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90 Brutally Honest Photos Of Post-Baby Bodies, That Women Are Sharing To Reveal The Truth No One Talks About
When a celebrity appears in the media soon after she's had a new baby, you'll probably hear quite a few questions about what she's doing to "bounce back." But the answers about their body transformations might not be 100% honest. That's when the Instagram account called @takebackpostpartum steps in. It spreads body positivity, encouraging new moms to embrace their postpartum stretch marks and other pregnancy battle scars.
January Harshe is the woman behind the postpartum body project. "I said, ladies, if you want to make a change, we have to do it ourselves," the mother of six told TODAY. "There was a big response. Women said, 'Let's show what this is like'….What I've learned is that every woman struggles with pregnancy and even postpartum depression one way or another. Every woman struggles differently. I'm trying to show all the variations of normal for postpartum and motherhood."
Scroll down to meet the moms proudly showing off their postpartum bellies and battle scars in these before and after pregnancy photos!
More info: harshe.blog | Instagram
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I just cried for this woman. I felt that pain and hopelessness too. I am 20 years from there now, it was a struggle, my husband didn't understand at all and just got mad when I'd get irrationally emotional. Ladies, it does get better. Sometimes it just takes awhile. (((HUGS)))
I had the opposite happen. ..became hypothyroid after having my last child at the age of 45. Could not lose a pound and was extremely tired with so many aches and pains. At the age of 60 it turned into thyroid cancer. As women we need to not put ourselves in last place as far as our health.
Same as you, after having my girl, I was diagnosed with Hashimoto disease, can't loose weight and have all those side effects like eternal fatigue, pain in my joints, muscles, dry skin and hair, many episodes of several allergic reactions leads me on er... too many stuff, not only PPD and stretch makes, also endometriosis, cysts, even my lashes falling down... side effects of pregnancy are weird, huh?
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I had hyperthyroidism too. Lost weight, hand tremors, sudden exhaustion. If you get this, DO NOT drink the radioactive stuff that kills your thyroid...you'll end up hypothyroid. I took medication, Propylthiouracil (PTU), instead. I got regular blood tests to see how I was doing. Eventually my dose was lowered, then later, I went off of it completely. I am in total remission with normal T3 and T4, and NOT hypothyroid like you will be if you drink the poison. The radioactive iodine is the first choice in the USA, last choice everywhere else.
Today there are more options than we had 30 yrs ago. I had the Thallium injection to slow it down and was fine for two months, even put a bit of weight back on, then it started again. When the doctors told me it was eating the marrow in my bones after i lost 65 lbs, they hit it again and i take pills for my hypo, but am still here with my grandchildren!
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I had the same problem . After long stres of nearly 5 years I finally started to gain weight before pregnancy 60 kg during pregnancy 60 kg after pregnancy 45 kg and now 55 kg my daughter is 10 yo. Good luck to you my dear. Stress less. Love yourself and the rest will come.
my niece had this after her first child... they gave her a medicine to kickstart her thryoid and it worked. It did not happen after the 2nd baby. Stay strong you will get through this. hugs
While it's more common for women to have hyperthyroidism, it can happen to men. Trust me, I know. 4 years ago I started losing weight, and couldn't stop. I'm in my 40's and suddenly found myself fitting into clothes that I would have worn when I was a scrawny teenager. My ribs were just like yours. I was frequently shaking ( like I was on a nonstop adrenaline rush) and developed a bulge in my neck. After multiple trips to the ER due to a rapid, irregular heart rate, I was diagnosed with Grave's disease. Not fun at all.
I have gone 15 years with a unbalanced thyroid condition. Finally while pregnant with my second baby I was sent to a specialist. I do not have Graves. Mine is allergy induced and partially caused by glutton intolerance. I had no idea. To have your thyroid checked you have to ask and insist the test be done. It's a none fasting blood test but is not part of your regular work up. Even while pregnant. Get it checked. It's more serious and more common then many people realize.
Same with me. I was diagnosed 22 years ago. I managed a resturantand ate all day long and still looked like this. I started passing out, my family thought I was on drugs. Woke up one morning with blushing eyes and a lump in my neck. Dr. gave me radioactive iodine to drink and it burned out the thyroid. Now I’m very much overweight
I had this happen after having a baseball sized cyst removed from one of my ovaries.
