Holy cow, I did not look this good 1 month pp

[BabyBearsMom]

Beyonce 1 month post pardum picture: http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20567958,00.html


Can we commiserate? I did not look that good 1 month post-pardum...then again, I am pretty sure my body never looked that good even pre-kids. But I think that pic should lay the rumors re: surrogacy to rest because those are some breast feeding tatas!

[Pennylane]

I don't think she was ever pregnant to begin with.

Ann

[SnuggleBuggles]

I had the same thoughts re. bigger bbs. ;) Remember, ruching does a lot of good stuff as do spanx! You didn't see a side profile either! I saw a friend 3w pp recently and she looked smoking hot... I was jealous. then she turned to the side and I felt much better; her belly was clearly pp. eta- I was in my regular jeans by 2 weeks postpartum with ds1 so it's possible to shed weight fast. I do have my doubts on her pg though. Maybe she had her boobs done instead of having a baby?

[swissair81]

I was still wearing maternity a month postpartum (the first time). It goes downhill from there. It takes me a good year to lose my weight without starving myself.

[AnnieW625]

I never once looked that good, even in college where I worked out everyday and walked on a very hilly college campus. She has personal trainers, chefs, and can afford to hire someone like Julie Tuppler to get her back in shape. I don't even want to look at pp celebs. because most of them have access to most of things we will never have.

[mommylamb]

I bet you were all hot postpartum mamas too.

Seriously, she looks great, and good for her. It's good to see a healthy body image.

[wellyes]

Good for her, picking a flattering outfit and not being self-conscious about those 3x normal boobs.

[Melaine]

I don't think she was ever pregnant to begin with.

Ann

:yeahthat: I was totally going to say the same thing.

[amldaley]

Not to diminish her accomplishments and how great a role model she is for healthy body image, etc...but...I bet we would all look better if we had someone dressing us, doing our hair and make up, perhaps a personal trainer, etc etc.

[♥ms.pacman♥]

She has personal trainers, chefs, and can afford to hire someone like Julie Tuppler to get her back in shape. I don't even want to look at pp celebs. because most of them have access to most of things we will never have.

:yeahthat:

i did not look that great either. it's really hard to compare yourself to people who have an army of personal trainers, chefs, nannies, stylists, and whatnot to help with postpartum weight loss..there's just no comparison.

and wow, those are definitely i-just-had-a-baby-and-i'm-nursing boobs!! those are always fun, while they last (and before they turn into saggy, my-baby-is-weaning boobs...:()

[elliput]

Betcha she's got full body Spanx on under that dress.

[kijip]

Betcha she's got full body Spanx on under that dress.

:yeahthat:

She looks pp to me- curvier and def. benefiting from ruching and very likely from spanx or some sort of body shaper.

[Mopey]

:yeahthat:

She looks pp to me- curvier and def. benefiting from ruching and very likely from spanx or some sort of body shaper.


:yeahthat:

I also have a handful of friends whom were all in totally fab shape/thin before baby, didn't gain too much weight, and looked great a month later. Saw one of them today for lunch. Totally possible.

And yes, it is her JOB to take care of her physical appearance, as it is for most all celebs.

[mom2binsd]

I am sure she has a chef, personal trainer and they have already said many many nannies/nurses on staff...like others said, it's her job to look good, pregnancy or not....as an aside, I heard they had bullet proof glass put in at the hospital where she gave birth..I mean she isn't a head of state for crying out loud.

[edurnemk]

:yeahthat:

She looks pp to me- curvier and def. benefiting from ruching and very likely from spanx or some sort of body shaper.

:yeahthat: She looks really good, but I think the choice of outfit helps, too. I was in my pre-pregnancy clothes 2 weeks after DS was born, and I've met several moms who look better than Beyonce at 1 month pp (they do obsess with dieting and working out).

[citymama]

Sure, she has way more help (and time) at her disposal than any of us. All the same, she looks good, and not in an emaciated or abnormal way. She has new mama curves and she is showing them off in a flattering way. I think she looks great - and I agree with the OP's comment - those are BFing tatas!

[mctlaw]

I agree, those look like milk boobs! Just curious, why do so many people think she was really never pregnant? I am not familiar with the basis of this rumor.

[JoyNChrist]

:yeahthat:

I also have a handful of friends whom were all in totally fab shape/thin before baby, didn't gain too much weight, and looked great a month later. Saw one of them today for lunch. Totally possible.

