Are You Happy

No, I am not happy with my body after having children. In fact I was not happy BEFORE having children. I have never once looked in a mirror and thought anything other then, 'oh bleck'.

:*(

Hi SH-

Yes...I have to say...I really am! 2 c sections (my first birth...and my last with twins) and the 4 vbacs in between...and now 'post menapause' (over 2 years NO periods...woo hoo!!)

Yes I am happy.

I want to loose 10 to 20 lbs...and do some firming/toning...but frankly...I LOOK GOOD!!!

lol

**If I do say so myself!!***

My scars...my not so happy 'stretching'...my wrinkles and grey hairs are ALL badges...and part of the 'tapestry' of my life...

They tell my story...and I'm sticking TO it!!

LOL
Best Luck!
Michele/cat

No I am not. My last child was born 5 years ago and I still look like a have a pooch... well I think I do, but no one else does. However, my BMI is in the overweight status, though I can fit nicely into a size 12. I always say "today is the day" to lose the weight. But it's always tomorrow...

Happy ? No every time my wife had a kid, I gained 10 lbs and I have fought to loose the baby weight over and over again. I have lost enough weight to create another me.

NOT kidding either. Good luck to you and yours.

Maybe "comfortable" is a better word? LOL

Nope!

I mean it could be alot worse, I know this. I actually see myself as kinda lucky.

I was six feet tall and 110 pounds when I got married.

I gained almost 100 pounds in my first pregnancy(which I found out a month after we had been married I was expecting). I felt like a cow.

After three I am stretched.....saggy and a little bit flabby.

I have been battling an eating disorder now since January. I ahve gained almost thrity pounds back...but now I feel like a cow. The pants I had to buy, because I had lost so much weight are almost to tight now. It freaks me out.

I want to be able to wear a two piece swim suit without freaking out about my middle...this is my goal and It will happen.

I was never self conscience about my body before kids.

I was a ballerina, so I knew every inch of myself very well. I had the ballerina mind on what my body was suppose to look like.

I struggle now to except that is is sort of how gravity and life works. I can work on looking healthy and staying fit.....I dont have to be prefect.

I think it goes with the territory of having kids...that change in you figure always hangs around. Only the lucky few get to have their bodies perfectly back to normal.

Good question. I am excited to read other's answer's. cause this is something that I struggle with:)

I am very happy with my body when I'm wearing clothes. I am very thin, but I have a very ugly stomach that will stay that way unless I have surgery, and I don't see that happenning. Luckily my husband doesn't see things they way I do. I never got stretch marks, but I have extra skin that just won't go away. I also have body image issues that I still struggle with from time to time, and battled bulimia for many, many years, so right now I'm just happy to be healthy.

You should ask my sister this question. She has had 3 kids and wears a size 5/6, she is 5 foot 10 so basically looks like a model. Before kids she had no boobs and now that she has been breasfeeding has big ones. I don't get it...

Updated

You should ask my sister this question. She has had 3 kids and wears a size 5/6, she is 5 foot 10 so basically looks like a model. Before kids she had no boobs and now that she has been breasfeeding has big ones. I don't get it...

I was!
I had my last child at 31 and I was still pretty smokin' hot.
But once I hit my late thirties the aging process really started to kick in.
Now I actually have to watch what I eat and exercise regularly.
AND I'm getting lipo in a few weeks because I can't seem to do anything else about that damn muffin top!!!
Luckily, the butt, boobs and legs are still pretty good :)
So hopefully I'll be happy about it again soon...

Yes I am.

I take pride in my body, I was fortunate enough to inherit good genes and never have any weight issues, stretch marks, etc. The PLUS for me was my perky boobs stayed around and I love that perk!

I never gained much weight during pregnancy, I think I topped out at 135 and I am 5'5, very petite and a size 2, usually running around 115#.

During pregnancy I was very involved in a prenatal exercise program at the hospital. After baby, I was in my jeans within 2 weeks. My daughter is 16 now.

Yes, I am happy with myself.

Yes. It's actually only after having children that I feel content about my body.

It's changed, that's certain. I gained 69lbs while pregnant. My breasts are, to steal my mom's term, like dog ears. My skin isn't tight and fresh, and my bum sags.

On the other hand, I FEEL tough. I know what I'm capable of. I feel strong, and foxy, and powerful. I have new appreciation for my body. It's not just something I live in, it's my body, and I love it.

