How did your body REALLY change after giving birth?

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#I've got a parenting question!#bodies#pregnancy#self esteem#starred
Photo by NWCORAZÓN Photo and Video.
Photo by NWCORAZÓN Photo and Video.
I know that I can expect my body to change after giving birth — it’s kind of obvious to me that growing a human, gaining 30-60lbs, and then pushing a human out of my body will do that.

I’m curious about the REAL CHANGES — not just what happens on the surface (stretch marks, acne, etc.).

What changes did your body experience after giving birth throughout the first year of your child’s life?

-Amber

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We’ve talked about what post-partum life is like practically, and you guys were all over the post-partum period discussion… but we’ve never REALLY delved into The Body Talk.

So we want Offbeat Families readers to tell us: How did your body change after you gave birth?

We think the comments on this post are pretty enlightening… here are a few we especially love:

Fact is my body was completely changed by child birth. The reality is you must come to accept this new you or consistently struggle to get back to the old. Because no matter how much you work out,you will never be perfect (even if you were a super models before kids). Yep, my body at least, is still going to look like Freddy Krueger ripped his way out of my belly. This after children me is ME. and I’m still pretty damn sexy. — Mia
Your physical body does bounce back pretty quickly with a healthy diet and some regular exercise. I still have stretch marks and some skin sagginess, and my poor boobs will never be as perky, but I am actually in better shape after my daughter than I was before. My daughter has made me way more conscious of my diet because I want to be a good role model for her. I don’t want her to struggle with the same PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) issues that I did for years. — Jessica
My experience of post baby body – not too bad! My girls, even after b/f twice for a year+ each time are in pretty good shape (and height off the waist). My belly will never ever be the same, but really pretty happy generally. I think having a partner who tells you regularly how hot and sexy you are (and believes it) probably counts for a lot!!! As for baby weight – I gained 20kg first time, and took it all off walking up and down hills with my baby on my back. Second time not so much, but I was too exhausted to do the hill walking (see above!). — Annie

We love the comments on this post but please try to avoid disparaging your mama bodies! We think you’re beautiful.

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Comments on How did your body REALLY change after giving birth?

  1. Ok not pleasant, but after two kiddies I have a heck of a time holding my pee! If I gotta go…..I gotta go! Also, laughing sneezing, coughing ect. causes leaks. Such a pain! I had my 2nd 8 weeks ago and it hasn’t stopped yet. All I can recommend is Kegel, Kegel, Kegel.

    • Make sure you are also doing squats. The pc muscle that you strengthen when doing kegels also needs balance with the glutes to keep it strong, not just tight. Just like only exercising your biceps won’t make your arms strong unless you work your triceps and delts. 🙂

  2. Stretch marks..everywhere.., deflated breasts(these did eventually bounce back to life!), butt shaped belly…still working on this one, and my belly button turned to a frown. I suppose a positive is that my lady parts sprang back into place pretty quickly.
    Fact is,my body was completely changed by child birth. The reality is you must come to accept this new you or consistently struggle to get back to the old. Because no matter how much you work out,you will never be perfect (even if you were a super models before kids). Yep, my body at least, is still going to look like Freddy Krueger ripped his way out of my belly. This after children me is ME. and I’m still pretty damn sexy. <3

    • I don’t really agree with “you will never be perfect”. My mother went through two natural births and her body stayed exactly the same until she got older. Natalia Vodianova has the most incredible body and her post-birth pictures are as amazing as her pre-birth. There’s nothing wrong with change, and I think women are perfect anyway, but some women do not go through many changes after becoming mothers. I have a lot of friends who gave birth (usually the younger ones) and now you would never imagine they had kids (and yes, I saw them naked). Others have changed, and that’s fine as well.

      • I have friends who have had multiple births and you wouldn’t be able to tell by looking at them naked. However, as a society, we tend to make these people the norm and stick everyone else in a dark closet. I love looking at websites of bellies and boobs of women who have experienced body changes after birth. I love seeing myself visually represented in a community of others with similar shapes and stretches. It just makes me, personally, feel less like a freak. When I feel more accepting of my body I also feel more accepting of myself. My sex life get’s better, my self talk is nicer. Shallow. Yep. Real. Yes.