And yes, it is her JOB to take care of her physical appearance, as it is for most all celebs.

Yeah, I don't think it's beyond the realm of possibility. I didn't look anywhere as good as Beyonce postpartum, but I was back in my size 4 pre-pregnancy jeans two weeks after my twin c-section. And I certainly wasn't trying to lose weight - the babies weren't even home from the NICU yet. I think some of it just comes down to body type/good genetic luck.

[swissair81]

What do we mean by body type? I am slender for my height and always lose my baby weight, but my body takes its time. I usually gain about 25-20 lbs, but I get big and going down takes time (at least for me).

[daisymommy]

those are some breast feeding tatas!

So very true!

[JoyNChrist]

What do we mean by body type? I am slender for my height and always lose my baby weight, but my body takes its time. I usually gain about 25-20 lbs, but I get big and going down takes time (at least for me).

I think height plays a role, and where/how you carry weight (for example, I'm 6', so even if I gained a good amount of weight, it's pretty spread out). And then some people just seem to gain/lose faster or easier than others. I gained 31 pounds with DS1 and was back to pre-pregnancy weight a month later. Then the twins were born 7 weeks early, so I only gained 39 pounds with them, and I weighed 15 pounds LESS than I did pre-pregnancy a month after their birth. All without trying at all (just nursing round the clock).

Contrast that with my best friend, who is in way better shape than I'll ever be and very conscious about eating healthy. With both of her children, it has taken her at least 6 months of solid diet and exercise to get back to pre-pregnancy size.

I think metabolism, body types, and all that are just different, and some people luck out in that department. And others have personal trainers and chefs and stylists. ;)

ETA - I should say though that I think the stress of the twins' birth and NICU stay contributed to my rapid weight loss, and it really wasn't healthy (I was too thin). I've since gained some weight back and look and feel much better.

[elektra]

I had the same thoughts re. bigger bbs. ;) Remember, ruching does a lot of good stuff as do spanx!

I think she looks great! Not crazy thin like some other celebrities seem to get right after.

[MSWR0319]

I agree that it depends on how you carry your weight and how tall you are. I'm 5'10" and thin, but gained about 40 lbs with DS. I have a picture of me back in my regular jeans ( maybe a 6?) sometime within the first week home from the hospital. They weren't exactly flattering, but they zipped and buttoned. That being said I still had probably at least 15 lbs to get back to my prepregnancy weight (I gained a lot of water weight the last week, so lost a lot right away). I just must have carried the extra weight more spread out or something, because I don't think I got back to my regular weight till about 4 months, but was in regular clothes full time much sooner than that.

[ZeeBaby]

Good for her, picking a flattering outfit and not being self-conscious about those 3x normal boobs.

She looks great!!!

[american_mama]

Just curious, why do so many people think she was really never pregnant? I am not familiar with the basis of this rumor.


Yeah that. Spill the rumors, folks!

[zukeypur]

My cousin looses weight super fast too.

[artvandalay]

Yeah that. Spill the rumors, folks!

There were rumours that she was never pregnant, and also a video of her giving an interview, where when she sat down, her belly appeared to collapse in half (like a balloon deflating or something). If you google you can probably find the video. No idea if any of it is true or not.

[lcarlson90]

Yeah that. Spill the rumors, folks!

I think the rumors started when she appeared on an interview and she went to sit down and it looked like her stomach "deflated" or folded in on itself. I saw the interview and while I will agree that it did look odd it could have been the camera angle.

I will say that her belly size seemed to be very inconsistent. You would see pictures from early on in her pregnancy where her belly looked bigger and then a few weeks later it looked smaller. The other thing that was really odd to me is that the day before she gave birth there was a video of her coming out of a building getting into an SUV and she just hopped right in. I have never seen a 9 months pregnant women hop into any car let alone an SUV.

I will say that her chest does look really full but I don't know what her chest size was like before.

[marymoo86]

I think height plays a role, and where/how you carry weight (for example, I'm 6', so even if I gained a good amount of weight, it's pretty spread out). And then some people just seem to gain/lose faster or easier than others. I gained 31 pounds with DS1 and was back to pre-pregnancy weight a month later. Then the twins were born 7 weeks early, so I only gained 39 pounds with them, and I weighed 15 pounds LESS than I did pre-pregnancy a month after their birth. All without trying at all (just nursing round the clock).