Also, I had come to peace with my heavier body. I thought it would be like that forever. I thought, okay, I'm 23 years old. I had a few years of a tight adult body. Now it's not. Better get used to it and learn to love it.

So I did. I didn't feel very sexy or vivacious at first, but finally it stopped mattering. I could love myself and love my body no matter my weight. It stopped mattering whether or not other people appreciated it/liked it. When I started liking myself/my body...I FELT good in my own skin. And that felt sexy.

Then I dropped weight when my daughter weened. I was excited! It was a surprise and felt good. I feel really appreciative of my body. It's healthy, strong, and pretty foxy (I think!).

Nope!

not yet, but I will be I think, after I lose some weight... and maybe tone up a bit..

I was DEVASTATED after my first, I guess I thought that if I worked hard enough I would beat the odds and look more like I did in high school... but I didn't. I looked "good" but not the same, and it was really hard for me (I mean I was once hot hot hot). But I started trying to point out things in the mirror that I liked about my "new" body, even if they weren't the same, or perfect... and after a while I really felt a lot happier with it- and then along came baby #2 haha! Right now I feel fat and "globby" but I am dieting and breastfeeding and I am trying to find that "place" again where I can look in the mirror and appreciate what I see- even if it isn't the same.

-M.

Oddly, yes. Not that my body looks really good or anything. It's more like, for the first time in my life, I'm proud of my body. When we went through our miscarriage and infertility stuff, I hated my body, and felt like it had betrayed me. Now, after carrying my daughter all the way to 35 weeks despite complications and a high risk pregnancy, and then breastfeeding exclusively all this time, I feel proud of my body and like it's (finally) doing what it's made to do. When I see my slightly flabby tummy and wider hips and sagging boobs, I honestly think, "well it's about time"!!

I like my body now.

I gained an inch or two in the waist, but also gained a cup size (went from A to B after wearing a D cup nursing bra) and my breasts are still "perky", my hips are the same or smaller, and I weigh within a few pounds of what I did before I was pregnant. I didn't workout or worry about my "baby weight" for a year after my daughter was born. Then after I was done BFing I started a Pilates class and after a year of 2x/week Pilates and regular running, I was back in a bikini. I was 41 when I had my daughter. I am now 50 and I just earned my Black Belt in karate on Friday! Yes, I'm happy with my body, how it looks and how it still works.

heck no!!! After this one I am so getting all this weight off and getting back into my cute skinny clothes. I still feel pretty and thankfully I can dress for my weight and I am tall, so all that helps. But I so don't want to stay this size, thankfully my man loves me and I love myself, but happy with the bod, nope!

I've been happier. After my first 2 I hit a place where I was really good. With my third..well..it's taking longer because of the major muscle damage she caused from being sideways (turned head down just before the "cut off" and wasn't born via c-section thankfully!!) Just lying down flat on my back on the bed and stretching was a painful exercise for a lot longer than I would like. The only reason why I'm not really happy is I'm at that horrible middle...I fit some but not all pants in my pre-pregnancy size but the next size up I am honestly swimming in..as in I can take them off without undoing them but the next size down still pinch and pull just wrong so I never look good in any of my pants at all. I have been everywhere and tried on everything from $20 pants to $100 pants and nothing fits right because I'm between sizes. But I'm working on it.
Other than that I am actually pretty happy. I've got lots of energy and can keep up with my 3 tornadoes :)

I got pretty lucky... I don't have the hard tummy I used to, but I really don't have any stretch marks and my boobs aren't too bad. I do hate the bit of extra skin on my lower stomach. SO HARD to get rid of!!

Bwahahahahahahaha! Ummm....NO!

not at all. I seriously hate the way I look. I'm not even really fat. Just flabby and could loose about 15-20 pounds to be really happy, or at least comfortable. Being hypothyroid has made it very hard to loose those pounds though

Yup. It has been a lot of work keeping in shape but as long as I can keep up with them I am happy. I wouldn't run out and get a two piece but I think I look pretty good for my age and all.

I wish I had flat abs, didn't have them before but i work out a lot now and I still can't get flat abs. I hate it! I can lose weight everywhere but there. It stinks!

I think my children had no effect on my body on the outside except for wrinkles - I use my facial muscles more with the kids, I guess. The hormones, week pelvic floor, sleepless nights, skipped naps - yes I am feeling the effects there.

