SelfPortraitChallenge:
Okay, so here's a photo of me that I am not so jazzed about. It reveals the part of me that is scarred an stretched and won't every go back to what it once was. The stretch marks are barely showing up at this point, but I've got 3 more months to go and they will be fully visible soon. After having Aidan, I lost more weight than I had gained, but my belly was never the same and I often felt embarrassed by this. I hate that I can't just accept that this is a part of me having babies. I am embarrassed by the fact that I am embarrassed by it, and by the fact that I long as much as I do for when I was small and flat.
Okay, so here's a photo of me that I am not so jazzed about. It reveals the part of me that is scarred an stretched and won't every go back to what it once was. The stretch marks are barely showing up at this point, but I've got 3 more months to go and they will be fully visible soon. After having Aidan, I lost more weight than I had gained, but my belly was never the same and I often felt embarrassed by this. I hate that I can't just accept that this is a part of me having babies. I am embarrassed by the fact that I am embarrassed by it, and by the fact that I long as much as I do for when I was small and flat.
posted by Kellsey at 12:42 PM
6 Comments:
gosh, it's hard to age as women in our culture (or have our bodies change because of kids, etc.) I agree with you--I hate that I care, but it does bother me.
I feel your pain! All my stretch marks are on my hips-big ones. Two babies means stretch marks in stretch marks. BUT as self-concious as I can be about them Andrew has never said a word about them. And I value his love and acceptance above all others. So although I cringe at the park when I lean over to help the boys at the park and I know my shirt is up on the sides and everyone can see my silvery friends, 1) It's a sign of having carried a child-some women yearn for stretch marks 2) My husband loves my body stretch marks, loose belly, cellulite and all.
yes, i have a love-hate relationship with my momma-belly too. i still wear my bikini on the beach though.
i have heard that olay regenerist works... not sure how well ;o)
Macon is always saying, "it's beautiful because it's for the baby" whenever I point out something I am not enjoying about my body changing because of pregnancy. I could not ask for a more supportive husband. He finds me quite attractive and tells me that I am simply "voluptuous". This really helps when I am feeling the yucks from feeling so big and stretched out.
I already had stretch marks all over my hips and thighs because I had a major growth spurt when I was 11 or 12. I think I grew about 4 inches in a summer or something ridiculous like that. So, when I had Aidan, I got stretch marks in my stretch marks. I'm sure that I will have some equally lovely new combinations of stretch marks or stretch webs this time around. ;-)
The worst stretch mark I have is actually from having had my belly pierced in college. The damage from the piercing that used to be hidden beneath the skin got pushed up to the surface and made quite a wide and interesting looking scar right over where my belly button used to be. Still, I love that I had my belly ring, even if it didn't last and caused such a thick ol' scar during pregnancy.
Thanks you guys for sharing about your experiences with the momma-belly, too. It's always encouraging to feel a little less alone.
All those feelings are natural.
You know Andrew actually likes my body more, post babies. I think I gained some curves, unfortunately not in the breast area though. : )
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