Contrast that with my best friend, who is in way better shape than I'll ever be and very conscious about eating healthy. With both of her children, it has taken her at least 6 months of solid diet and exercise to get back to pre-pregnancy size.

I think metabolism, body types, and all that are just different, and some people luck out in that department. And others have personal trainers and chefs and stylists. ;)

ETA - I should say though that I think the stress of the twins' birth and NICU stay contributed to my rapid weight loss, and it really wasn't healthy (I was too thin). I've since gained some weight back and look and feel much better.

Same here. I'm 5'10" and was prepregnancy weight by week 4 and 10lbs under by week 8 but I also only gained a net 15. Never got those spectacular BFing boobs though...

This is a not so good angle of her that I saw earlier on Yahoo:

http://omg.yahoo.com/news/beyonce-reveals-sexy-post-baby-body-1-month-132816072.html;_ylt=Aijw4MxfCTcSChNt.t77MoZPpxx.;_ ylu=X3oDMTRqMmxsOWhkBGNjb2RlA3ZzaGFyZWFnMgRtaXQDTW 9kIFRvcCBTdG9yeSBDb2tlIDIEcGtnA2FjMDViZmI3LTFhMzAt M2NjNi1iNzM5LWY5ZTk0ODlkZTlhYQRwb3MDMgRzZWMDdG9wX3 N0b3J5X2Nva2UEdmVyAzEwZTRiODIwLTUxOTQtMTFlMS1hMmVm LTkwNWQ2NDhmMDM4Zg--;_ylg=X3oDMTFvb2xvMHZoBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRw c3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdANuZXdzBHB0A3NlY3Rpb25zBHRlc3QD;_ ylv=3

[swissair81]

I think height plays a role, and where/how you carry weight (for example, I'm 6', so even if I gained a good amount of weight, it's pretty spread out). And then some people just seem to gain/lose faster or easier than others. I gained 31 pounds with DS1 and was back to pre-pregnancy weight a month later. Then the twins were born 7 weeks early, so I only gained 39 pounds with them, and I weighed 15 pounds LESS than I did pre-pregnancy a month after their birth. All without trying at all (just nursing round the clock).

Contrast that with my best friend, who is in way better shape than I'll ever be and very conscious about eating healthy. With both of her children, it has taken her at least 6 months of solid diet and exercise to get back to pre-pregnancy size.

I think metabolism, body types, and all that are just different, and some people luck out in that department. And others have personal trainers and chefs and stylists. ;)

ETA - I should say though that I think the stress of the twins' birth and NICU stay contributed to my rapid weight loss, and it really wasn't healthy (I was too thin). I've since gained some weight back and look and feel much better.

I'm not short- but I guess I am compared to you. I'm 'only' 5'7".

[meggswife]

I think the rumors started when she appeared on an interview and she went to sit down and it looked like her stomach "deflated" or folded in on itself. I saw the interview and while I will agree that it did look odd it could have been the camera angle.

I will say that her belly size seemed to be very inconsistent. You would see pictures from early on in her pregnancy where her belly looked bigger and then a few weeks later it looked smaller. The other thing that was really odd to me is that the day before she gave birth there was a video of her coming out of a building getting into an SUV and she just hopped right in. I have never seen a 9 months pregnant women hop into any car let alone an SUV.

I will say that her chest does look really full but I don't know what her chest size was like before.


Hmm... interesting. I wonder why she would fake a pregnancy? It seems pretty "acceptable" for famous people to use surrogates. I will say, she does indeed look like a nursing mama. :)

[Mopey]

I actually think she was pregnant. I saw her on 60 minutes (I think) in December and my sis and I both immediately said she was having a girl because you could tell from her face (imho).

I do think the heels she wore throughout are crazy! I am good in heels.....but not right now!

[essnce629]

A shaper can totally help pull you all together soon after having a baby. I always wore one after giving birth and got compliments as early as 1 week postpartum, but I definately hadn't lost all 40lbs by then, and was not shy about giving credit to my shaper! I think it helps your uterus go down faster and helps support your back when you're nursing all the time. I have this one and it easily takes several inches off your waist and smoothes everything out.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000QW6LE6

I wouldn't wear a tight dress without one (and I'm 5'7 and 126lbs) and I wouldn't expect a celebrity to either. Ruching is great for concealing a not so perfect belly as well.