  3. For me, it took a long time to get the strength back into my joints. My joints were super loose during my pregnancy, I pulled my inguinal ligament twice when I was pregnant, plus I had serious sciatica issues. A year and a half later my sciatica still acts up out of no where, and it took almost 6 months for my joints to go back to normal. It took even longer than that for walking or jogging to feel normal.

    Also, even though my daughter weaned almost 7 months ago I still lactate and get the feeling of let down. I even know someone who’s daughter is 10 years old and she is still lactating…

    The weirdest thing for me was that I was stronger post-pregnancy than I was pre-pregnancy. I have always been a bit of a gym rat, but my weightlifting took off after baby and I was lifting more weight more quickly. Go figure.

    Also, I now love olives. I hated them when I was pregnant, loved them during pregnancy and continued to love them post kiddo.

    You’re physical body does bounce back pretty quickly with a healthy diet and some regular exercise. I still have stretch marks and some skin sagginess, and my poor boobs will never be as perky, but I am actually in better shape after my daughter than I was before. My daughter has made me way more conscious of my diet because I want to be a good role model for her. I don’t want her to struggle with the same PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) issues that I did for years.

    • Another thing was that I had a c-section.. and I still have little to no feeling for about .5″ around my scar. Except for itchiness..and you can never scratch an itch on skin you can’t feel.

    • Jessica, I’m almost 37 weeks pregnant and my joints have been super loose, too. Sciatica, knee problems, hip pain, mid-back pain…. The only thing that has truly helped has been going to a Webster technique certified chiropractor.

      I was a gym rat, too, and I was clumsy! Have broken my tailbone countless times. We suspect that’s had an influence on all my sacrum problems. I can literally hear my sacrum and pubic bone popping and cracking while I walk sometimes. Basically, I think your story will be me unless I’m proactive.

      So I encourage you to find a Webster technique certified chiropractor to help you. I was highly skeptical of going— until I couldn’t sleep or walk bc of knee pain. No more ice packs to help me sleep anymore! (now I’m just hungry & have to tinkle all the time! Hehe)

      Blessings,
      Elaine

  4. My hips got wider, my butt flatter, and my breasts deflated, stretch marks, belly that’s really difficult to get to go away.

    Totally worth it, but definitely a bummer when those jeans that were dependably hot, don’t look so great anymore. It does get better over time, however.

  5. My teeth, which never had any cavities, after having two babies consecutively, I needed 4 root canals. The dentist told me that it was because the second pregnancy sapped all the calcium out of my teeth and bones. Definitely don’t negelect your teeth in new parent sleepless haze 🙂

    • I’m really sorry, I never comment, but this is my most hated Dental/Baby myth!
      The baby does not, and cannot, take calcium from your teeth or bones. Their calcium comes from your diet.
      Changes in teeth/gums are due to hormones, saliva changes, diet changes and nausea preventing brushing.
      Hygienist Hat off now – I honestly don’t mean to be arsey but that one drives me mad!!

      • I can’t speak for teeth, but babies can and DO take calcium out of bones. Bones are alive and constantly “turning over”. A lack of bioavailable calcium (plus minerals needed for the bone cells to absorb the calcium) means that the body will deplete the calcium stores in the bones. Heart contractility > bone density. Your heart requires a certain amount of calcium to contract and release, so ABSOLUTELY will a growing baby deplete calcium out of your bones if you’re not getting enough in your dietary supplement.

        *nursing hat off now.

      • Sorry if I upset you, that is just what my dentist told me. Before that I would have just assumed that 18 months of throwing up every other thing I ate damaged my teeth.

  6. I had a C-section, and I swear that I’ve got an adhesion (when scar tissue forms & joins parts that weren’t meant to be joined). What I mean is, it feels like the scar I see is attached to other stuff inside. I can feel it when I stretch – kinda like a tugging.

