Insecure after birth...body issues?

[KJL]

Is it normal to feel physically insecure after having a baby. It feels really silly to be worried about body image as of course it's all worth it to have a gorgeous healthy baby, I just feel like a bit anxious at the mo. I have to admitt I am lucky as Layla is only a wk old and I am regaining my pre-pregnancy figure quite quickly and losing weight. I just hate the way my tummy looks at the mo and feel insecure around my hubby. I know stretch marks fade and once I get back to exercising (which I did a lot of pre-pregnancy) I will tone up, I just feel impatient about the whole process How long does it normally take to "feel normal" again and for hormones and emotions to settle down. Also how long did it take to feel secure about your body image again an physically to return to some sense of normality? I'm just a bit of a control freak and think if I know roughly how long it will be then I can set myself goals.

 

[trixipaws]

im only just starting to feel ok about myself tbh. i gained A LOT of baby weight (from 6 & a half st. to 11 & a half!) i lost 2st straight away but still felt quite big compared to what i was, and its taken 8 months to lose another 2 (altho i must admit i havent been trying, if id gone on a diet or exercised im sure i'd hav lost it quicker)
i got stretchmarks on my boobs which only faded after a few months (and daily bio-oil).
im insecure about my tummy also. iv lost nearly all the baby weight but my body is a completely different shape- skinnier legs, muscley arms (prob from carrying baby around everywhere!) and fatter tummy. my tummys like a size 12 and the rest of me is size 6!
im not happy with my body atm but im hoping it will settle itself out within the next few months. it is still changing without me doing anything so im hoping if i carry on doing nothing it will continue going back to normal!
but u only gave birth a week ago- one week after i gave birth i felt absolutely HIDEOUS! i used to sleep with my clothes on in june i felt so mingin!

 

[KJL]

im only just starting to feel ok about myself tbh. i gained A LOT of baby weight (from 6 & a half st. to 11 & a half!) i lost 2st straight away but still felt quite big compared to what i was, and its taken 8 months to lose another 2 (altho i must admit i havent been trying, if id gone on a diet or exercised im sure i'd hav lost it quicker)
i got stretchmarks on my boobs which only faded after a few months (and daily bio-oil).
im insecure about my tummy also. iv lost nearly all the baby weight but my body is a completely different shape- skinnier legs, muscley arms (prob from carrying baby around everywhere!) and fatter tummy. my tummys like a size 12 and the rest of me is size 6!
im not happy with my body atm but im hoping it will settle itself out within the next few months. it is still changing without me doing anything so im hoping if i carry on doing nothing it will continue going back to normal!
but u only gave birth a week ago- one week after i gave birth i felt absolutely HIDEOUS! i used to sleep with my clothes on in june i felt so mingin!

It seems from talking to pregnant friends and other people with babies that everyone has some kind of post-pregnancy issues/hang ups and it feels good to vent and discuss these issues openly. I got stretch marks on my boobs at the beginning of pregnancy and freaked out but after applying mama mio boob tube and bye bye stretch marks they have really faded. Now I have to try and tackle the stretch marks on my tummy! They started at about 35 weeks and I hate them I hope that they fade too? I just wonder how long it takes. I hate feeling so insecure and feeling unnatractive around my hubby. I know he loves me regardless of course but I think I'm just impatient! My mum had three children and is 52 and still has a flat stomach, no stretch marks and wears a size 10! I just assumed I'd be stretch mark free too Oh well...when I feel low I just go give Layla a hug and remind myself why it was all so worth it!

 

[Josephine_Beth]

Ohh the jelly belly! As my lovely hubby called it once, for me, that was it, insecure heaven!

However, I am having a massive weight problem, so very insecure at mo.

 

[KJ]

Took me about 3 months to feel somewhere near normal again.

I am now only 1-2kg heavier than I was pre-regnancy but can't fit into any of my pre-preg clothes. I must just be a completely different shape.


It's weird, it justs happens gradually. One day you wear jewellery and think 'huh! I look vaguely feminine again!'. Another day you'll venture into high heels again, just little things like this.

Now 5 months later, I can dress up and feel really good about myself. Just need to tone up my tummy (muscles still quite loose there).

Don't rush it though, it's a natural process and you'll have a lot of other things to worry about with a new baby.

K.xx

 

[Lola's Mummy]

Aww hun I felt the same and was happy with my body again after about 4 months but you only gave birth a week ago. Give yourself time

 

[Josephine_Beth]

I have a confession.......................I cheated!