And those clearly look like nursing boobs that need to be pumped! I went to my high school reunion at 10 weeks postpartum and my boobs were definately looking like that by the end of the night! That's when the hand pump in your purse comes in handy!

[MontrealMum]

Seriously, those are nursing boobs! Trainers, chefs, and other looking-good entourage aside, I have a hard time not believing that she's an actual post-partum mama.

[peanut520]

i havent read all the posts but STOP IT! i have seem all your pictures!!! you all are a bunch of hot mammas!

[sweetsue98]

She probably had a team plus a night nanny to help her. I would look good too if I didn't have to get up 3x per night, or clean a house or cook or do laundry while recovering from giving birth.

[TwinFoxes]

I think people just love a good conspiracy. If Beyoncé wanted to fake a pregnancy, I think she'd buy a fake baby bump that didn't collapse when she sat down...she'd have a state of the art platinum one filled with Cristal or something! Anyway, if she isn't nursing, than the whole pregnancy thing is a coverup for her bodacious boob job. Here's her completely normal cleavage before, compare it to the People photo:

http://www.beyoncefan.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/Beyonce-Red-Carpet-VMA-2009-07.jpg

She looks good, but she's nowhere near her pre-baby self. I'm not a big Beyoncé fan, but I'm not going to begrudge her for trying to look good postpartum, even if it's with the help of stylists. It'd be different if she'd written a "how you can look as fabulous as me!" article with bogus "drink lots of water" type tips. :)

[BabyBearsMom]

I think people just love a good conspiracy. If Beyoncé wanted to fake a pregnancy, I think she'd buy a fake baby bump that didn't collapse when she sat down...she'd have a state of the art platinum one filled with Cristal or something!

:hysterical: If only my baby bump was platinum and full of Cristal.

I saw the video of her so-called "collapsing" bump and IMO, it looks normal, especially if you have a little chub on top of your bump like I do. I also think the blouse you are wearing can really impact it. For example, if I am wearing something jersey, the deflation thing doesn't happen, but if I have one of those structured cotton tops with an empire waist and sit it can look like a deflation because sometimes it sticks out a little more than my belly.

I hold no grudge against Beyonce for looking red hot this soon after pregnancy. I'm not a big fan of her music, but I think it is undeniable that she is beautiful and rocks a gorgeous body that isn't emaciated. I think that once this kiddo is born, I am investing in a full body spanx and a rouched dress and that is all I will wear post-pardum :wink2:

[wellyes]

She looks good, but she's nowhere near her pre-baby self. I'm not a big Beyoncé fan, but I'm not going to begrudge her for trying to look good postpartum, even if it's with the help of stylists. It'd be different if she'd written a "how you can look as fabulous as me!" article with bogus "drink lots of water" type tips. :)
This is how I feel. Stylist and nannies and personal chefs- I know - but I can get behind anyone showing off her mama tatas so proudly.

[lizzywednesday]

...She has personal trainers, chefs, and can afford to hire someone like Julie Tuppler to get her back in shape. I don't even want to look at pp celebs. because most of them have access to most of things we will never have.

:yeahthat:

I think she looks good and good on her ... and I'm sure I'd have looked that good one month out if I had had the funds for personal trainers, et al, that she has!

[anamika]

Is it just me or does she have that dazed up-all-night-feeding-a-baby look? She looks tired to me. Not that I have seen too much of her before.

[janine]

I've heard it's common for celebs to get a tummy tuck at same time as c-section. Or tummy tuck soon after. These celeb "look at how quickly I got skinny!!! I am superhuman!" photos really do a disservice to women. Same with how they all purport to have just fallen pregnant in their 40's when we all know most had some help.

ETA speaking about celeb PP photos in general, not just beyonces. I think Gisele's (and her comments) annoyed me the most.

[Katigre]

I've heard it's common for celebs to get a tummy tuck at same time as c-section. Or tummy tuck soon after. These celeb "look at how quickly I got skinny!!! I am superhuman!" photos really do a disservice to women. Same with how they all purport to have just fallen pregnant in their 40's when we all know most had some help.

ETA speaking about celeb PP photos in general, not just beyonces. I think Gisele's (and her comments) annoyed me the most.
I don't know about what comments she made, but Gisele had a homebirth with no plastic surgery involved. Like others have said, your height and the WAY you carry weight really makes a difference. I had people telling me it looked like I'd lost all my baby weight at just 8 weeks postpartum (and I am relatively short and gained 40 lbs). The trick was that I had on a flattering dress with ruching, and I also carry all of my weight proportionally so there was no 'look at her postpartum stomach' b/c the weight was spread throughout my entire body which made it not as noticeable.

