Hey guys. Thanks for coming over to my blog today to read this post. I’m feeling pretty vulnerable right now since I’m sharing these photos and opening up about my postpartum body. But I thought it was important to do. I’ve gotten so many comments from people on my recent Instagram photos saying that they can’t believe how much I bounced back to my pre-pregnancy body. Or someone will say something like “I wish I looked that good after having a baby!” And while I appreciate the positive comments, you guys are always so good to me, I keep trying to explain that I’m just good at picking out clothes that flatter my body and hide my tummy. And I’ve tried to assure many of you that I haven’t completely bounced back and that my body has changed – a lot! But as much as I say that, I feel like it’s hard to believe unless I show you guys. I want you all to see me as I really am, and to know that I’m not perfect and I struggle with my postpartum body just like many other women out there do.
My body has changed in many ways, but I think my biggest insecurities lie around my stomach and my chest. I definitely have a pouch of belly fat that wasn’t there before I got pregnant with Riley and the skin around my stomach is extremely loose. I can grab a fistful of it with my hand and stretch it out. It’s the weirdest thing! Sometimes I wonder if it will ever go back to normal. Maybe it will, maybe it won’t. Either way, I’m learning to be kinder to myself every day.
And I think I’m insecure about my chest right now because it’s just gotten so much bigger. A lot of the clothes that I used to wear don’t look right on me anymore or tops that I used to wear that were conservative all of a sudden look risqué when I wear them because my cleavage is showing (which isn’t something I like to show). So I’ve definitely had to make some adjustments to my wardrobe as well.
CLICK HERE FOR MY EXACT BIKINI TOP
As nervous as I am to put myself out there like this, it’s something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time. I’ve been thinking about writing this post for a few weeks now, and then recently I was contacted by Lilly & Lime about their swimwear line. I was immediately intrigued by the company when they told me they were founded by “two busty moms”. They are all about celebrating a woman’s body and all her curves! They went on to tell me that as our bodies change its super important to get measured and to “size check.” That immediately resonated with me because my size has certainly changed in many ways over the last year. It almost felt serendipitous that they reached out to me given how I was feeling in the moment.
In fact, after I had Riley I tried on one of my pre-pregnancy swimsuits only to find that it didn’t fit anywhere on my body. Not only did the bottoms not fit because my hips and booty definitely grew during my pregnancy, but the biggest change was in my chest. As many of you know, I breastfeed Riley and needless to say, my chest is much bigger than it was before children. The little triangle bikini tops that I used to wear looked absolutely ridiculous on me now. I needed something with more coverage and support for my new busty curves.
The first thing I did was get online and order a bunch of swimsuits from the sites that I normally do. When they arrived I found that they still didn’t look right on me. And they definitely weren’t supportive. So honestly, it was such good timing to have connected with a brand like Lilly & Lime. Their sizes range from 28D to 40HH (I’m a 34DD right now FYI) and they have the cutest prints and bright colors!
CLICK HERE FOR MY EXACT BIKINI TOP
So why did I write this post? It’s really two-fold.
One, to share my insecurities with all of you and let you know that I’m human too! And look, everybody is different. I bounced back pretty quickly after I gave birth to Molly. But things are different this time and I’m OK with that. I’m learning to love my body and embrace how it’s changed. I hope I get back to my pre-pregnancy shape one day, but that may never happen. And if it doesn’t, that’s OK.
And the second point of this blog post is to share this company, Lilly & Lime, that I believe can help women everywhere feel more comfortable in their own skin! They’ve definitely done that for me!
And now I’m opening my blog up to all of you to share your stories. Maybe you bounced back right away after having your children, maybe you didn’t. Maybe like me, you bounced back quickly after one baby and not after the second. We all have different stories and different insecurities and I want this to be a safe place where we can share those stories. So free feel to share yours without having any fear of judgment. Luv you guys!
Ali, you look great! I know it is so difficult to look in the mirror and see a totally different body but with time you will go back to normal you will see. Thank you so much for the swimsuits link, I have so much trouble finding a top that will provide the support that I need for my busty self. I am buying my self a new bathing suit right now!
Thank you for reading Marla! I’m grateful for the body I have. I just felt like it was important to open up and let people know that I didn’t instantly go back to my pre-pregnancy body. I’m not perfect and I’m working on myself both mentally and physically every day!
And I’m so glad you love the swimsuits! Let me know what you think when you get the mail. I know you’ll love them!
After my son 10 months ago I got a bladder prolapse and I’m 32 with one baby!! I didn’t even know that was a thing that could happen. My bladder sticks out of my v-opening down below. I wish fat and loose skin were my main body issue I’m so devastated!!!!
Hi! Sorry about your bladder!! Ugh. Are the doing surgery?? Happened to my mom and she had survey to fix it!
I have the same thing with bladder prolapse. i had my 2 year old son when I was 30 and I haven’t felt the same about myself. I’m the same age as you as well.
Look into doing pelvic floor pyshio it can correct your prolapse. Everyone should go for pyshio if there pelvic floor after birth! I did and it helped so much! U don’t have to suffer and Live with it.
Ali props to you for showing your body post preggers
You look amaZing and real
Hats off to you my dear
Look into pelvic floor therapy! It’s totally fixable – please follow the vagina whisperer on instagram and look into a therapist. They’re not all good so do your research. Doctors are not proactive enough about post partum care. Every woman in Europe gets a PT referral after birth. There is help out there you just have to find it!! Hang in there mama!
