The Shape of a Mother
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Category: General Chat
Forum Name: General Chat
Forum Description: For mums, dads, parents-to-be, grandparents, friends -- you name it! And you name the topic you want to chat about!
URL: https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=36663
Printed Date: 26 August 2025 at 6:19am
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Topic: The Shape of a Mother
Posted By: EmDee
Subject: The Shape of a Mother
Date Posted: 13 November 2010 at 5:02pm
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So MIL has the older kids this afternoon (and tonight - she is awesome!) and I was relaxing on the couch flicking through tv channels when I came across a program about mothers and how they feel about their bodies. I only caught a small part of it but they showed an American website called http://www.theshapeofamother.com - The Shape of a Mother
Wow. It was started by a mother who is trying to show what normal post-preggy bodies look like, saggy bits, stretch marks and all! It is something that we don't often see, usually it is only celebs and air brushed pictures we have to compare ourselves with. Like most women (I imagine) I struggle to come to terms with my post-baby body (I know there is a lot I can do to help i.e. lose weight and tone up, but my body will never be the same as it was before pregnancy). I hope, in time, I can make peace with the stretch marks, extra skin and droopy boobs and perhaps seeing the post-preggy bodies of other 'real' women may help. Anyway, thought I would share this as I think its a great idea  ------------- DS 8 DD 6 DS 4 DD 2 |
Replies:
Posted By: LittleBug
Date Posted: 13 November 2010 at 5:18pm
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Love it This is something that everyone struggles with, most new mums I come across in midwifery struggle a bit with how their body has changed after pregnancy/birth.
I say embrace it, giving life is a beautiful thing  ------------- Chloe (4 years) and Oliver (3 years). |
Posted By: newme
Date Posted: 13 November 2010 at 5:53pm
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Before I become pregnant I worried about my post-baby body.
But then I thought that breasts are made for breast feeding, so if they become saggy and stretch marked, then that must be how they are meant to look after a baby, as they have just been doing what they are meant to do. And as for other saggy bits, and bits that are different, I no longer give a crap, I just think that I would rather have my son and have these parts, then have an unblemished body and no kids. |
Posted By: Plushie
Date Posted: 14 November 2010 at 9:37am
| I was sent that site long before i even thought about being pregnant, loved it then, love it even more now. I watched that show yesterday too - it had a really off ending, did you see it? |
Posted By: EmDee
Date Posted: 14 November 2010 at 11:50am
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Yep I'm very grateful that my body has given me 3 beautiful children, it's an amazing thing! I wouldn't change that at all and even if we ever had the money I don't think I would change my body i.e. plastic surgery, but I guess I wasn't prepared for how much my body would change.
Bowie - when they were talking about the website I jumped on the laptop so didn't really watch to much more, but I saw an after shot of a woman who had gone through plastic surgery and then the presenter doing a underwear photo shoot?? ------------- DS 8 DD 6 DS 4 DD 2 |
Posted By: Plushie
Date Posted: 14 November 2010 at 7:00pm
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The whole thing was based around her being booked in for an underwear shoot only 6 weeks after giving birth and how she came to terms with her changed body. She spoke about how much she loved it blah blah but right at the end said she didnt care about the photos because they'd be photoshopped anyway and they didnt show her being photographed either. Though when i thought about it later maybe the latter was because its an ad campaign and they can't.
It just had a feeling of "I love my body because the script says i have to, but really i'm still grossed out by my stomach" Thats just my rant though - i am so self concious about what i'm going to look like after (and i'm still pregnant!) so i'm always on that site reassuring myself that its not all that bad. I love that the comments are always so lovely and positive too. It would be so easy for someone to write something horrid and demeaning and no one does. |
Posted By: lilfatty
Date Posted: 15 November 2010 at 11:40am
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I think I look better now post babies the pre babies and I feel I appreciate my body more now because it gave me these amazing little people. ------------- Mummy to Issy (3) and Elias (18 months) I did it .. 41 kgs gone! From flab to fab in under a year  http://www.femininefitness.co.nz/category/blog - LFs weight blog
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Posted By: crafty1
Date Posted: 15 November 2010 at 3:38pm
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That show sounds odd that it's about feeling good about your body but then have plastic surgery and your shoot pics photoshopped.
I don't really mind post baby bod too much, if i did i'd work on it a bit. Like above i figure the boobs are going to sag a bit having fed 2 babies for a year each. Tum might never be the same but also, what can you expect?! I hate those celeb pics just after baby as it could really make some people feel awful about themselves. It took me about 9 months each time to get my body back. I know some people really do have vastly different bods tho and i'm not sure how i'd feel about it if that was the case. ------------- http://lilypie.com">  
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Posted By: gossamer
Date Posted: 15 November 2010 at 8:09pm
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Thats so cool, thank you for the link. I am also happier with my body after I have had my kids, but that probably says a lot more about my self confidence before I had them, than it does anything else. But I was only 18 so still growing up really.
For me the hardest thing is that I am naturally slim, and I am smaller now after the kids, and for that reason I have tiny breasts now. They were never huge, I was about a full C, now I am a A cup that has breastfed two bubs for 8 months each. I am very self conscious of them because of the way they sit in a bikini, the way they have no real tone or anything to them, the way they 'crease' if thats the right word? I hope someone knows what I mean...anyway, they bug me, but like someone else said, they are made for feeding our beautiful children, and I wouldn't have it any other way. ------------- T (6) A (2) Our angel baby Sep 2011 http://lilypie.com"> 
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