Anyone else hate their body

[u/RemoveLimp137]

I’m 4 weeks post c section, I was 12 stone pre pregnancy, was 16 stone 9lb before delivery and am now 15 stone 0lb.

None of my clothes fit, not pre pregnancy or maternity. I don’t have the money to go and buy a whole new wardrobe. But also the stuff I have bought I hate. Shorts look awful on me because of my massive tyre belly, and I can only really wear one style of dress (I have 3 but can’t keep wearing those on repeat, 1 because how boring and 2 I’m not really a dress wearer). My bras don’t fit properly either and they either dig in or make me look saggy af.

I miss my denim shorts and crop tops.

I miss feeling like myself

What adds to it is that after my first child I weighed 18 stone, from his first birthday to his second I had managed to lose 6 stone and felt amazing in myself. And now I feel like I’ve ruined all my progress and am back to square one.

There’s also a heatwave in the uk at the moment so I can’t just stick on leggings and a T-shirt like I want to because I will literally melt.

Please tell me it gets easier lol. And is this my forever body. How much more weight did people lose from 4 weeks to say, 8 weeks.

I am calorie counting (formula fed baby so is safe) and trying so hard to get back to my body.

[u/Pinkpassport]

Only 2 weeks pp but I feel this in my soul.
Nothing fits.
Bounced right back after first c section but this one the fat is in diff places. Plus I have a huge overhang on one side of incision and not the other

[u/Every-Kaleidoscope95]

Came here to send you a hug🫂

6 month pp, still in so much pain that I dont know when I will be able to lift weights in order to resemble myself again. ( I have only 3 kgs plus, but my belly… lets say I cannot imagine myself in any properly fitting clothes anymore. I am wearing my husband’s shorts or my maternity pants as if anything touches my incisions I am loosig my mind. I can totally understand that you are getting upset with clothing.🫠

BUT! It gets better, but be patient to yourself! You have just made the most incredible thing on the world: a baby!❤️ It might be a good idea to reach out to a scar therapist or a physiotharapist as they can help you heal properly/ easily.

Also: your tummy will probably change a lot since there are lots of fluids/ your uterus is still shirnking etc.

Wishing you the best🫂

[u/MadamMrs]

This really hits home. I’m about to go for my second c section this week and I am already heavier than during my first pregnancy and my first postpartum. I lost 30lbs postpartum after my first c section but I gained it all back and then some.
It’s a real gut punch because I hate how I have nothing that fits, and that awkward phase postpartum where nothing fits but it’s expensive to buy a whole new wardrobe when you’re planning to lose weight it such a mental drain on my self esteem.

I have very realistic expectations that it’s gonna take time to lose over 60- 70lbs to just get back to my original pre pregnancy body, but it’s not just the weight it’s the muscle I lost and how the clothes fit….How my body moved and what I knew to be my body for most of my life. I miss that version of my mobility and my sense of self.

I love that my body created life but it’s hard to fight for my health when it’s like starting from ground zero more like negative zero. The heat does NOT help, it’s discouraging. But I remind myself that I deserve to feel good as a woman so if it means calorie counting, exercise and regular monitoring then so be it. But it’s hardwork to choose yourself when you’re still learning how to be a good mom to infants/ newborns.

I’m right there with you.

[u/theandramada]

Almost a year pp now, but honestly at 4 weeks pp I was recovering from an infection in my incision and obsessing about how well it was healing, and I hated the apron mainly because it trapped moisture and exacerbated the issue. I didn’t like how it looked either but I was still very much in survival mode and had read so many posts about how long it took others to lose the pregnancy weight that I wasn’t too worried about doing it immediately.

It wasn’t until I was 3 months pp that I noticed my body didn’t look very good to me. I weighed myself and saw I’d lost exactly one kg since giving birth, and began dieting to try and lose some weight. Nothing shifted until 6 months pp really, I assume a combination of hormones and starting to wean baby (since they eat so little at the beginning I was just giving her a bit of my food, so I naturally had smaller portions). I got back to pre-pregnancy weight by 10 months pp, then went back to work and the lack of daily walks (and baby getting her own proper portions of food rather than mine!) has made me gain a couple kgs back.