Ali – it almost makes me cry that you feel it is important and have summoned the guts because of this to do something that’s celebs and many people do that I think is perhaps even harmful, and certainly not a good precedent for future generations of women like Molly’s – to flaunt on ocial media images of perfection. There have been more and more studies about the harmful effects of social media and comparison and I think it’s REALLY important how you are using your platform to model healthy authenticity. So THANK YOU. Also let me share that although I always say I’m older, I’ll never forget how different my second pregnancy was in terms of my body. I had my children about the same age as you and the first I barely showed, I bounced back with no effort. But with the second one I was HUGE, delivered late not early, and did not bounce back. It changed my body in some ways forever. But I also have to tell you this: perhaps if I left the house everyday like my wealthy neighbors in South OC with a nanny to make working out and their bodies a full time job, I would have. But I didn’t and didn’t want to. I wanted to be the one to raise my children. And when I went back to work with the second one I didn’t want to spend more time away than I was already away on my body. And I was tired. So yes – me – fell behind in priorities. It’s not to say I didn’t return to close to here I wanted to be but it took a long time to. I then when you go through parenting and working long term the same dynamic is in place and it very hard. But my priorities were in place and any sacrifices I made or am still making are worth it. So I commend you for having good – and imo, right – priorities with your new infant, your toddler, your hubby, and trying to eek out little moments of joy for yourself. Since day 1 on the bachelorette you were honest, authentic and you and that is beautiful and also sexy! And somebody in the public eye we NEED to see. So continue to be kind to yourself, realize how MUCH energy and time it takes to grow a family – and yourself through all the changes and adaptations that take place. The reward is in have the family and partnership you have and doing the the right thing each and have day. Thank you Ali.
I’m Ali’s Mom and I want to thank you for your post! This is the first time I have done this. It is so nice to hear about others who appreciate my daughter’s authenticity and hope that all women will embrace their bodies as they are without shame.
Beth your daughter is a beautiful inspiration to us all! You should be beaming with pride at the sweet, intelligent and compassionate daughter you raised. (I’m sure you know all this, but nice to hear from a stranger yet fellow Mom/daughter) 🙂
Thank you Beth to the one who along with her father raised this amazing woman! Yes – we all need to embrace our bodies, no matter the stages of life we are, the state our body is in, and the reasons why. Thanks again for your comment! PS: I’m glad you could read through all my typos!
Ali, thank you for being so real and kind. You are amazing inside out!
Thank-you! Thank-you! Thank-you! This means so much to so many mom’s in this world. It is amazing you did this. Thank-you!!
Everything about your post makes my heart happy. I’m 7 mo PP and my stomach is EXACTLY the same. There’s just so. much. skin. Doesn’t help I had 10.5 lb baby! Now I’m struggling with post-breastfeeding boobs. We stopped a while ago and I’ve shrunk to barely a B (pre baby I was a solid 34c). I feel like my proportions are all off and it’s so tough. Your post helps me feel normal (ok. Cue tears.). I keep telling myself I shouldn’t be so hard on myself because it’s only been 7 months and I’m doing amazing but it’s sooooo hard. Yeah, I know “you just had a baby” but it’s so difficult. I know it sounds weird too but I feel awkward when someone compliments me postpartum (which is annoying because stop commenting on my body), I feel like a fraud bc I can hide my flaws with clothing but my
Stomach skin is a mess and my boobs have discinerated.
Thank you for sharing the real truth. You can’t imagine what that means to the rest of us. You’re beautiful, inside and out.
Love this!!! And I second Liz, the post breastfeeding boobs are a thing! I went from a 36DD to a floppy barely C… shriveled up raisins.. HA! I lost all the weight and have never felt better in my clothes, but am too learning to love myself underneath it all. Loose skin and everything… But my 4 boys were soooo worth every stretch mark and dimple! <3
Ali,
I am 43 yrs old and weight 100 lbs. Of which most of that weight comes from my post babybelly (my oldest 14 & 11) for some reason I never could tone my belly after I tied my tubes. And the rest of the weight is from my 32 E size bust. Which never got smaller since breast feeding my youngest. I was a 32 DDD. I have learned to just wear clothing that makes me feel like I am not trying to show off my breast. Bikini tops were never an option but I will check out this website and hopefully I dare myself to buy something for me. You look great! Thank you for the article.
Wow so inspiring! I am not a mother yet, but thabk you for sharing these pics and being real with us! You still look fabulous and im sure you will slowly get to where you want to be! Xxx love from Montreal
Hi Isabelle! I know a lot of women struggle even more than I do so I just wanted to share my truth. Plus I think it’s important to share the real along with what we see on Instagram. As you can see in some of these pics I look like I lost all the weight. But as you can clearly see the first picture I haven’t and my stomach is very different.
Ali, dont worry about your bustline, it will get back to normal soon. They
might continue to stay larger while you are breastfeeding but once he feeds less they will slowly go back to normal. I have 2 kids who are grown now but I had big boobs too and now that I am a more mature woman (lol) they are a bit saggy unfortunately and I owe that to the 2 years or more of breastfeeding each child! I wish they were firmer but with age and all I have learned to embrace them and I wouldnt have changed a thing.
I’m going to post some video on my Instagram stories today as well. Because I honestly feel like these images can’t show the complete picture.
I don’t have Instagram! Post to FB too, if you can. Your so so beautiful inside and out! This is my absolute favorite post on your blog. EVER. I’ve loved you from way back in your Bachelor/ette days.. and this is totally the reason.. you are so real, so truthful and honest! Your such an inspiration! Love you for being YOU!!
Hi.
My son is 2 and I still have 16lbs too loose. But when I look at my sweet baby boy and how he sees me and loves me it doesn’t matter. He doesn’t care that I’m 16 lbs over my pre pregnant weight. His love is pure for me. So im not stressing over.
It also helps that my husband loves me no matter what size I am.
But I do get down when I see celebrities 2 months after looking better than even before they got pregnant. Omg
I’m right there with you Angeliks! When I see celebs with crazy good bodies RIGHT after giving birth I get down too! But I’m trying not to let myself feel that way! And I also have about 15 lbs to loose. But I’m just not going to rush it. And if I never loose it, that’s ok too!
Ali, you look great. So what if you ave 15lbs to loose Kevin loves you just the way you are and be sides you have 2 babies under 2 yrs old. If you never get it off it is no big deal. Love yourself just the way you are and if you get it off that will just be a bonus. Most importantly is to love your children and your husband and not worry about all those misguided celebrities because you have your priorities in the right place. Ali, you are absolutely a beautiful woman in every way and share your highs and lows with other women so they can grow with you in your life experiences Thank you for being you and helping other women with similar experiences.