I went for an interview last week and I still have issues ith my 'jelly belly'.............like when I walk, I swear I can see ripples going through my top

So, I hobbled to M&S and brought a pair of those 'hold it all in knicker/short' type things. Actually worked, once I got use to the feeling of having my guts squeezed out of me. BUT..............it did work, made me feel more confident and I came out of the interview feeling very good, didn't get the job though, who cares, I felt great!

But it's true what KJ says, just take it one step at a time. Maybe, when you're going some place like a supermarket, perhaps. Wearing casual clothes, wear a nice top or a bit of make up, it makes the world of difference.

However, I'm taking a miss on the heels this week, I haven't worn them for so long, that when I did, I tripped and strained a tenden.

 

[KJL]

I have a confession.......................I cheated!

I went for an interview last week and I still have issues ith my 'jelly belly'.............like when I walk, I swear I can see ripples going through my top

So, I hobbled to M&S and brought a pair of those 'hold it all in knicker/short' type things. Actually worked, once I got use to the feeling of having my guts squeezed out of me. BUT..............it did work, made me feel more confident and I came out of the interview feeling very good, didn't get the job though, who cares, I felt great!

But it's true what KJ says, just take it one step at a time. Maybe, when you're going some place like a supermarket, perhaps. Wearing casual clothes, wear a nice top or a bit of make up, it makes the world of difference.

However, I'm taking a miss on the heels this week, I haven't worn them for so long, that when I did, I tripped and strained a tenden.

poor you! i'm def staying off heels for a long time yet! I'm more concerned about how long it will take me to fit back into my riding jodphurs I am desperate to start riding again! I know i will slowley regain confidence but i'm so impatient! If someone would just come up with a quick-fix solution for stretch marks! I have actually been looking into laser treatment and am gonna go for a free consultation. I may save up for a session and if it really works then i'm gonna save up for a series if treatments.

 

[leckershell]

I was very insecure about my body after having Ryan. I was a size 8 before I was pregnant and had got to about a size 14 - I put on 3 stone. For a few weeks I would cry when my OH said nice things about me or tried to make me feel sexy asI felt like he was just lying to make me feel better.

I have stretch marks all across the top of my bum/bottom of back (luckily just below where jeans fit), down my inside legs, on my boobs, all round my hips... everywhere... I was so slim before, it was inevitable really.

To be honest, I've given up caring now..! I'm back to a size 10 bottoms, which is fine with me.. still have a bit of "jelly belly"/extra skin on the belly, but the stretch marks there have really faded now. They are still there but are a lot lighter than they were, and I don't have the self-discipline to bother with bio-oil every day (my OH has sensitive skin and won't touch me if I have any sort of lotions on, regardless of what they are he is convinced he'll get an allergic reaction off them ).

I got rid of all the old clothes that I wouldn't fit in a long time anyway - mostly size 8 tops that flash the belly, or boob tubes - and bought new clothes in size 10. Just having a new wardrobe made me feel treated and looked after. Rather wear a nice new size 10 top that fits, than feel inadequate trying to fit into something that's never gonna happen. So I got rid of all my "this-makes-me-feel-fat" clothes (and there was some lovely stuff, but I just needed to get rid).

Now, I know I have a flabby bit of belly, and I still take the piss out of it every so often, and the stretch marks, but I know my OH still loves me, so, it's hard, but I have started to feel better about it, and would rather have a destroyed body and my beautiful Ryan, than my old body and my old life without a Ryan in it.

 

[weenik]

I was a size 6 with 32b bra size before pregnancy, now I wear size 10/12 bottoms and top and 34E bra. I also have some stretch marks on the bottom of my belly (that never appeared until after D was born) and my inside leg which I totally hate. I know I shouldn't but I feel really insecure about my body now - I've still not even had Dylan swimming yet which I feel really bad about (I'm hoping to do this next week). I walk loads and I eat a well balanced healthy diet so it looks like I'll need to exercise lots to get back to a shape that I feel happy with. I just need to find motivation from somewhere to exercise though

 

[rachie29]

i was never kylie to start with but was happy with the way i looked as i was curvy and toned. now my belly is wobbly and i have love handles!! All my weight gain went on my middle.... i'm not happy with my figure and have started swimming to assist the process. Holly is completley worth it though and the weight is shifting just slowly.

 

[Krystal]

I feel disgusting, I look really fat around my tummy, it sags down and I have stretch marks. I just try not to think about it too much. I haven't really done much to help myself TBH - no diet no exercise. hmm no wonder

 

[newmum]

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