    Also, the sleep deprivation takes more of a toll than you might think. My child is still not much of a sleeper (after fourteen months), and since my partner refuses to get up at night, I’m operating at (generously) 60% capacity. I can barely maintain a conversation b/c … wallaby, shoe polish… I mean, because my mind wanders. Luckily, I teach literature, so bizarre digressions are somewhat expected.

      • Thanks for the link! I never thought to look it up…

        I don’t know about worse with C-sections – it’s all pretty weird.

        I wonder whether anyone else with an adhesion, (even self-diagnosed), or maybe with C-sections, feels like her uterus is in a slightly different place? When I touch my cervix, it seems to be lower than it was pre-delivery (not pre-pregnancy)!

        • I had a c-section and it totally feels like my uterus/ovaries are in a different place. Even weirder things happened when I started getting my period again. The old familiar feelings of PMS and cramps were gone and felt foreign, like I had somebody else’s reproductive system!

        • My cervix went sideays after my pregnancy. It’s pointing anterior and wayyy off to the left. My doctor had a hard time getting an IUD in because of it. I’m not sure if it’s because of adhesions or some other reasons and my doctor didn’t seem to have a reason to give me either.

          • OMG i have the exact same thing !! to the left and had troule getting the IUD in … one question tho sorry if its a little personal but im having pain and discomfort during sex just wondering if u have the same… my doc said its probably because my cervix has moved

      • Had a partial jejunectomy due to a birth defect (first surgery at 48 hours old). When I was 20, I started having pain, worse pain of my life (including labor). It was sporadic and took five YEARS to diagnose as adhesions. Which were causing intestinal blockage. Which was creating more scar tissue. In the end, I needed another six inches of jejunum removed and was told I can expect surgery again in another two decades. Abdominal surgery and adhesions are no joke!

      • Oh my, thank you! I had a hip replacement about 4 months ago and I have this crazy “indent” where my scar is! I really noticed it the other day when I was wearing some legging capris. I could full-on see the difference between my two hips from several feet away. My physiotherapist has been encouraging me to massage my scar to help break down those attachments. Not very fun, but helpful in the long run.

        I can’t imagine having that on my abdomen 🙁

    • I’ve got those too. A good massage therapist can help with them,hurts like a massive son of a bitch but it helps. I got a bit of nerve damage from my csection, but it was an emergency c and I really didn’t follow Drs orders to rest after so its really my bad.

      I’ve just noticed I’ve got to think a bit harder to get my left leg to do things in my exercise class than I do for my right side.

      • One of the techniques for abdominal adhesions is called visceral manipulation. In massage school, I learned a bit of the technique and had it done for my stuck ovary which was weird but not painful.

    • Oh, the sleep deprivation… everyone will warn you about it, but it doesn’t mean anything till you experience it. And beware the toll that it can take on your relationship with your partner! May be a good idea to discuss strategies to deal with the pressure and remind each other how much you care about EACH OTHER (not just the baby) when things get tense. Or maybe you will be lucky and get one of those kids who sleeps through the night at 2 month old :).

  7. My breasts changed a lot, while nursing they were bigger than ever before, but after we weaned they kinda (how should I put this)… deflated. I wonder if I had given them more support while I was preggers, if they would have stayed a bit more perky.

    Also, I have a mama pooch, which DD loves and I’ve grown to appreciated more and more each day.

    • I found (via research) that perkiness is not relevant to how often a bra is worn. The breasts can sag even if a bra is worn 24/7 or breasts can be perky when there is no support throughout the days.

      Personally speaking, I can’t stand the feel of my bras, new or otherwise. I would wear F cups but didn’t, yet I managed to stay perky. I did start leaking at 5 months pregnant though. I had to wear panty liners inside my sports bras for a while.

    • Ok, you need to know that I’m not a native speaker so I’m not just a total idiot, but when you said “I wonder if I had given them more support if they would have stayed more perky” I actually thought you meant like verbally encouraging them “come on boobs, stay up ! I love you no matter what !”. And kinda thought it was a pretty cool idea. Until I saw the follow-up comment about wearing a bra and I just brust out laughing. Sorry about that I’m just tired 😉

  8. My asshole has never been the same. No joke. I think when they stitched me up they did it slightly unevenly and my asshole looks a little asymmetrical. Weird thing to notice?