Hi Ali! You look amazing! And your kids are adorable too. It took me 7 years and a divorce to get back to pre pregnancy. On the scale I actually way less then I did before getting pregnant so I accomplished that goal, but also learned that numbers really aren’t important because even though I lost the 35+ lbs I needed to loose I still have the fatty loose midsection going on. It’s smaller then it once was but still there. After my divorce I learned to love myself again no matter what I look like. I have an amazing boyfriend who loves me no matter what. I actually put on a bikini for the first time in 8 years a few weeks ago!! That was huge for me. I’m still a little self coincious about my stomach in it but I’m ok with it, because the feeling of feeling free about my insecurities is an amazing feeling! And as beautiful women that we all are, we deserve to feel free. Thank you for your blog, this is the first time I’ve ever responded to something like this and share part of my story and you inspired me to do so. Thank you! ❤️
Ali, I love your mindset! I’m not a mother but I’ve struggled with body image issues my whole life. It’s so inspiring to read you take on pregnancy body! 🙂
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Thank you so much for sharing! I really appreciate your honesty! It’s one of the reasons why I love to read these blogs. I had a little girl a little over a year ago and she left me with some stretch marks. At first I was so embarrassed and always wanted to hide them. Now, they are my favorite part! I look at them see how amazing our bodies are to carry a human and it reminds me of my beautiful baby girl, Aubree. As I get older I truly am learning it’s the inside that shows beauty!
Thank you again for sharing!
Thank you SO much for sharing this Ali. I had my second child, almost 8 months ago and I get down on myself a lot that I still have a few pounds to lose to try to feel more comfortable about my body again. Now that I have a little girl, I’m working really hard to love my body more so I can pass on a healthy attitude to Brooke, but I’m a work in progress! 🙂
I struggle with my post-baby body too. Thanks for being vulnerable. It’s so hard to remember that we carried little miracles in there for 9 months! We need to give ourselves grace and be content with where we are. I struggle with comparing myself to Instagram women who look like they have every part of their body in perfect shape. It’s simply not true. So, thank you for being real! And we have to remember: comparison is the thief of joy!
You’re beautiful! ☺️😘
Ali, you look great and thanks for sharing this! Good for you for showing off your postpartum body, and your Inspiring to a lot of people I’m sure, I know I am one of them!
Ali you are gorgeous! Such an inspiration to everyone. I have loved you since the bachelorette and love to continue to follow your journey with motherhood! I also have a son Reilly!! 💙
You look amazing and like a real, beautiful, powerful woman. I did a yoga class this AM on vaca and my fave part was watching real
Women use and love their bodies. You are wonderful and sexy. Love your blog and posts. 👌🏻💕
Thank you so much for sharing!! I recently had a baby as well after just 18 months of having my first. My stomach is definitely different this time around. It’s super flabby and loose, plus this was my 2nd c-section so I have this weird flap, and although I didnt get stretchmarks with my first I got a bunch with this one.
Right on the center of my stomach. Sometimes when I look in the mirror I’m so grossed out about it and think I’m never going to wear a bikini again, or I really dont want my husband to see this belly because if I’m grossed out he will be too. So I totally get how you feel. I just always try to remind myself when I have those thoughts that you carried and birthed two amazing little humans!!
Love the swimsuit! It’s very flattering. As a breastfeeding mama it’s hard to find anything to fit.
This is why I love you! I super super respect you for putting yourself out there and sharing these photos! I 10000% understand. In fact, my 2nd is already 1.5 and I still NEVER lost the 15lbs I gained total between 1st and 2nd kid. So many days I look myself in the mirror and feel down. But at the same time, I’m too busy enjoy life and treasuring my family to obsess over it! Honestly, when I see your pictures I just see a beautiful mama that used that belly to grow 2 beautiful babies!
Thank you for posting this and being so real! I really needed it! I’ve been super down on myself because I still have 15 lbs to lose. I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl in April and since the first 30 lbs came off so easily (I gained 45 in all) I started to get super frustrated that this last 15 isn’t coming off as easily! But when I look at my baby I know it is all worth it and I need to be kinder with myself! I mean I just grew a tiny human and pushed her out of my body for Pete’s sake. Thanks again for sharing and being so real 🙌🏼
Woof. This is so good for me to read. I just had my second in May as well and it has been much more difficult to accept my body after baby #2. I never got back to wear I was after my first, so now it should time to crack down and A)care about my body and B)treat it right by feeding it the right things and exercising. Thanks Ali.
You look absolutely amazing and I think it is wonderful that you are sharing this. Such an inspiring woman and momma for us all to look up to.
Thank you. Thank you! THANK YOU!
Thanks for sharing! I’ve been struggling so much with my postpartum body right now. I’m 3 months postpartum and still have 25lbs to go. This is baby number 3 and my 3rd time breastfeeding, but I do not remember my chest being as large with the other 2. I don’t know how to dress!!!
Thank you for sharing! You look beautiful and have two beautiful babes. I’m about a month out from baby number two’s arrival. I lost all but 10 pounds with number 1 but now I’m back up even higher than my pregnancy weight with my first. I can’t help but wonder what I will look like when my second arrives. But something I noticed is, if I stay in the moment and enjoy my time with my first, I am not thinking about how I look in a bathing suit right now. All I think about is the fun we are having. I hope I can keep this mentality when number two arrives! All the best to you and your beautiful family!
You look amazing! I am going through IVF right now and have been scared on how much my body is going to change but you are so right. You have to be kind to yourself. Thanks for being so open. I know it’s not easy.
Hang in there IVF sister! You got this! No matter what your body will look like…it’s worth everything you are going through.
Thank you so much!
Good luck in your IVF! I did two cycles and got my twins after the second. My body bounced back pretty well even after all that. You just have to give it time. Xx
Thanks for the encouragement! So glad you got your blessings!
I’ve loved following you the past few months, since I’ve been pregnant. Your honesty, realness, and down-to-earth vibe are refreshing! It’s pretty annoying to see other celebrities just post what they want you to see. Keep keeping it real!! And you look great!