[janine]

I don't know about what comments she made, but Gisele had a homebirth with no plastic surgery involved. Like others have said, your height and the WAY you carry weight really makes a difference. I had people telling me it looked like I'd lost all my baby weight at just 8 weeks postpartum (and I am relatively short and gained 40 lbs). The trick was that I had on a flattering dress with ruching, and I also carry all of my weight proportionally so there was no 'look at her postpartum stomach' b/c the weight was spread throughout my entire body which made it not as noticeable.

Gisele comments from what I remember ranged from saying childbirth was easy/not one bit painful. That weightloss was so easy with breastfeeding and that breastfeeding should be a law...a variety of comments.
She may or may not have had plastic surgery, one would never know.

I'm not meaning to discredit those who got their body back quickly - and height and body type does change things! Just saying in general celeb comments/bikini shots which are intended to be self congratulatory have unintended or intended side effect of making other women feel bad when it often comes down to simply not being graced with good luck/body type or a great surgeon. The point is most women do not bounce back quickly even with hard work. But that is the norm and should be expected. And we should not beat ourselves up over it.

[Melaine]

http://www.hollyscoop.com/beyonce/beyonce-fake-belly-rumors-continue.html

I don't seriously think that she wasn't pregnant at all BUT the photos of the VMAs do make you think she wore a fake bump to boost the impact of the announcement. Honestly, I haven't given it much thought, but the timing DID seem weird to me.

[TxCat]

Well her second outing is in a skin-tight dress without ruching and frankly it has made me a conspiracy theorist for the first time in my life - it is totally crazy to look like that barely 4 weeks post-partum:

http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-body/news/beyonce-sizzles-in-skin-tight-sequined-dress-on-second-night-out-201282

Of all pregnant and post-partum celebrities, I'm most jealous of Jessica Alba. She seriously must have made a deal with the devil. And it's not due to Spanx - there are smoking hot bikini shots of her like 4-6 months post-partum, and there is no muffin top, only toned abs. When I see that, I despair. And I say that as someone who returned to their pre-pregnancy weight by about 4-6 weeks post-partum, and who currently weighs about 4-8 lbs. less than their pre-pregnancy weight. The scale might say I'm skinny, but my tummy will never be the same post-pregnancy. I could start saying no to the Whole Foods King's Cake slices and after dinner chocolate chips, but I still don't think that would make a difference. Pregnancy changed my body, and not in a good way.

[wellyes]

Beyonce is basically a professional dancer. Do not judge her post-baby body against someone who doesn't go to the gym at least 3 hours daily.

She earned a WERQ from Tom & Lorenzo!
http://www.tomandlorenzo.com/2012/02/werq-beyonce-in-alice-by-temperley.html

[janine]

Beyonce is basically a professional dancer. Do not judge her post-baby body against someone who doesn't go to the gym at least 3 hours daily.

She earned a WERQ from Tom & Lorenzo!
http://www.tomandlorenzo.com/2012/02/werq-beyonce-in-alice-by-temperley.html

Good point - but one thing I do not get. Hasn't the uterus not yet shrunk down this early on?

[kijip]

I'm most jealous of Jessica Alba. She seriously must have made a deal with the devil. And it's not due to Spanx - there are smoking hot bikini shots of her like 4-6 months post-partum, and there is no muffin top, only toned abs. When I see that, I despair.

One word: Photoshop. It is really pretty rare for un-retouched shots to be printed in a magazine.

[kijip]

Beyonce is basically a professional dancer. Do not judge her post-baby body against someone who doesn't go to the gym at least 3 hours daily.

She earned a WERQ from Tom & Lorenzo!
http://www.tomandlorenzo.com/2012/02/werq-beyonce-in-alice-by-temperley.html

:yeahthat:

[megs4413]

when I was pregnant with DD, I only gained (netted, lost 30 at first) 9 lbs the whole time. The day after I delivered I was 26lbs LIGHTER than the day I'd found out I was pregnant. So i lost all the baby WEIGHT right away...no issues at all and I was perfectly trim everywhere...EXCEPT my stomach. It was not fat, but I had loose skin like nobody's business and it made me look all jiggly right there in my middle for at least 6 weeks. It couldn't be TONED away...i was perfectly thin, my skin just needed to go back in. that's the thing i don't understand about some of these celebrity PP bodies....where does the SKIN go that quickly????? I think most of these women have tummy tucks whether they combo it with a c-section or do it separately a couple weeks out. that's just my personal opinion based on my own experience with PP weight loss.