    My boobs look like tube socks with tennis balls at the end.

    My stomach looks like a shrivelled balloon or the soft, wrinkly skin of a very old lady’s face. And there’s this flappy pooch that if I don’t rein in my gradual weight gain, will eventually droop down and cover my vagina.

    Also: some of my food aversions stuck with me. Funtimes.

    • Yep, my asshole. It is just not the same. I had a 4th degree cut (meaning hole to hole) and I just think it never healed up quite right. Just like Mad TV used to say; 10% more anal leakage….

      So worth it though!!! Love my little guy and it did get better with time.

    • Dear God,
      Mine too. I had a third degree tear so everything needed stitching and now my asshole constantly looks like when someone puts too much in their mouth and their pursing their lips trying not to spit it out. It’s not piles, that’s just my blossoming butt hole, thank you very much!

      And my bellybutton will never not look like a landmine went off in it.

      The rest of my body went back to normal. I’m a single mother now and on the dating scene and I do wonder… while the one or two people I’ve ‘been intimate’ with have been pleasantly surprised I’m not riddled in stretch marks, is it worth the ill concealed horror when they discover my 3D effect arsehole!?!? Fun times, indeed.

  9. Maybe I’m not looking at things too critically (and maybe I’m lucky), but I don’t feel like it’s changed much (mama of one 10 month old). Nipples are darker, breasts not as perky (but not awful). Some pale stretch marks, but they bother me less than the scars from having my gall bladder removed post-baby. Downstairs girl-bits are good as new! And I lucked out with no incontinence. I always had a bit of a belly, so I suppose I’m not to critical of it, but not too different, maybe a little saggier skin. I guess I love it all regardless!

    • Same here–my baby’s 6 months and I feel like my body is pretty much the same. I’m not as strong, but that’s because I haven’t exercised consistently for the past year. I have a few stretch marks. My belly’s a little poochier but I’m pretty sure if I exercised more it’d get flatter. I think my cervix is lower?

      Overall I would say that my major body changes have been due to lifestyle changes rather than specifically birth/breastfeeding.

  10. I’m the same weight now I was before, but I’m definitely carrying a little more weight in my belly. It’s just a little pouchier, and my belly button looks a little weird.

    My feet are a bit bigger. They grew a size towards the end of pregnancy, and went down about half a size after. So I can still wear my pre-preggo shoes, but they’re a bit tight.

    I don’t see a noticeable difference in the width of my hips or anything.

    I’m still nursing, so right now my breasts look MARVELOUS! But I heard ’empty socks’ is what I have to look forward to once my daughter is weaned!

    I’m actually pretty happy with my post-partum body. I feel strong.

    • This was my experience too! My body seems relatively unscathed, but my belly button is different… it practically flips to an “outie” when I get into some positions. But I escaped stretch marks and feel toned and strong, so I’m not complaining. I LOVE my breastfeeding boobs, though it’s funny how the nipples seem to change color all the time!

      One weird change: I’m now super-sensitive to movement in my lower abdomen. I know it’s just gas but I could swear there’s a baby kicking in there sometimes. (There isn’t, I’ve checked!)

  11. I got the tummy pooch and deflated boobs 🙁 but also my hips widened a bit which I was thrilled with as it balanced my figure a little better. And after my second baby I got that dreaded bra fat (ewwww) but I think the biggest change is my energy level. I have never been a high energy person, but my energy has been zapped massivly :

    • I had a similar experience with energy in my second pregnancy, it absolutely wiped me out and never returned, like chronic fatigue really – but years later found that I seem to be dairy intolerant to some degree, and staying off it I feel heaps better – got my energy back (after 5+ years). It’s really life-changing, and I can still have some dairy, and ‘A2’ milk is ok too. Oh, yeah, and it flattened my belly too!