Ali, thank you so much for sharing about this. I am about to give birth in 2 weeks and I am so nervous on how my body will look postpartum. You inspire so many people and especially me of real and raw this can be. Thank you for showing us that it’s okay to love your body postpartum and be confident in your own skin.
Hi! Do you have any recommendations for good nursing bras? I’ve tried a few out but haven’t had any luck with ones that actually fit me well! Thanks so much!
I just had my first 4 months ago and the Wacoal underwire t-shirt bra is really great- I’m a 34 D for reference. Ali- might be good for you too! You’re a rockstar for this post. Thank you!
You look great, Ali! I appreciate your vulnerability in sharing your photos. My son is 20 months and I still have weight I’d like to shed. Pregnancy really is a sacrifice! So worth it though. 😊 Thanks for being real and down-to-earth.
Ali……I never comment but I felt I had to this time because I can totally relate. it’s incredible how hard it is to feel any bit yourself right after you have a baby and then your body is so different. But I’ve been seeing all ur post and thinking you look so great and honestly am trying so hard to loose the weight and have had you in my head like how come she looks so good so fast while you still do look great this is so much more realistic and makes me feel so much better. Although it’s terrible we all compare ourselves to one another we JUST DO. Thank you so much for being you.
I love this. I cried ugly tears so many times during my pregnancy as I watched the stretch marks appear, despite applying SO many lotions, creams, and oils during my entire pregnancy that were supposed to prevent them. I also watched as so many people posted about not getting stretch marks and I had no idea what I was doing wrong. My son is 2 now and the stretch marks have faded, but I still have some loose skin around my belly button area. Seeing this post is so refreshing. I love the honesty and vulnerability. Thank you, Ali!
You just made me feel soooo much better about myself. I had my first baby 10 months ago and can’t seem to lose these last 15 lbs! my stomach looks identical to yours and I have a skin flab that hangs over my underwear line that bothers me to much. I am so insecure about it.
Before my first baby was born, I miscarried at 12 weeks and had gained about 10 lbs that pregnancy that I didn’t have a chance to lose because I was fortunate to get pregnant right after the miscarriage. So I’m still about 25-30lbs heavier than I was before all this and I am trying to be confident because I have been blessed with the most perfect baby boy but it’s a struggle sometimes! I have been wanting to take my son swimming but I just do not have the confidence to go try on swimsuits so I have been avoiding it – I know it’s not the right thing to do but I just work up the confidence to do it! I love the suit you posted!!!
I never comment but read your blog all the time and appreciate you being so open!
This is freaking amazing, never do I post/comment or anything on blogs etc. but in this post my insecure self has been so heard! I heard myself in everything you just posted and finally SAW myself in a realistic, honest post. I’ve always liked following along with you and 3-4 other celeb moms, but when they show pictures of post baby body it is SO unrealistic and touched up. I thought omg I’m deformed, my stretch marks and loose skin is abnormal and was so insecure and embarrassed but this is what my belly looks like post second baby – It is hard to look in the mirror of a dressing room at myself and not feel alone but I try to keep reminding myself this body gave me two beautiful baby girls, I was pregnant just 7 months ago and there is TIME. This is just really cool – you are beautiful in the inside – something that’s more wonderful and important than filters or filler, thank you 🙏🏼
I write this with tears streaming down my face. Thank you, Ali, for being so open and honest. I’m 2 months postpartum and totally feel insecure about both my belly and my chest. I swear my boobs are bigger than my baby’s head and they are usually on the petite side 🙂 Sometimes it’s just nice to know we aren’t alone in this new body post baby journey!
Girl, it’s been 21 months since I had my last child (2nd) and I still have saggy skin that I can just grab. I’ve got muscle too but some of my skin is just forever stretched. I wear a bikini though because it doesn’t bother me ether 😁I did get a breast reduction but that’s cause I was a 30I and it never shrunk while the rest of me did. Big boobs are not fun! 😂
Ali,
I love how raw and real you are! Thank you for sharing your story and life as a mom. I had a baby 9 months ago now and still struggle with my new body but know every change has made me stronger and becoming a mother has been the best gift ever. Keep inspiring us women and thank you again for sharing your journey with us! Much love ❤️!
Right there with ya girl!!!! I’m 8 weeks out from having my second and things are just not the same. At All!!! Learning to give yourself grace is so hard and I love that you are showing a side that people don’t normally show. It makes me at least feel like I’m not alone.
So here’s to a little extra skin and pounds in exchange for our beautiful babies!!!
Thank you, Ali for sharing this. It so hard being a new momma and adjusting to this new life and a body that is no longer your own…. Not to mention comparing yourself to all the bodies you see on Instagram. Thank you for being a fresh breath of air. We grew our babies and it’s time to celebrate our new bodies and all they accomplished 🙌🏻
I was the same. With my first i bounced back pretty quickly after gaining almost 90lbs. I was rocking a 2 piece and felt great at like 5 months pp. With my second, which was 3 years later… things were so different. I only gained 40 lbs which was a lot less than my first. But he is now 4 and my stomach isnt the same. People always tell me… “how to you look so good” but i totally just know how to wear tops that make me feel comfortable. Our bodies go through so much. I am happy in my skin, not perfect, but it has been on a heck of a journey!
This is exactly what I needed to read/see today. I’ve be struggling to accept my postpartum body and this reminded me to be proud of my body as it created a beautiful baby. Thanks Ali!
Thank you for being honest about what a post-baby body is! I just had our 2nd 2 months ago and I struggle daily with what I see in the mirror. Which is awful because my body did an amazing, honorable and beautiful thing – TWICE! It’s hard when you see social media full of Mom’s showing off their post-baby bods and they look so fit and perfect. (Part of it is in my head I’m sure)
Thank you, Ali, for sharing this! I’ve been following you since the Jake Pavelka bachelor days because I LOVE how real and down to earth you have remained over the years despite your huge success. I just had my 2nd boy (my kids are the same ages as yours!) and although I’m exclusively breastfeeding around the clock, my body isn’t what it was the first time or what I expected it to be by now. And I’ve been really struggling with that…especially in the summer heat! I finally went out a few days ago and bought new clothes in sizes that actually fit instead of feeling crappy day after day because I was stuffing myself into sizes I thought I “should” be by now. I still have days where I look at all the extra skin and the stretch marks on my belly and I feel sad, but seeing you embrace it reminds me that I’m pretty damn magical- I grew, birthed and nursed/am nursing two strong healthy and happy boys! And this new body is just proof of that 🙂 So THANK YOU for being vulnerable and relatable. Love to you and blessings to your family!
