Mums of Reddit, how did your relationship with your body change after having a child/children?
August 14, 2025
Mums of Reddit, how did your relationship with your body change after having a child/children?
8 comments
I won’t say I’m necessarily more confident, but I am more comfortable. Like, I have so many bigger things to think about than my weight or how my tummy might look in a shirt. I guess I just fret a lot less over my body image since having a baby.
It’s more hate than love. No matter how much weight I lose, I have this weird pooch on my lower ab that requires me to forever wear shapers if I want to look good in jeans or form-fitting dresses. I also have weird-looking stretch marks that it’s so uncomfortable to wear 2 piece swimsuits. I don’t ever ever regret my daughters and would rather have these marks permanently than not have them at all.
I’m 10 weeks postpartum after gaining 65lbs during pregnancy and it’s been hard dealing with my new self-image. But, now I’m doing mommy and baby fitness classes and I’m feeling much more confident. I feel stronger and I know I’m taking care of my body and that’s doing wonders for my self image. Plus, I’m seeing my body’s values in other ways, like how I’m exclusively breastfeeding my baby so I’m sustaining her life and nutrition with my body. That’s pretty cool
1. First time I’ve viewed my body as a cafeteria. I’m still breastfeeding at the moment.
2. Not liking the lower abdominal pooch.
3. The larger breasts ARE nice, but I’m expecting the eventual sagging when I stop breastfeeding.
4. The varicose veins all over my thighs are unexpected. And not going away despite giving birth. My husband is nice enough to say they’re small and cute.
Basically I see this as a season of my life where I’m not going to feel feminine or pretty. And I’m ok with that.
Not quite the same but as a miscarriage mum I’m honestly quite mad at my body a lot because it’s one thing when it fails me but it failed someone else now too. I see it as a grave not a temple. And all of this is relatively fresh so idk if this feeling will change but even tho I have no crying baby in my life so much has still changed.
I’ve dealt with lifelong body dysmorphia, so unfortunately, after 2 kids, my relationship with my body is worse than it was before. I’ve tried so long to even get to a body-neutrality state, but at 43, I’m still not there yet.
As a mum of two girls, I have definitely had to learn to keep my own body insecurities to myself, I grew up with a mum with them and they got passed down to me.
I will be damned if I do the same to my two. Society will do enough damage, I will do my part to teach them that their bodies are beautiful.
In my head there is plenty I don’t like, I could change some of it (weight / skin etc) and others are a result of growing two humans and those I have come to some kind of peace with.
8 comments
I won’t say I’m necessarily more confident, but I am more comfortable. Like, I have so many bigger things to think about than my weight or how my tummy might look in a shirt. I guess I just fret a lot less over my body image since having a baby.
It’s more hate than love. No matter how much weight I lose, I have this weird pooch on my lower ab that requires me to forever wear shapers if I want to look good in jeans or form-fitting dresses. I also have weird-looking stretch marks that it’s so uncomfortable to wear 2 piece swimsuits. I don’t ever ever regret my daughters and would rather have these marks permanently than not have them at all.
I’m 10 weeks postpartum after gaining 65lbs during pregnancy and it’s been hard dealing with my new self-image. But, now I’m doing mommy and baby fitness classes and I’m feeling much more confident. I feel stronger and I know I’m taking care of my body and that’s doing wonders for my self image. Plus, I’m seeing my body’s values in other ways, like how I’m exclusively breastfeeding my baby so I’m sustaining her life and nutrition with my body. That’s pretty cool
1. First time I’ve viewed my body as a cafeteria. I’m still breastfeeding at the moment.
2. Not liking the lower abdominal pooch.
3. The larger breasts ARE nice, but I’m expecting the eventual sagging when I stop breastfeeding.
4. The varicose veins all over my thighs are unexpected. And not going away despite giving birth. My husband is nice enough to say they’re small and cute.
Basically I see this as a season of my life where I’m not going to feel feminine or pretty. And I’m ok with that.
Not quite the same but as a miscarriage mum I’m honestly quite mad at my body a lot because it’s one thing when it fails me but it failed someone else now too. I see it as a grave not a temple. And all of this is relatively fresh so idk if this feeling will change but even tho I have no crying baby in my life so much has still changed.
I’ve dealt with lifelong body dysmorphia, so unfortunately, after 2 kids, my relationship with my body is worse than it was before. I’ve tried so long to even get to a body-neutrality state, but at 43, I’m still not there yet.
As a mum of two girls, I have definitely had to learn to keep my own body insecurities to myself, I grew up with a mum with them and they got passed down to me.
I will be damned if I do the same to my two. Society will do enough damage, I will do my part to teach them that their bodies are beautiful.
In my head there is plenty I don’t like, I could change some of it (weight / skin etc) and others are a result of growing two humans and those I have come to some kind of peace with.
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