Here in DFW there's at least one highly advertised plastic surgeon that specializes in the "mommy makeover" where they lift the boobs and tuck the tummy PP. His ads disgust me. the fact that he's wildly successful disgusts me even more.

[janine]

when I was pregnant with DD, I only gained (netted, lost 30 at first) 9 lbs the whole time. The day after I delivered I was 26lbs LIGHTER than the day I'd found out I was pregnant. So i lost all the baby WEIGHT right away...no issues at all and I was perfectly trim everywhere...EXCEPT my stomach. It was not fat, but I had loose skin like nobody's business and it made me look all jiggly right there in my middle for at least 6 weeks. It couldn't be TONED away...i was perfectly thin, my skin just needed to go back in. that's the thing i don't understand about some of these celebrity PP bodies....where does the SKIN go that quickly????? I think most of these women have tummy tucks whether they combo it with a c-section or do it separately a couple weeks out. that's just my personal opinion based on my own experience with PP weight loss. Here in DFW there's at least one highly advertised plastic surgeon that specializes in the "mommy makeover" where they lift the boobs and tuck the tummy PP. His ads disgust me. the fact that he's wildly successful disgusts me even more.


Agree - I think this is in fact what most celebs do...that was what I was referring to before.

If anyone has a natural solution to the extra skin and wrinkly stomach (when you bend over), let me know! Toning, weight loss is apparently not enough. And I'm 15wks out.

[kijip]

no issues at all and I was perfectly trim everywhere...EXCEPT my stomach. It was not fat, but I had loose skin like nobody's business and it made me look all jiggly right there in my middle for at least 6 weeks. It couldn't be TONED away...i was perfectly thin, my skin just needed to go back in. that's the thing i don't understand about some of these celebrity PP bodies....where does the SKIN go that quickly?????

I have had friends whose bellies nearly snap all the way back almost immediately who have def. NOT had surgery. I know, not fair and not common but it does happen. It seems to happen more often with the women who were in killer shape before. Not just thin and normal and pretty toned but truly at the top of their game fitness wise.

[elektra]

I have had friends whose bellies nearly snap all the way back almost immediately who have def. NOT had surgery. I know, not fair and not common but it does happen. It seems to happen more often with the women who were in killer shape before. Not just thin and normal and pretty toned but truly at the top of their game fitness wise.

I was not in killer shape but my tummy does bounce back. Just genetics and luck! And I am tall. I agree that the tall thing is a factor. When I get fat or pregnant, I think it's just less stress on my already large body. I think being younger generally helps too (which I am not but my younger friends who have babies have bounce-back bodies too).
I think I might trade my flat belly for nice legs though. I have a disgusting varicose vein as a lovely pregnancy after-effect. You can wear a shaper on your tummy but not on your legs!

[marymoo86]

I have had friends whose bellies nearly snap all the way back almost immediately who have def. NOT had surgery. I know, not fair and not common but it does happen. It seems to happen more often with the women who were in killer shape before. Not just thin and normal and pretty toned but truly at the top of their game fitness wise.

I didn't have a 6 pack or super flat stomach but due to a back condition I was in the gym every day prior to getting pregnant and doing pilates. Part of it was to ensure I was keep my core toned to prevent any reinjury and part was to keep in shape. I kept at it until 38 weeks when I just couldn't stand to get on the elliptical anymore. Kept walking until I went in the hospital. Lost all the weight in quickly and within 12 weeks for my skin to bounce back. I didn't get stretch marks either. I wonder if the 2 are connected (stretch marks and skin elasticity) but I gained very little weight.

[chottumommy]

I have had friends whose bellies nearly snap all the way back almost immediately who have def. NOT had surgery. I know, not fair and not common but it does happen. It seems to happen more often with the women who were in killer shape before. Not just thin and normal and pretty toned but truly at the top of their game fitness wise.

True. My tummy bounced back with no stretch skin within a few weeks after my first pregnancy. I was in great shape and also had genetics on my side - my grandmother who had 8 children had an absolutely flat stomach with no extra skin. I was doing yoga (headstands and all) till 2 days before I was due and was a model for my teacher's book on pregnancy and post-partum.