Thank you for sharing! We actually the same due date and I had my baby a week after you, and I also have an 18mo. As someone who’s right there with you, I really need to see this right now. 2 babies in 18 months means I’m still 15lbs up and much wider around the midsection. And, big BF boobs mean all my work shirts are also inappropriate and also not cute. I’m with you girl. As my doc said though, it took 9mos to get that big, so we need to give it time to find our new normal.
Thanks Ali for your honesty and vulnerability! I only have one, but With breastfeeding, my focus was on making sure that I had enough milk for the little guy and eating enough so I was not light-headed. The weight loss worked itself out, but for me it took a year to feel back to myself! Cannot imagine how tough it is with 2 (my little guy is 2 months younger than Molly and can you say “high energy”)! Thanks again for sharing your story with all of us!
Thank you for being so brave and honest! I am 14 weeks pp and am feeling everything you are. It’s so nice to hear you are not alone and for you to be so REAL about how our bodies can change after pregnancy. Our bodies bring our miracles to us and that’s the way I try to see my body now with the changes. Thanks again for putting yourself out there!
This is the sweetest post EVER! 💕 Bless your heart for being brave enough to show real life. Thank you. After 3 babies and my youngest being 18, my body is definitely not where I’d like it to be even all these years later. However, at the end of the day, I’m happy, healthy and my kids and husband love me. ALL.THAT.MATTERS.
My son was born may 9th, so, very close to Riley. I feel the same way I’m 15 lbs from pre baby weight. Everybody tells me how great I look, while I appreciate positive comments all I can think is… ugh no I don’t. we are hardest on ourselves and we will get our bodies back! until then we will just be loving on our babies.
Ali- I had an emergency c-section with my 32-week preemie. She is around Molly’s age and while I went back to my pre-pregnancy weight fairly quickly, the weight was distributed differently. I still have that dreaded pouch that will not go away and I have learned to love one-piece swimsuits because of it! I appreciate my body more and more as time goes on but it has been a major adjustment for sure! Thanks for sharing and being transparent, as this is such a minuscule sacrifice us moms make for our kiddos in the grand scheme of things, yet it feels so defeating at times!
You are amazing. You are beautiful. You are real. It is so refreshing to see you use your platform to be real. This post was so encouraging! You rock it mama! ❤️
Thank you for sharing! I am two weeks away from my second baby and this time have gone full term. I was 6wks early with my first sondidnt get to this end stage and it’s all new to me and I’m freaking out! I think a new stretch mark appears every day and my belly button feels as tho it may rip apart at this point. I am very scared for afterwards and trying to embrace what my body has done because it is such a miracle. You have no idea how much I appreciate posts like these because most of them are the ones that show women who have “bounced” back, whatever that really means. Thank you thank you thank you for being real and you!! 💕
Thank you for posting! I love reading such REAL posts on social media. You have an absolutely beautiful family!
Thank you for sharing, Ali! This is greatly encouraging as I am 6 weeks postpartum today and starting my post baby fitness journey today! You are beautiful Mama!
You still look great! How do you plan on losing the weight? And before anyone attacks me I’m only asking because I think us moms would like to see the journey. I had a baby 10 months ago and I took some time off of work (first time in 12 years). I’ve gained some weight and can’t seem to lose the baby weight either which is making me feel so self conscious.
Thank you so much for sharing this! I’ve never been much into working out, but my body always looked decently in shape before kids… fast forward to today and I’m 7 months post partum with my third baby boy in three years! Much like you mentioned I bounced back quick with baby one and even baby two… however this time is a whole new ball game! I’m finally at a point where I feel good again, but it all definitely changed and didn’t go back the same places and hats okay because I have the most amazing three boys to show for it! I’ll always remember a trip we took with another couple before we had kids… she had her third a year prior and was struggling with body image… I was in the best shape I had been in a while thanks to running to prepare for the beach trip… she mentioned women with the best bodies and said “wait until she bends over and you’ll know if she’s had kids” sure enough they’d bend over and have saggy skin flop out. I remember thinking that’d never be me, and here I am 3 kids later and it is me and I love every inch of saggy belly skin! I earned each sag carrying and birthing the sweetest boys and I wouldn’t trade that for the perfect body! Thank you for being so real with women so many times social media is the case for making women feel not enough and incapable, but you’re making women feel empowered and perfectly enough!!
Ali,
Thank you so much for this! I just had a baby 4 months ago and as much as I love hearing, “you look amazing,” I do the same! I dress to cover my belly. This is my second and my stomach isn’t as tight as it was after my first. You’re a true inspiration for the harsh reality we women face after birth! It isn’t as glamour as some people make it look!
As a mother of a 3 month old and A 3 year old these photos really hit home for me! It’s so refreshing and encouraging seeing a women as yourself who has a huge platform of followera, being real and authentic about women, babies and real life! You look amazing. It’s always worth it. Your feed has always been my favorite- for all of these reasons. Blessings to you and your beautiful fam! ❤️❤️
Kudos to you for keeping it real! So refreshing in the world of celebrity and Instagram perfection to show an example of what normal is mere weeks after giving birth. You’re helping sooo many women feel better about themselves.
Sending all the best to you and the family!
Ali! You are stunning and I cannot thank you enough for posting this! My body changed so much after my baby and has never gone back to the way it was. It’s a daily process learning to give yourself grace and show yourself a little kindness. Our bodies made humans! They are gorgeous and perfection. Thank you for such a positive post. I know I will come back and read it often as I remind myself that this new body is just as beautiful, if not more so, than it was before!
You look amazing! It takes a lot of work to grow a baby and you should be proud! I am almost 7 months postpartum & I completely feel you with the veiny huge chest! Not something i’m used to & feel the same in regards to what you said about clothes just not looking right & not being into showing your cleavage off 😂🙈 Thank you for sharing!! You’re amazing!