Been there bone that read the book seen the film. Overactive thyroid is not funny. I was walking around in winter in t shirts because I was so hot and the weight just fell off. Mine was after having a baby too.
After I gave birth to my little girl more than 3 years ago I lost 100 pounds in a year because of my thyroid. I was a big girl so I am not very thin. I've also had all sorts of health problems. 3 years in I'm still not myself.
I too have Graves Disease. Diagnosed at 19 years old. I now have 3 beautiful children. Some days are harder than others but you learn to deal.
Same! Currently battling graves disease. You forgot to mention heart problems too!!!
Thyroid issues can do the opposite too, cause weight gain, excessive tiredness and very depressed.
I'm sorry to hear you're going through this after giving birth and all the troubles of taking care of a newborn. Did no indications of possible problems not show up in your pre-natal checks? This is scary if its come on out of the blue.
Yup happened to me also. I could not believe how much I ate and still lost weight.
I totally empathise with this Mum. I too had Graves' disease & it left me looking like this - skeletal, physically shaking, intensely emotionally volatile with a resting heart rate of 120bpm & painful bulging eyes. It is a rough, poorly understood condition & I truly thought I was losing my health & sanity.
As a man that did not have to worry about all the stuff you had going on in your life at the time you found yourself sick, I fully love your selflessness in posting this picture and warning for and to others. I was lucky and only had hyper thyroid and slept an hour a day, lost 1.5lbs a day on an 8000 calorie diet. Do not wait until it carries on too far to recover, you can lose your life. Bless you Mam.
I was diagnosed with Graves’ disease after my second baby. I lost 80 pounds despite eating like a 300lb make weight lifter every day. I eventually had full body tremors, a miscarriage, and a thyroid storm. They said had I waited 30 more minutes to go to the ER I would have stroked out or had a heart attack. Graves’ is so serious and so scary sometimes ❤️
I had a similar issue. At first I thought I was just lucky, that between nursing, exercise, and diet I was doing all the right things. Nope. When that bulge in my neck showed up it was terrifying. The doctor told me, before the tests were back, that if it was a tumor I had about 6 weeks to live! I had two toddlers and an infant and this jerk of a doctor was telling me I’d likely be dead in a few weeks.
Wow, Graves is horrible, my mom had it, she suddely started losing weight, getting weak, It went to her eyes as well.
Yep!! I was there!! 6 month after looked like someone sucked the life out of me... YEs I was thin but unpleasant. I was diagnosed with Graves and hashimoto's. Yep!! Both!!! Qho knew it was possible. Apparently it is when you have antibodies for both. I feel your pain.
This happened to me, everyone was like ' WOW you are so lucky to lose all that weight so quickly' but I hated it and I lost so much hair too - plus with all the other symptoms - it really wasn't fun! It was all sorted eventually though thanks to a good doctor and the right balancing thyroid medication. Before long I was a healthy size and had hair that grew back with a vengeance! It could return apparently, especially after childbirth which can be a trigger, so good to keep an eye out for signs so it can be nipped in the bud asap....xx
I had this happen to me exactly but it all got sorted with a good doctor and the right thyroid balancing medication - I lost tons of hair and weight but it all came back and am now have more hair than ever and am a healthy size again. People would be like 'you are so lucky you are so skinny after having a baby' and suspecting I had an eating disorder - but I was eating for England and hated my skinny body (especially with all the additional symptoms!) There is a chance it can come back if I have more kids so good to watch out for signs of return so you can nip in the bud asap. xx
Google graves disease. It's different than hypothyroidism.
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Is this what always happens to a woman's body after they have a baby? I'm honestly asking. I don't have kids yet.
I don't know what it is exactly about this photo... It is simple & elegant. She is stunning.
Why the hell did I have to confirm I was 18 to see this? Our world is f****d up! I can see graphic violence, updating headlines about paedophiles, ridiculously overly sexual adverts which I don't want to see, but I can't see a baby having its dinner?!
I like this text, it's honest. These bellys are not beautiful, but they are real. I'm pregnant with my first and none of my friends have got bellys looking like these after their childbirth's so I did not think it was this common and now I'm scared I will look like this. If I will look like this, I will also have trouble letting my husband touch and a look at my belly. But just as she writes in the last sentence, one should be thankful for ones mommy body.