Second pregnany it took me about 12 weeks to be back to a flat stomach but my skin is just a little bit stretched. Not sure if it will come back to normal but I haven't had much time to do yoga.

[peanut520]

I have had friends whose bellies nearly snap all the way back almost immediately who have def. NOT had surgery. I know, not fair and not common but it does happen. It seems to happen more often with the women who were in killer shape before. Not just thin and normal and pretty toned but truly at the top of their game fitness wise.

the first words after i heard the nurses say after my dd was delivered by c-section was "look how flat her stomach is." i was 34 when i had dd and 5'4" with a slim build but so sad to no tone what so ever. i actually went bikini shopping 6 weeks pp. it is all genetics. i'd trade all that to be in better fitness shape.

[kijip]

I think being younger generally helps too (which I am not but my younger friends who have babies have bounce-back bodies too).
I think I might trade my flat belly for nice legs though. I have a disgusting varicose vein as a lovely pregnancy after-effect. You can wear a shaper on your tummy but not on your legs!

I have noticed the younger mom thing too. Though, I was a young mom and that was not the case for me- but I have always had something of a belly, even when in tip top shape. I had an intern at one of my jobs who was a young mom (2 kids by age 20) and she was flat bellied within a week of giving birth. It really was something to see. No stretch marks either.

Funny how we want what we don't have- I would love a killer belly but your post reminds me that while I will never have that, I do have awesome legs!

[lablover]

I am 5'5" and a size 2, and I have a long torso. I've always worked out and at 40 I am probably in the best shape of my life fitness-wise due to boot camp. But I still have some extra skin around the middle. My abs are tight (I do pilates also) but there is just a little extra layer of skin that is there. I can pinch it on the sides. I don't have any stretch marks, although I can get the dimpling if I am contracting my abs. I hate that there is nothing I can do to get rid of it except surgery, which I wouldn't do because in the whole scheme of things it is minor. As long as I am not wearing clothes that are too tight around the waist (which would give me muffin top) it is not noticeable unless I am in a bathing suit. People *think* I have a flat stomach when they see me day to day. I still wear a bikini and I know that I am extra critical of myself, but I just don't see how celebrities with super small frames can end up with absolutely no extra skin around the middle and look perfect in a bathing suit. In clothes, sure. I think if my frame were a little bigger, say a 6, then I might have been able to get away with no extra skin, but who knows..

[edurnemk]

Good point - but one thing I do not get. Hasn't the uterus not yet shrunk down this early on?

Every woman is different, my OB was amazed at how fast my uterus shrunk back to normal. Plus I'm SURE she's wearing a body shaper. Some IRL moms I know also look amazing at 1 month PP, like, even better and skinnier than Beyonce (who does look a little heavier than before, her hips look wider, and no comments needed on her breasts).


I was not in killer shape but my tummy does bounce back. Just genetics and luck!

I believe that, too, my skin went back to almost normal pretty fast, I didn't get the loos or wrinkly skin on my tummy the first time around, we'll see what happens this time. But my mom also has great skin, you wouldn't believe she had 3 kids by looking at her stomach. Neither of us got stretch marks either, my OB said to me that if my mom didn't get them I probably wouldn't either because it was mostly due to genetics.

[megs4413]

I was not in killer shape but my tummy does bounce back. Just genetics and luck! And I am tall. I agree that the tall thing is a factor. When I get fat or pregnant, I think it's just less stress on my already large body. I think being younger generally helps too (which I am not but my younger friends who have babies have bounce-back bodies too).
I think I might trade my flat belly for nice legs though. I have a disgusting varicose vein as a lovely pregnancy after-effect. You can wear a shaper on your tummy but not on your legs!

genetics must play a huge factor because I was 21 and a collegiate athlete prior to having DD...I still had saggy skin despite gaining absolutely no weight. Oh, I'm also 5'10" so the height thing should have worked in my favor, too! Who forgot to tell my body it should have snapped right back!!??

[lucybabymamma]

Grrr! Hate how celebrities are adored even more for their pp bodies! I mean seriously, with money and time as no object -- we could all look awesome! It's called:
* personal Nanny (so more sleep and time)
* personal chef and nutritionist
* personal trainer
* access to surgeries
* personal stylist

Add that to already freakishly beautiful good looks and genes and they are set!