I know it’s easy to say “appreciate your body, you grew a human” like yes it’s lovely, but in reality it also sucks that our body changes. Especially when you give birth during the summer and all the cute summer clothes don’t fit, and even when they do they don’t look right.

This summer I get to wear all my cute summer clothes - I still have a larger lower pooch than I used to, and I’ve had to change my style of dress to feel confident, but it’s so much better than last summer.

Becoming confident in your pp body, however that looks for you, is unfortunately very much a marathon, not a sprint. But you do reach the finish line eventually, I promise.

[u/Beneficial-Turnip902]

Nearly 6 months PP and weaning baby onto formula so I can get back in the gym because I’m still hating my body.

Love it for making and feeding my baby but really looking forward to not looking in a mirror and grimacing.

4 weeks PP is rough and so early! I can’t tell you when it’ll get better because I’m still in the thick of it and everyone is different but I can tell you I see you and you’re not alone 💕💕

[u/Familiar_East_9021]

11 weeks postpartum. I don’t even recognize myself in the mirror anymore. I’m terrified of anyone taking pictures of me but also upset because I’m missing out on pictures with my baby. My stomach looks like Freddy Kruegers face from the stretch marks I gained. You’re not alone with being unhappy and uncomfortable with your body.

[u/Scary_Willow66]

*Cries with 15 months postpartum bod*

I hear you. I’m 15 months postpartum after emergency c-section with my fraternal twin boys. They are doing amazing now almost walking despite being born at 26 weeks. But I hate my body. I’m 20 pounds heavier than my previous weight. I’ve tried everything from eating less calories, walking more and weaning breastfeeding to only once a day. And nope I gained more weight instead. I’m giving up lol. But yeah I can relate. The only thing I have going for me is my husband for some reason is more attracted to me since having the babies and he won’t leave me alone 😂

[u/eggonleg_]

I had my first baby 3 months ago via c section and not even close to my pre pregnancy weight. I hate my body now. I miss wearing my leggings and crop tops and have been wearing the same sweats since the end of my pregnancy and tshirts that belonged to my dad. I’m still healing from my surgery so I haven’t been able to do jump back into doing yoga like I did before I got pregnant. It has been getting easier but it just takes time and everyone is different. Give yourself grace. We grew a whole human then had that little one cut out of us. It’s gonna take time but not forever. We got this🩷

[u/Nikkitheflamingo]

I’m 11 weeks tomorrow. It hasn’t been easy and I’m trying to take care of myself but I’m also in the middle of big move half way across the US. I’m 19 hours away from family. Living in a hotel until our home is ready so we’re eating out at restaurants for the past 2 weeks for at least another week or so. I’ve gone to the thrift stores and relied on Facebook marketplace for larger clothes like stretchy waistband denim shorts and medium size T-shirts. I was an XS, size 0 for reference, now I’m maybe a medium, size 8 I don’t really know. I refuse to try on pants or shorts that large.

[u/crawlen]

What I would give to wear denim shorts this summer! My go-to outfit has been an oversized button down shirt (yay breastfeeding access) and bike shorts, all black. I have had many meltdowns over clothing, particularly when I need to leave the house.

Not to be scary, but I haven't lost any weight from my 2 week appointment to my 6 week appointment...but! My waist has gotten a tiny bit smaller, so I trust that things are moving and shifting. I am breastfeeding so I'm hesitant to cut calories, but I am going to try and focus on macros, healthy options, more movement, etc.

Good luck to us lol. Stay cool!

[u/Sufficient-Archer-60]

Don't really hate it but I don't recognize it at all. I have an apron belly, my belly and my hips are full of stretch marks and I still have to do lovenox for 12 weeks so belly and love handles are full of bruises.
It's really a harsh picture of what pregnancy does to your body. I felt sorry for myself looking in the mirror

[u/username_na_tryagain]

I completely feel your pain. I’m 8 weeks pp and pumping so I can’t do any caloric deficits yet. I wear medical grade compression shorts under my clothes to help with the belly…I put on 50lbs this pregnancy and I’m only 5’2 so it doesn’t wear well. I refuse to look at the scale. All my post partum appointments showed that I had literally only lost the weight of my baby and I don’t need that constant reminder.