      My experience of post baby body – not too bad! My girls, even after b/f twice for a year+ each time are in pretty good shape (and height off the waist). My belly will never ever be the same, but really pretty happy generally. I think having a partner who tells you regularly how hot and sexy you are (and believes it) probably counts for a lot!!! As for baby weight – I gained 20kg first time, and took it all off walking up and down hills with my baby on my back. Second time not so much, but I was too exhausted to do the hill walking (see above!).

      Also, weirdly, and I’ve never heard an explanation for this, my eyesight, which had been pretty poor pre-baby, improved to 20/20 post baby – no idea when that happened, whether it was gradual or what, but I no longer need glasses, and that makes me pretty happy 🙂

  12. My baby, my first, is 7.5 months old. I can totally relate to bladder leakage, loose hip joints and a belly that still kind of sticks out sometimes even though it *looks* flat most of the time. I’d like to add that my sense of smell is much more sensitive than before I had a baby though thankfully not as acute as during pregnancy. Even though I get comparatively good sleep for a mom (my daughter only gets up once through the night and will sometimes even sleep through), my memory is completely shot. If I don’t write something down then it really didn’t happen for me. I hope that the memory improves before I go back to work in the fall!
    Other post natal notes: after getting back down to my pre-baby weight within about 4 months, I’m now putting on weight because I’m eating too much being so close to my kitchen all of the time. This is despite a daily regimen of baby/dog walks. Also, my feet are a half-size bigger so most of my foot wear needs to be replaced.
    Interestingly, I don’t resent any of these changes because they remind my incredible journey to parenthood. Sounds sappy, I know, but I swear it’s true!

    • I have the nose thing too! It sucks b/c every time my partner drinks alcohol – even just one glass of wine – he is stinky to me.

      And mama memory – we talk about that one at work – I now use many more post-its.

  13. I’m only 6 weeks post partum, so who knows what my boobs will be like after breastfeeding. But body wise, I have a few stretch marks like look like handprints on my stomach and a slight pooch and my hips ate wider and that’s really it. My vagina has pretty much returned to normal. Then again, I had a preterm birth at 36 weeks so there was probably less stretching.

  14. My eyesight and allergies got worse during pregnancy, and stayed worse. My boobs went pretty much back to normal, but my southern lady parts took a toll… I had one stitch from a minor tear, and it made sex pretty painful for awhile (like 6 months). I still have to be careful with sex; no rough stuff (at least not yet – my little one is 10 months now).
    I also noticed my strength came back REALLY quick, and that I put on muscle really well after baby – in fact, aside from a bit of loose skin on my tummy, my abs are actually better now than before!
    Sleep deprivation at first also gave me some crow’s feet and a few gray hairs… but I’m not complaining 🙂

    • Glad to hear someone else is still struggling with intercourse. My vagina and Labia tore. For a while my midwives thought I might want reconstructive surgery- but at my 6 week check-up my labia had reconnected leaving just a v shaped indent. I thought I was fine.
      Now, 12 weeks after birth, intercourse is still not possible. The pressure hurt my pelvis and my labia produces a dull ache.
      I feel sad about my sex life- I have a supportive partner, but I still wonder when my body will feel fully healed.

      ALso- after long walks, my pelvis still aches like it did in the third trimester.

      Other than those sad things- my visible body jumped right back to pre-baby (except for some belly squish that is hanging around!)

  15. My boobs grew, and never went back down. I dont have the “empty sock” look but that could be because they are so effing large! I used to be able to sleep through the night no problems, but now I cant. Even if I’m bone tired I wake up at least once.

    • Oh, isn’t it dreadful how you wake for the baby EVEN WHEN THE BABY IS ELSEWHERE! I’ve only had a handful of nights without kids in almost six years of being a mother, but I still wake up in the night, and I still wake up on the early side, even when they aren’t there to wake me.

    • J is going on 3 yrs old and has been sleeping though the night since 1.5 and I still wake up at 2 am for a bit. I hope this is something that eventually ends.

