Ugh Stretchmarks & Saggy Skin

I REALLY HATE my post baby body. It's depressing to look at in the mirror. Sure I'm not a big girl, but I have MAJOR overhang and very very deep stretch marks and scars all over. I still have the wrinkled prune thing going on, the more weight I lose the more excess skin I have. My parents are even grossed out by it.

I need to marry a plastic surgeon - AND QUICK!

Maybe I should scare you all off and take a photo

I think I'm partly to blame, I had an excruciatingly itchy stomach throughout my pregnancy, and despite being told not to itch it, I did just that! I itched away to my hearts content, no stretch marks showed up until 36 weeks and from there it was all downhill. I even get a really itchy stomach nowadays, and the stretch marks have gotten deeper as my stomach has gotten smaller.

They don't look half as bad on my bloated days. Maybe the key is to not lose weight. *sigh*

Any other mummies here have body hang ups? Or am I the only one?

Any recommendations for tightening these areas and helping lessen the appearance of saggy wrinkly skin on tummy? Anything other than Bio Oil I could use on the stretch marks?

Rant Over, I'm just sick of my parents saying 'Eww gross, put it away. No mans ever going to want you' ....saddest part is that I agree with them. I can't even bare to look at it

Edited by Mum2Lucas

Yeah I agree with Becks, not good for a girls self esteem! Tell them to shush up.

I don't care anymore, I know I have weight to lose, and I'm going to try, I'm just not going to get to hung up about it. After 3 kids, you kind of have other things to worry about... IYKWIM

Yeah I think it is rude of them to say that, but we are really open and honest around here. I give as good as I get - trust me!

I haven't cared up until now. It's not a huge issue tbh, Lucas is far more important and worth every scar I have on my body, I stick by that. I'm not trying to impress anyone etc etc, but since I've lost a bit of weight it's gotten really bad ...can see it through loose fitting clothes even.

I wonder if I do crunches and work on my mid section, if maybe it will stretch the skin and make it look a lil better

I don't know if you can tighten skin up like that??

I could be wrong and someone will correct me.

Thank you for your msg Minik8e, I feel like crying now. That was so sweet and very well worded.

It will take one hell of a man to stick by me and persevere a relationship, Lucas comes first and always will, nothing can change that. Nor would I ever let a guy try to change me.

My body issue is more of a self confidence thing.

mummy_becks wrote: I don't know if you can tighten skin up like that?? I could be wrong and someone will correct me.

My MIL lost a whole heap of weight and had to have an operation to remove the excess skin. Sorry Steph, I know it's not what you wanted to hear

Yeah Liz there is some phrase a friend of mine once used to describe stretch marks ...can't quite recall it but it was a nice way to justify them.

I'd have Lucas over my pre-pregnancy body any day. As Mel said above, I never really got to appreciate it prior to Lucas ...it always fluctuated & I had eating issues but I know my tummy wasn't half as grotesque to look at in comparison to now!

Yeah you know I used to always read those Woman's magazines with the 'Real-Life reads' and woman would be complaining about their bodies etc, I remember seeing photos of excess stomach skin etc etc, botched surgeries ...etc my stomach used to churn at the thought. And now I am experiencing that. NOOOOOOOO

Much the same as my birth going the opposite to how I wanted. The idea of stitches, tearing ...injections, assisted birth, drugs ETC I was very against. I ended up having a ventouse birth, internal & external tearing/stitches ...an episiotomy to the side, pethidine...I couldn't walk properly for ages after & took me a week to poop I was so scared to go toilet.

This is why I'm never having sex again ...unlike some women I learnt my lesson the first time. Legs crossed

So so true, I blame it all on peer pressure! I hated high school and my teen years, I had body dismorphia and spent the majority of those years obsessing over a weight problem that wasn't even there. I was TINY! Was all in my head.

I hated being too skinny before I had Seb... and now I'm only 3 sizes larger, and I hate being too big! (was sz8, now sz14 at 5"9) I don't seem to be able to lose or gain weight now, so it's a bit irrelevant to the loose skin, but body image is a stupid thing.