The uterus is the size of a small pear but when it's housed a baby it obviously gets a lot bigger to accommodate. That's quite a size difference so it'll take as long as it takes to shrink back. Everyone is different.
I don't get these pictures of the placenta. For me, it just looks disgusting. I know, it's natural and all that and I think the placenta is a really cool and amazing thing. I mean, we pregnant women start growing a hole new organ! How cool isn't that!? But I still don't see the point in showing it of. It's a beautiful thing that enables new life, but it's in no way beautiful to look at. I mean, pooping is also natural and it's amazing how are bodies function, but we don't want to see a picture of a women with a big s**t in her lap, do we?
The Mom Body is so soft and reassuring and appears much more healthy. Both versions of you are gorgeous and that baby... beautiful! Congrats!
These celebrity moms are set up as an example of what we "should" look like postpartum. It disgusts me. How many of us have a nutritionist, personal trainer, a gym room in our home, and access to tummy tuck surgery? And how many of us have lots of idle time bc we are "between projects" and have a full time nanny to care for the baby?
S**t. Still got my pooch 30 years later! Lol. Sigh, I guess it ain't going anywhere
Uhuh, this lovely lady has never had a baby. She promotes body confidence on Instagram.
Don't blame you ladies....LOOK AT THESE PICS!!! lol
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They should show these in schools to promote birth control. I'm an adult and it's terrifying me!
I wish I could be proud of my post-babies (3!) belly. I'm trying but it is not easy.
That’s not an a*****e comment. More people should realize it’s a choice and not a requirement.
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All mother's should be proud. As a woman whom can't seem to have babies, I get to deal with stretch marks from growing too fast during puberty. All these pictures show are battle wounds from a wonderful miracle!
We all have our own crosses to bear. The trade off of receiving the marvelous gift of a life comes with many different hardships and one is losing the perfect body you may have had before becoming pregnant. It's one of those things we are not really warned about so these stories may be a good way to high light the realities of motherhood. I chose not to have children but not because of what it might do to my body but the responsibilities of raising a child was not in my genes. I never had that "I have to have a baby!" thing that some women go through, but I understand and admire those who do and do their best to be the best mother they can be!
Why people (especially women) feel an urge to show their bodies beats me. It's your business.
for attention. notice these are all the middle class type with access to cameras and instagram and all manner of baby related c**p. women all over the world do this s**t on a daily basis without feeling the need to say "look at meeeeeee, pity me oh please!". this is not empowering to anybody but the women who get off on the rest of the planet viewing their bodies and saying how beautiful they are.
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The human body is so strong and beautiful! As a mom, I have to say it´s never easy to become a mother, no matter how much you read, get prepared, or whatever... it´s hard and frustrating: the crying, the long nights... but we love our kids :)
Kudos. To all these women and the millions of others who become mothers.
There is so much TRUTH & BEAUTY in these pics! I wish it was like this when i was having my babies in the 80's, when it was still the 'norm' to wear tent-like maternity tops to hide the belly. THIS is real life, folks, and it's great that women aren't hiding those baby bumps! CELEBRATE LIFE & ALL THAT COMES WITH IT!
Most women get some stretch marks but, I'd certainly NEVER show them off. How disgusting these photos are. How different society is today. There seems to be no modesty left at all any more!! BARF!!
My mom's stomach still has a lot of extra skin and scarring from us- and still covers up nearly 3 decades later. Just in baby weight (so not counting fluid or placenta, etc), my twin and I were over 15 lb combined, then add in a rushed emergency C-Section with complications and her skin had no way to bounce back. She used to get mistaken for still being pregnant several months later.
The "no one talks about" makes me somewhat sad and somewhat skeptical. Over her, first-time parents typically take a weekend-course on birth, breastfeeding, baby hygiene etc. 3 or so months before delivery. Essentially everything to get you ready. When I took it with my wife, we where shocked how little otherwise well-educated people knew, although reading a easy-language, many-pictures 100 pages book would have provided you with 90% of what you would need to know already. Apgar score? post-partum depression? Collostrum? None had ever heart of that. Some asked questions such as "Is it OK to give the pacifier in the delivery room right after birth?" or "Which laundry scent will my baby like most? I would like to use a lot of it already!". Tabooisation is one side of the story, not educating you is another. The first year in a human's life is too precious to go totally naive!
why should anyone talk about it if they're not having kids yet? and as if nobody talks about it. such b******t, so many services out there.