    • Yea, my boobs never went back down either. I went up 2 sizes, d to ddd. I am 8 months pregnant now and am g. I praying they go back down….I am not feeling them starting this big. Just to much to handle. Though my hubs loves them lol… 😉

  16. i was only 115 pounds (and five eight!) when i got pregnant. my midwife told me to gain twenty before counting pregnancy weight, but the concept of that was horrific to me – so all in all, i gained sixty pounds during pregnancy, although the midwife claims 40.

    changes? oh lord. my ribcage is now wider, though having always been a “pear”, i’m actually now a bit more in proportion thanks to that. i went from a size 4-6 to a size 8-10. i feel healthier with a little more meat on my bones, but i also got, for the first time in my life, muffintop, and there was cellulite on my thighs and butt. that’s going away now, along with the rest of the baby weight. my daughter is weaning herself and the weight is now flying off – i think because i was such a skinny thing my body hung onto fat for milk production…

    finally… i used to have washboard abs. i still do have an extremely strong set of abs, but there’s a slight layer of fat over it now. the worst, tho? my boobs are still small and perky, miracle of miracles. but my NIPPLES sag. for fuck’s sake. anyway, i am happy i at least escaped most of the other outward signs – no stretch marks, and only two tiny little spider veins on my legs.

    i definitely had some bladder control issues for a bit, but those have calmed immensely due to lots of kegels and jade egg practice (highly recommended if you don’t want to have that problem the rest of your life).

  17. I’m fifteen months out from having my first, and here’s the nitty-gritty:
    – Larger, droopier breasts with larger nipples. (No one’s had a problem with these so far.)
    – My weight went back to normal, and then I started gaining again, because I’ve had a hard time regulating my appetite after pregnancy and early nursing days when I could eat as much food as I wanted.
    – My belly is soft and squashy, but less than it was in the early postpartum days. I thought my belly was round before, and I miss its tautness now.
    – My feet are larger and my hips are wider — those joints don’t snap right back into place! I had to buy new shoes. I actually love all this stuff.
    – My lady parts are slightly different from the way they changed to get a baby out, but not in an unpleasant way. Things were weird down there for a while, but after I got my cycles back, everything went back to normal.
    – Occasionally there’s the pee issue. I went to a trampoline gym with a friend whose child is about the same age as mine, and we both left saying, “Next time, pantyliners.” Sneezing and jumping are problematic.

  18. Actually nothing too drastic. My hips are wider, by about 2 inches. I didn’t get any stretch marks. I had issues with incontinence but that seems to have solved itself after about a year. The only really big difference is that my hip/pelvic joints ACHE badly if I stay in one position too long in bed now. My boobs are 2 cup sizes bigger but I’m still breastfeeding, and honestly I don’t mind that part at all. My hair is much darker, but once again, don’t mind and that’s very minor to me.

  19. I think it differs for everyone. I seemed to do ok. I gained 30 lbs and lost it within a month post-partum. I have a cluster of stretch marks around my bellybutton. Luckily, that actually retained it shape, even after turning inside out for a month! My hips are wider, but my butt lost definition. I am actually in a smaller pair of pants now. I gained a few cup sizes while breastfeeding, but that seems to be deflating now. I have stretch marks there, too, but not too bad. My feet grew a half size, and my hair fell out, but its growing back. My bits down below were really sore for a good 8 weeks, and I got a bit inflamed from a stitch popping, but I was able to get back to sex at 6 weeks. I never did kegels, and I dont have peeing problems, but I seem to need much more fiber in my life now! Hope this helps! Good luck!

  20. My bean is 15 months now and my body is pretty similar to its pre-baby form except for (1) a much looser belly button, (2) a bigger pooch (but let’s be honest: I–like nearly all women–had a little pooch before, too), and (3) slightly bigger feet. My boobs are a little smaller but not too deflated, mostly because I weigh about 10 pounds less than before I got pregnant (not intentional, by the way; nursing did it to me). I was scared that nursing would change the appearance of my breasts for the worse but that totally didn’t happen. Sometimes I still feel like I need to pee all the time… but I’ve probably always been like this. Best physical consequence: you need tickets to the gun show! Lifting an 18-pound sack of drool and cuteness all day gets you JACKED.