Just saw your stories😪 when you said “ I love my body” just brought tears to my eyes! After my stomach being huge with all 3 boys… I have NEVER been able to be comfortable or heaven forbid show my “mom pooch” the way you have. I’m so uncomfortable with my stomachs after my 3 boys. You inspire me, Ali! You are an amazing !
•Amazing person! One day I hope I too, can say that about my stomach. Hugs!
(I wasn’t done lol!!)
Thanks for sharing!! Stretch marks are my post partum insecurity! You look amazing!
So brave of you to share this post Ali! I had my first baby at the end of March…I worked out for my entire pregnancy and I thought for sure I would bounce right back after she was born! But, it’s taking me longer than I thought…I have been feeling really down about not having time to workout between commuting to and from work, working full time and prioritizing my free time with spending time with my baby girl. Today I decided to start giving myself grace in this process, loving my body for what it gave us, and focusing on my nutrition plan rather than killing myself to workout every day! It definitely takes time and perspective, so thanks for sharing your story with us!
I just love this! I am 26 weeks pregnant with my first, and I am already having a hard time with my changing body. (Boobs went from a 34D to a 34DDD. How much bigger will they get?!)
Thank you for being so vulnerable about your postpartum journey!
But also….you still look amazing!!
All I have to say is thank you for being real! Some women bounce right back some don’t everyone is different! I have three boys and it’s taken me a year to start feeling someone more like myself again. To be honest I don’t think there is ever been a time where I “got back in my pre-pregnancy clothes” my body, especially my hips, changed so much with each pregnancy no pants ever fit the same as before.
Thank you for being vulnerable and sharing your story!
This is amazing and so vulnerable of you! Thank you for showing the real side of motherhood always.
Thanks for sharing and being so vulnerable! I’ve been feeling very down about my body post-baby. My bikini days seem long gone which isn’t so much of a loss considering what I have now with my sweet baby but it can still bring ya down! Add-in the stretch marks and it’s really depressing! This post is a good reminder that 1. We aren’t alone and 2. We are our own worst critics because I think you look beautiful!! Lots of love to you and your sweet family!
You are amazing!! My daugther was born 6 almost 7 years ago and my body didn’t go back to how it was. It is really a journey and a learning process. I’ve come to like my body but still don’t love it.
Ali,
You are incredible mama! I don’t have kids yet and struggle with my “pre-baby” body. I always said before I had kids I would want to be in the best shape of my life. I had a miscarriage in January and found it so hard to stay motivated after that. I gained almost 20lbs since then. It’s so hard the pressures we put on ourselves and what a wreck it does to our mental well-being. This blog and your Instagram just gives me so much love and respect for you, and for all women and what we go through!
Thank you for sharing your life so personally and being such an amazing role model ❤️❤️
I needed this today, Ali. I love you so much! I finally got out over the weekend with some friends with my 5 week old twins. I was in tears seeing all of the cute, thin women out having drinks thinking gosh that used to be me. I feel terrible for being so shallow, but it’s shocking and sort of disheartening to see that I still look pregnant! It’s scary to wonder if it’ll ever go back to normal. Thank you for being vulnerable and honest.
Your loyal follower ❤️
Love your openness! I’m one month postpartum with my 3rd. This has been my best postpartum recovery out of all my kids but definitely see the changes my body has made over the last 9 months! I can totally relate to the girls being out of control 🤣. My hips are definitely wider and the stomach needs some work because nothing fits or looks right (PTL for leggings and loose fitting shirts!). But I wear it as a badge of honor because I was able to carry my first full term baby!
Ali,
First of all you look fantastic! Secondly, thank you so much for sharing this! I’m a new mom as well, and it’s so refreshing to see someone actually be honest about the fact that our bodies in fact do not bounce back to the way they were before immediately, if ever. All of it is so worth it for our amazing tiny humans though! Thanks for keeping it real!
Thank you, thank you, thank you! You are such an inspiration and so beautiful! I’m 27, and just had my first baby 4 months ago and while he is the absolute light of my life, my pregnancy left me with stretch marks around my belly button that truly make me feel like I’m looking at a body that isn’t mine. It’s caused me a lot of unnecessary sadness, and I’m working so hard to see the beauty in my new post partum body and the amazing life it created. I appreciate your post very much and you have given me a lot of confidence by seeing your confidence!
P.S. I can’t lose the last ten pounds I gained to save my life! Oh well!
Ali thank you so much for sharing! I am due with my first in February and my body has already changed so much. I am already noticing my bathing suits don’t fit right and I’m just now starting to show. It’s amazing what our bodies can do. Thank you so much for opening up. The female body is incredible. I am enjoying the changing so far and can only imagine what’s to come.
Ali,
Ivsincerely appreciate this post. I just had baby number four in December and feel like I’ll never get back to looking like “me.” It’s really hard to get back in shape. I appreciate your confidence in your new body, too. I’m not there yet, but seeing posts like this certainly make me feel more normal in my skin. Yes, very grateful my body grew big, healthy babies, but also don’t love the leftovers. Nonetheless, we are so much more than how our bodies look – I’m confident in the way i treat others with kindness and show a genuine smile, I’m confident in my career, I’m confident in my marriage, I’m confident in the love that I have for my family. And that’s something to be proud of! 🙂 You are beautiful, and doing a good thing for the Instagram community. Thank you!
You are so beautiful inside and out!!! Women’s bodies are absolutely amazing! I’m sure it wasn’t easy to share those pictures of course – but you are brave and I’m sure lots of women are going to relate. You are honest and beautiful and real – what an INCREDIBLE role model for your children. Love your blog!
Thank you for being so open and honest. I’ve been struggling with my weight for a few years now so it’s refreshing to see this. ❤️
I love that you shared this! I’m 3 weeks away from having my 2nd and know I’m going to struggle with the way I look after. I had GD with my first and ended up coming out of pregnancy 20lbs less the what my pre pregnancy weight was. This time i don’t have it and have gained a ton of weight and also got stretch marks that I never got the first time. I’ve already been pretty hard on myself so it’s teally refreshing to see you be able to share this and hoping I can show myself some grace when my little one comes.