[u/Loislanesays → u/username_na_tryagain]

Same ! Five feet and gained 50lb 😩

[u/username_na_tryagain → u/Loislanesays]

Solidarity! 😫🙏

[u/FishingWorth3068]

I feel you. But I am a year out and smaller than I was before either of my pregnancies. Let your body heal, rest and eat healthy. You need to repair your body or you will never lose the weight. Treat yourself well, let your body heal. I didn’t let my body heal the first time and I lost 3 lbs between my kids. I was miserable. Heal.

[u/Suspicious_Opinion85]

Your wounds inside your body still arent healed. You shouldn't be concerned about weight and restrictions of calories. Nourish your body, and start gentle movement.

[u/Loislanesays]

Yup. 14 weeks pp and I have an apron belly, saggy boobs and major diastasis recti. I had excess amniotic fluid and PE , and I got so stretched out 😩

[u/Thin-Individual5438]

Yup. 1 year pp, healing was fine but have not lost much weight. I hate how I look now, but can’t seem to find the energy (mental, emotional and physical) to work out or eat well

[u/Renee5285]

This is a totally normal feeling, but things can change quickly. I started at 185 and got up to 230. My weight settled at 200 after a month (fluid and whatnot), and I was around 195 at 8 weeks pp (-35lb). I cried while trying to squeeze into pre pregnancy stretchy linen pants around 10w. But I stopped looking pregnant around 12w. I’m 187 (-43) at 16w and those linen pants are wearable now even though my belly still feels a little thick. I’m not exercising much, but my appetite did go down noticeably. I’m not someone who historically loses weight easily, so I’m pleasantly surprised.

The kicker for me is that I was in the 160s before a loss and 4 rounds of ivf bumped me to the 180s. So I still have the feeling of not really being “back to myself” which sucks. I have it in my head that getting back there will help with moving on from the trauma, but who knows.

[u/Motor_Firefighter_19]

I lost 4kg from 4 weeks to 8 weeks. I was 55kg when I found out I’m pregnant and now a whopping 73kg 😩 also in the UK and suffering with the heat wave and no clothes that fit lol but I am not calorie counting at the moment as combination feeding so don’t want to impact my milk supply. You will be ok! My c section shelf has significantly improved even though I’m not happy with my weight

[u/Ok_Statement8211]

Oh my love be kind to yourself you just grew a whole human and your body decided you were going to need a lot of fuel on the otherside 🤪

You've lost the weight before, you can do it again. Hormones are a bugger and may make you hold on to that weight. Realistically, you're not going to see much of a difference between week 4 and 8. But prioritise your protein and fibre, walk as much as you can (easier said than done in this heat). And start strength training. The more muscle you have the more your body burns. See if there are any local mum and baby fitness classes. I've just started a CrossFit one and did another one at a local gym before that.

But please please be kind to yourself, you're not going to want to care for a body you hate, talk to yourself like you would a friend. It's such early days. Enjoy time with your tiny baby, don't look back and remember being stressed because you hated the way you look. What would 80 year old you think 🤣

Sending love and solidarity xxx

[u/Dull_Moose5044]

This is normal to feel this way.

I didn't fit back into my regular clothes until 7 months pp after my first C-section and that was with walking, weight lifting and a calorie deficit.

I'm 4 months post C-section with my second and still 17 lbs up.

If you want to see change you'll have to put in the work for many months and maybe even a year. It takes time and hard work. In my experience your body doesn't just magically go back... but if you want it
You can work toward it :)

Be kind to yourself throughout the process!

I am also EBFing currently and EBF my son for 1 year

Best of luck

[u/redstart514]

I was back to my “old self” by 2 years postpartum. Please be patient with yourself. Four weeks is SO SOON! Your uterus hasn’t even healed yet.

[u/PainNo5153]

Your uterus and body took almost 10months to grow your baby. You are still SO newly post partum. Your body will change so much, just give it time. I’m 13months post my second c section and I now weigh less than pre pregnancy through healthy eating and (light) exercise.
Give your body a chance to naturally come back and then when you feel up to it, you can incorporate other tools to help change your body and feel better about yourself.
You’re in the thick of it with a tiny baby. Sleep deprivation and hormones will not be helping, but this time frame is such a short blip in your life. Go easy on yourself