  21. My lower stomach was always a bit soft, so not much changed there. Plus, my oldest kid is 11, so it’s been that way for a while. You really do get used to it. I can’t remember my pre-kids body at all.

    This last pregnancy, my labia tore at a weird place on the side of the lip. I was at home, so we opted to go without stitches since the tear wasn’t that bad. Now, it’s healed in two parts rather than coming back together. I suppose it’s not perfect, but I kinda like it.

    • did your torn labia create any aches or pains during intercourse? if it did, when did that change?
      It sounds like we have the same shape there now, and at 12 weeks out, it hurts to have sex. major bummer.

  22. After my first was born, sex hurt. Not just for a little bit either. Sex was uncomfortable until I retore with my second child 2.5 years later and was stitched up differently that time. My boobs got bigger and stayed that way (from DD to FF) and are unsurprisingly not all that perky : ) My feet didn’t grow with my first, but they did with my second – by a whole size. I had to get all new shoes. And I wouldn’t say that my stomach has totally changed (aside from the stretch marks that still refuse to fade 4.5 years later), but there’s a layer of pudge that covers up the stomach muscles that I know are under there somewhere.

    I didn’t have that pee thing at all, although I’ve always had a bladder of steel.

  23. The biggest difference for me is the shape of my hips. It’s hard to explain — they didn’t get that much wider (maybe an inch?) but the shape really changed. They round-out from my waist higher than they used to.

    I will also say that I think body changes are in part reflective of the age when you have children. I’ve seen my younger mama friends’ bodies “snap back” much quicker after childbirth. I suspect that some of what I identify as “mama body” is just “late 30s body.”

  24. I’m almost at the 1 year mark after having my first child and overall, everything seems back to normal. I can identify with some of these posts from various points – no pee control for a long time and the weight fluctuation. My legs are more muscular than before from carrying my baby in a Bjorn while commuting. But my boobs are about the same, fit into my old bras, all my pre-preg clothes now fit.

    Overall the hardest adjustment for me was the weight change. It took about 6-9 mo. to fit into my old clothes and it was hard to buy clothes during the transition. With breastfeeding, it’s hard to find the right balance of how much you have to eat/drink. Now I’m at the end of breastfeeding and still not sure how to regulate my calorie intake.

    I had tearing, but it healed naturally, no stitches, so everything seems the same “down there”. Actually, I just got my period and noticed, if anything, it’s a little tighter than before.

    Hopefully you’ll notice from all the variations in comments that it’s different for everyone. But all of us represent a broad range of what to expect.

    • basically every other post on this thread scares the crap out of me. if i ever find myself havng a kid i hope for this outcome! gaaaaaaaaa!!!!!

      • Well, I don’t talk about it much, because it seems like bragging, but I have to tell you, at the end of my pregnancy I weighed three (3!) kilograms more than I did at the start, and the baby was more than that. Since having him 18 months ago, I’ve got thinner than I’ve ever been: I was a size 14 (UK size), now am a small 10 on the bottom and a 12 on top (due to the breastfeeding rack). I don’t fit into my pre-preg clothes at all – because they are all HUGE on me! I’ve got a flat belly for the first time in my whole life ever (I am 42).

  25. I’m really happy with my post baby body, despite the changes. People warned me my body would be destroyed, but it’s not so different and I’m actually much happier in my own skin now.
    My hips are wider, and according to my husband my walk is different. My shoes feel off balance- the heels are worn based on my old walk so they feel odd!
    My boobs are 3 cup sizes bigger, but a bit saggier.
    My bits are much the same, with a scar from a 3rd degree tear that I am actually rather proud of.
    My skin is better, and my hair is thicker and less greasy.
    The only thing I’m not keen on is my belly button- it’s a bit weird looking now. I have a bit of a wobbly post baby belly, but I was down to my pre pregnancy weight within a week of giving birth. (I actually struggled not to become underweight when breastfeeding)

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