My Post Pregnancy Body

I struggled with being overweight for the majority of my child hood and early teens. It was followed by lots of bullying to the point of dropping out of school. Fast forward to 16 years old; I moved to Victoria and my mom and I decided to join Weight Watchers. It was one of the BEST decisions I've made! I ended up losing 45 pounds in two years. Not a whole lot, given the amount of time, but I was only eating healthy and not exercising. I decided to join a gym when I was 19 years old thanks to my now ex boyfriend, who encouraged me and worked out with me. Soon enough, I became a gym rat. I was going to the gym 6-7 times a week and ended up losing an additional 25 pounds. I was feeling good, looking amazing, and finally loving my body again. I even got a four pack! The gym was my life... until I got pregnant.

38 weeks 5 days
Just after my water broke

The gym and I had to part ways for my pregnancy due to my stupid ex boyfriend/baby daddy. So, that resulted in me putting on 65 lbs. I went from being 131 lbs (what I weighed the day I found out I was pregnant) to a whopping 195 lbs! That's 6 pounds more than the heaviest I'd ever been. Honestly, I was depressed. Yes, I'm able to conceive a baby. Yes, I'm able to carry a baby to full term. Yes, I now have a beautiful son. However, that doesn't mean I don't have the right to be upset or depressed about the changes that my body endured. My hips went from being 36 inches to 47 inches! That's just freaking ridiculous!!!

1 day post-partum

Anyways, I weighed myself when I got home from the hospital (two days later) and I was 175lbs. Not terrible, but it's definitely not 130 lbs. My stomach looked a lot better than most, the baby bump went away in under 24 hours. But, it left behind some loose skin and my gigantic hips. Thankfully, I know how to work out! I was so anxious to return to the gym and get my body back. I was determined to work out 3 times a week minimum and would stick with it! I did really well for a few weeks, but then my mom (who was watching Baby T) started getting busy during the evenings so I eventually stopped going. Looking at these photos, though, motivates me to find another way.

2 months post-partum

I love my post-pregnancy body and I hate it at the same time. It provided nutrients for my little guy to grow and it did pretty damn awesome with only allowing a few stretch marks! (I think it's because I used to be heavier). It also gave me quite the butt! I used to have a nice booty, but now I have a fantastic booty! I guess I need to take the extreme positives with the slight negatives. Plus, bodies are something you can change with the gym and eating right. I'm down to 168 lbs, but I've got a lot further to go!