If you just had a baby, wait about a year - then you will see if you had any changes to your outer shell. Good luck.

Happy, not exactly. Content, somewhat. After my 2 boys, I have no boobs, a little flabby, and stretch marks. But, I try to eat healthy and exercise and that makes me feel better. I am 5'2 and weigh 125 between a size 4-6, which is not skinny, but not fat either. There is only so much you can do, and I am not one of those people that believes in plastic surgery to make you feel better. In my opinion, if you're not happy inside, no matter what you do to the outside, it will not make you feel better. I've seen it many times, so work what you do have and make the effort to look good.

I am happy with my body as long as I have clothes on! LOL - I have a ton of stretch marks and saggy skin...... rrrrrrrrrr...........

Hm. I was at my lowest weight after #4, and I was pretty darn happy.
Now, after #5, I'm probably near my highest non-pregnant weight. I can't say I'm HAPPY with that, and I'm trying to fix that, but I'm also kind of okay with it.

I mean, I've had 5 kids! And I know I'm capable of getting in better shape, so I'm not feeling hopeless by any means. I just don't have the amount of time and energy to diet and exercise as I'd need to *right now*. It'll happen eventually. I'm good in the meantime.

lol well I am currently pregnant with twins, my fourth & last pregnancy, but before I became pregnant I would say overall yes, although I am heavier than I was before kids I feel like I still look good & am not terribly overweight, though I was trying to lose a little more...ultimately weight is always a little bit of a battle for me but as long as I can look in the mirror & say hey I still look cute then I'm good lol

Sure.
Its not like is used to be, but I don't base my self-worth on my body anyway.
But like anything in life, it is a work in progress.

AHAHAHAHAHA! Nope! But then, I've *never* been happy with my body. Ever.

But I'm hoping to learn to accept myself. It'll take work and time, but it'll be worth it :o)

Yes, I'm fairly happy about my appearance.

I would like less saggy boobs, not a fan of the stretch marks... but those things don't really bother me.

Really the things that I don't like the most, is my face swelled so badly, that now I have a double chin on my otherwise small face.... and I have my little baby gut/muffin top. I actually have to watch what I eat now and work out a few times a week to get back in shape. It's weird! I didn't feel happy about my body until I started learning what clothes fit my new shape best and how to dress to minimize my tummy.

nope!!! I had 3 babies in 20 months. My oldest is now 2 1/2 and the twins are 8 months old. I was overweight to begin with but my body was proportionate for my overweightness, if that makes any sense whatsoever,LOL...I lost the baby weight from my toddler, it took a year, and then I was preggo again with the twins. I was HUGE HUGE with the twins, but only gained baby weight amazingly, but they were good sized boys for 38 week twins, 7lbs14oz and 6lbs12oz. I lost all the baby weight + 10 pounds by the time they were 2 months old, I was able to wear my prepregnancy pants before they were even 1 month old....BUT, now I have this extra skin, and it hangs down...it is gross...TMI I Know...sorry.

So now i really dont like my body at all and am totally insecure about the way I look. if I could get plastic surgery it would be just to remove the extra skin...eeeewwwwwwww

the first time yes...the second time, no, but i was just getting it back. BOOM preggers again. i will try harder to love myself this time.

I feel VERY lucky, that my body didn't really change. For a while my stomach was a little softer, and my ribcage seemed wider. That returned to normal pretty quickly. My breasts never changed and milk didn't come in, so there was really nothing to report there. We are not having any more children.

For the most part yes. All my pregnancy weight is gone, but I do hate my stomach. It's flabby after having 3 kids, and 3 c-sections. At this point I don't ever see it going back to normal unless I have surgery to correct it.

Is this a trick question? LOL no! now i was beleive it or not after my first...but after my second....wellll I cant balme her totally but i dont have the energy to weigh my food and count points

Nope. I need to lose about 30 pounds. My problem is that I'm not serious enough. If I could get my head on straight and get my act together when it comes to exercising and eating healthy, part of the problem would be solved. I keep falsely reassuring myself that the reason I am the way I am is because I have to cook for the kids, which is a crock of bull. I cannot blame anyone, but myself. I know I need to change my attitude and maybe then my dream of being a size 6 again would be more of a reality:)