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"No One Talks About" Excuse me, but de these people had no mothers they could consult with?
Sooo it's settled then. No more kids ! It will solve the ugly belly problem, the overpopulation problem, be less neurosis, less traffic, less shopping carts left in the middle of the aisle. Everyone will be more relaxed, and happy. Except the winemakers. They will be pissed ! :D
You need to learn more about problems then putting your c**p thoughts onto the internet.
Load More Replies... Don't blame you ladies....LOOK AT THESE PICS!!! lol
Load More Replies... They should show these in schools to promote birth control. I'm an adult and it's terrifying me!
I wish I could be proud of my post-babies (3!) belly. I'm trying but it is not easy.
That’s not an a*****e comment. More people should realize it’s a choice and not a requirement.
Load More Replies... All mother's should be proud. As a woman whom can't seem to have babies, I get to deal with stretch marks from growing too fast during puberty. All these pictures show are battle wounds from a wonderful miracle!
We all have our own crosses to bear. The trade off of receiving the marvelous gift of a life comes with many different hardships and one is losing the perfect body you may have had before becoming pregnant. It's one of those things we are not really warned about so these stories may be a good way to high light the realities of motherhood. I chose not to have children but not because of what it might do to my body but the responsibilities of raising a child was not in my genes. I never had that "I have to have a baby!" thing that some women go through, but I understand and admire those who do and do their best to be the best mother they can be!
Why people (especially women) feel an urge to show their bodies beats me. It's your business.
for attention. notice these are all the middle class type with access to cameras and instagram and all manner of baby related c**p. women all over the world do this s**t on a daily basis without feeling the need to say "look at meeeeeee, pity me oh please!". this is not empowering to anybody but the women who get off on the rest of the planet viewing their bodies and saying how beautiful they are.
Load More Replies... The human body is so strong and beautiful! As a mom, I have to say it´s never easy to become a mother, no matter how much you read, get prepared, or whatever... it´s hard and frustrating: the crying, the long nights... but we love our kids :)
Kudos. To all these women and the millions of others who become mothers.
There is so much TRUTH & BEAUTY in these pics! I wish it was like this when i was having my babies in the 80's, when it was still the 'norm' to wear tent-like maternity tops to hide the belly. THIS is real life, folks, and it's great that women aren't hiding those baby bumps! CELEBRATE LIFE & ALL THAT COMES WITH IT!
Most women get some stretch marks but, I'd certainly NEVER show them off. How disgusting these photos are. How different society is today. There seems to be no modesty left at all any more!! BARF!!
My mom's stomach still has a lot of extra skin and scarring from us- and still covers up nearly 3 decades later. Just in baby weight (so not counting fluid or placenta, etc), my twin and I were over 15 lb combined, then add in a rushed emergency C-Section with complications and her skin had no way to bounce back. She used to get mistaken for still being pregnant several months later.
The "no one talks about" makes me somewhat sad and somewhat skeptical. Over her, first-time parents typically take a weekend-course on birth, breastfeeding, baby hygiene etc. 3 or so months before delivery. Essentially everything to get you ready. When I took it with my wife, we where shocked how little otherwise well-educated people knew, although reading a easy-language, many-pictures 100 pages book would have provided you with 90% of what you would need to know already. Apgar score? post-partum depression? Collostrum? None had ever heart of that. Some asked questions such as "Is it OK to give the pacifier in the delivery room right after birth?" or "Which laundry scent will my baby like most? I would like to use a lot of it already!". Tabooisation is one side of the story, not educating you is another. The first year in a human's life is too precious to go totally naive!
why should anyone talk about it if they're not having kids yet? and as if nobody talks about it. such b******t, so many services out there.
Load More Replies... "No One Talks About" Excuse me, but de these people had no mothers they could consult with?
Sooo it's settled then. No more kids ! It will solve the ugly belly problem, the overpopulation problem, be less neurosis, less traffic, less shopping carts left in the middle of the aisle. Everyone will be more relaxed, and happy. Except the winemakers. They will be pissed ! :D
You need to learn more about problems then putting your c**p thoughts onto the internet.
Load More Replies...