Thank you so much for this honest, vulnerable post! After having 3 kids my body is not at all what it used to be and so often I find myself dissatisfied with how I look. This reminds me we ALL are human and just because we aren’t a size 2 doesn’t mean something is wrong with us or we aren’t beautiful. You look amazing for just having a baby and I always enjoy reading your posts.❤️
You look beautiful!! I am a momma to 3 girls and one little guy. After all three of my girls, especially my 3rd, I felt like I jumped back quickly and even felt the most confident about my body. Then I had my 4th pregnancy with my little guy and it has been the complete opposite. He is now 2 and I still struggle with my body but at the same time tell myself, I’ve had 4 babies…it’s OK! Thank you for being vulnerable. It’s so nice to see the human side of people on Instagram once in awhile:) Your kiddos are so sweet. You and Kevin are rocking this parent thing!
Wow, thank you for being so real for all the young moms to see. I had 4 kids and was lucky enough to have good genes, but post pregnancy bodies are never the same. I’m older but love reading your blog and seeing your IG account. Now Im dealing with the dreaded “menopause” where fat pockets have showed up in the weirdest places and I exercise 5 days a week and try to eat right but it is so hard to lose the weight. Thanks for keepint it real in this Instahram world and sharing and promoting body positivity!!
First off you are beautiful! Thank you so much for posting this. I think women need to see more of these kinds of posts, because social media is misleading. Your post affirms such a healthy body image especially for mamas. I’m a mom, 11 months postpartum and a L&D nurse. I see woman’s bodies do miraculous work every single day. My body did the same thing 11 months ago and I’ve been sustaining by baby with my body since. Yet, I can still get stuck In my head about what I dislike about my postpartum body. I need constant reminders that I am not alone, that my body is beautiful, and that us mamas are in this together. It’s not a competition about who bounces back quicker, it should be an encouragement that we are all in this together and it’s ok to have some grace for ourselves and our bodies after doing such an amazing thing with it. Thank you for using your platform to create space for such a positive and honest post. You are not alone, WE are not alone. Thank you Ali!!!
I really needed this post. I’m 21 weeks pregnant with my second, already huge, and feel so disgusting and self-conscious about my body. I went from a 36C to now a 36DDD. Social media doesn’t make me feel any better about myself and all the women who bounce back make me feel even worse. Thank you for being so vulnerable! It’s nice to see a celebrity, and someone so many women admire, be so real about pregnancy and motherhood!
I love this! Thank you 🙂
Thank you for being so raw and so real and honest. So appreciated 🙂 You look amazing!
This makes you just as beautiful, if not more. We as women have the ability to create life! What an honor! Our stretch marks are stripes of honor and bravery. Does that mean I’m 100% confident? No, I’m human. But I’m better than I was yesterday and your honesty and post helps in my journey. God Bless and keep leading with your weaknesses. That’s what makes you truly strong. 💕💕
You look beautiful! I completely understand feeling insecure… I have struggled so much with my postpartum body and I’m a year out. I do well losing weight and feeling better and then I will get discouraged and completely fall off the wagon. But I’m taking it day by day and learning to love my body no matter what!
Ali Thanks so much for this. Not just for moms but women everywhere including teens who think Instagram is reality. We all struggle with these insecurities and your vulnerability teaches that we are all in this together and that all our bodies are beautiful and amazing (especially because we have the task of putting humans on the earth lol). You are awesome. Love you and your posts. Am really enjoying watching your family’s adventures. So thanks for all that.
Thank you for sharing. I’m 15 yrs since my last pregnancy and I also have insecurities especially when I see all the stretch marks in my belly. I‘m also kinder to myself. I look at my body and praise it for giving life to my 3 beautiful daughters and putting up with me. In my years when I was young and raising my girls, I’ve always tried not to speak negative about my body because I knew I didn’t want to model negative thoughts about their body. You look beautiful and happy. Thank you for sharing. I will be sharing this post with my girls because i always do when I see a public figure or celebrity standing as you are and deveiling the misconception young girls see on social media and magazines. Thank you, thank you. You are such an inspiration and strong young woman. God bless you and your beautiful family.
Lisa
I earned my mom bod at age 20, when the majority of my friends were happily flaunting their stretch mark free, didn’t just gain 55lbs, tone and tight bikini bodies. I felt so totally defeated and disappointed in myself (Actually, I distinctly remember being 8 1/2 months pregnant, watching the Miss America pageant and literally sobbing about how beautiful they were and how I was never going to be again…all while eating a huge plate of nachos, of course ¯\_(ツ)_/¯). It took me 2 more babies and many more years to realize that the body I’d been attempting to hide made these actual humans who are amazing…and talented…and smart…and, seriously, so incredible. This past April, at 36, I had a preventative double mastectomy and added a few more scars to my torso. And, once again, I’m in awe of my body and it’s ability to bounce forward…not back, because, quite frankly, it’s better than it was before. 🙂
Just finished reading your post and watching your instagram stories! Talk about using your platform for good! This is going to be such a blessing to so many women whether they have had kids or not. I’m pregnant right now with baby number two so I have no idea what my body will look like afterwards, but I had an interesting experience after my first. I was sick almost my whole pregnancy and gained only 17 pounds (I had weight to lose before baby though so the doctor told me I was okay). After birthing an 8 pound baby along with all the fluid and whatnot that comes with it, I left the hospital with a relatively flat (but very soft) stomach. However, my few months of maternity leave did my body no good. I was not making healthy choices and wasn’t very active since it was the middle of summer.
After this baby I plan to make much more positive choices for my health and to keep up with two kiddos, but will also be gracious to myself. Our bodies endure so much it’s amazing!
Thank you for creating this space for us all to share. So glad I started following your blog/Insta when we were both pregnant with our firsts! You really do look great!
Ali, I loved you on the Bachelorette, and love you more every day! You are so real, and while this isn’t the most comfortable topic to discuss, you know it’s super important! I had 2 kids in 22 months and can totally relate! My body changed in completely different ways with each of my girls. While I struggle to like my body some days, I love what my body gave me- my daughters!
