everyday between April 12-18 for links to other participants' posts as well as product reviews, a giveaway, and some links to research, information and resources pertaining to body image.
*************************