I had my daughter 6 weeks ago and I felt so much pressure to have my body back soon because it’s summer and I knew people would talk. After having my beautiful girl I stopped caring what people think because she’s all that matters. I love that your comfortable in your own skin. It encourages me that it’s okay, I don’t need my body back right away I just need to rest and focus on my baby! I would love to get an email 🤗
This is the best internet post I’ve seen in a LONG time! Thank you for opening up and sharing this with everyone, I honestly think you are going to help so many new mommas cope with their new body!
I just have to jump in here and tell you how awesome you are! It takes such courage to put yourself out there in these pictures. I had 3 babies and my youngest is 12. My body changed sooo much after kids. Belly fat became permanent. I did, however, start to seriously workout when my youngest started school. I may always have a stomach pooch, but I now have muscles that I never had in my 20’s. It’s all about self love.
You are fabulous and real. It makes us “moms” feel more norms when more people in the spotlight step out and share. You look wonderful. Keep up the great work!
This was such an important post! I’m not a mom yet (one day soon- God willing!) but I’ve struggled with body image for about as long as I can remember and postpartum body is already something I’m worried about. I know pregnancy can do a number on one woman’s body, and the next can look like they were never pregnant! It’s just how it goes.. but EVERY mama’s body performs the same miracle and should be given the exact same respect and love. Especially from self! Absolutely love the reality and humility of your blog today. This is such important work you’re doing on this topic. Thank you 🙏🏼
Thank you so much for sharing this! You look amazing! I’m 2 weeks postpartum with my 2nd son and this post is exactly what I needed to see. It’s hard to watch so many other women “bounce back” so fast while it may take others a bit more time. I’m learning to love my new body and am trying to embrace all these new curves.
Thank you for sharing! I am 4 months post pardum and I definitely thought I would bounce back faster than I have. Social media is amazing but also sometimes hides the truth! Your post definitely helped me realize that it’s ok and to love my curves, extra skin and stretch marks! Thanks Ali!!
Thank you so much for sharing your story with us and being so vulnerable! I had my daughter 4 years ago this month and I’m still self conscious about my “pooch” right above my c section scar. Wearing swimsuits is the hardest thing for me but my daughter is a fish and lives in the pool during the summer months. I’ve had to conquer my insecurities so I can swim with her and enjoy this fun age while I can! As much as I would love to have my pre baby body back I wouldn’t give up my daughter, my pooch or my scars for anything. I’m learning to love my body because of the beautiful gift it created! Thank you for giving me an extra boost of confidence today as I put my bikini back on! Blessings to to and your beautiful family!
Ali, you look great! Thanks so much for sharing and posting your story!! We had our little guy Dylan the same day you had Riley (we also have a two year old daughter) so I’ve been following your stories close because, well you’re in the exaxct same boat as me right now and I can totally relate to you on everything! It’s nice having some where to go where I feel like you understand what my life is like currently. The blog post about when Kevin went back to work and your reactions were so spot on to what I was going through with my hubby going back to work at same time, it made me feel less crazy LOL. This blog was very inspiring and has helped me gain a little more confidence in my post baby body. You rock!
You look beautiful
Thank you for sharing this!!!! I’m 7 weeks post partum after my 2nd baby and we have such similar stories! Your post makes me feel so much better- my body is not bouncing back like it did with my 1st and my stomach is very stretched out. It’s hard seeing so many people looking “perfect” after having a baby – I appreciate you being real!! You look fabulous. Thank you!!
Wow! As a postpartum mom myself (my little baby girl is 3 weeks today) I know how hard it must’ve been to put yourself out there! It is so important to let everyone know that what you see on Instagram isn’t always the truth, and after carrying a little human for 9 months, our bodies are meant to look just as they do- loose skin and all! I love how you say you’re learning to be kinder to yourself every day. It’s so important to appreciate your body for what it is, and know that the extra pouch, stretch marks and everything else are a sign of the greatest little miracle that you brought into the world. So worth it! 😊 Thank you Ali for being so real with your followers!
You are a blessing today to me! My baby is 4 months old and it has been nearly impossible for me to loose the baby weight, my good friend had her baby 6 days before my son was born and she is back to her pre pregnancy body so it’s so hard to not compare and feel like when we are together people are judging.
Need to learn to love my body hecause it gave me my beautiful son! Thank you for your honesty!
Thank you so much for discussing this Ali! First, You look absolutely stunning and you brought 2 beautiful humans into this world! You are such a wonderful mom and I know we all appreciate that you share your lives with us. I have been struggling with this concept of a new body as well and it is encouraging to know I’m not alone. I have 9 week old twins (via c-section) and even though the scale is back down to my pre pregnancy weight (due to breastfeeding – and I’m totally with you on the chest changes!) but body just looks and feels completely different and it’s a really hard adjustment! I’ve always been curvy but had gotten to a place where I had accepted my body – and now I’m working to accept my mom-body and it’s definitely a process! Thank you so much for sharing you’re insecurities with us – you are not alone!
Thank you for being so brave and sharing Ali! It’s so important to celebrate our bodies because we grew humans!!
I bounced right back after my first baby. I was back in my pre-pregnancy clothes 2 weeks post-partum and had lost all my baby weight by my 6 week checkup without working out or watching what I ate. I actually ended up a whole size smaller post-partum, which I attribute to breastfeeding.
After my second daughter was born, it wasn’t happening quickly and I was super down about my body. It took me about 3 months to lose all the weight and extra inches this time (still pretty fast but seemed like forever compared to my prior experience) and I had to start working out to get the last 7 or 8 lbs to go away, which I’m sure you know is not easy to find time to do with 2 little ones. I finally feel confident in my body again and I too had to go bikini shopping before my recent vacation because even my more conservative pre-baby bikini tops looked ridiculous on my nursing chest.
Thanks again for sharing! You are beautiful!
Thanks for sharing this! It’s very rare you see mamas share a postpartum body! I took didn’t bounce back right away, and after 15 months with my baby girl I still need to work on a few things. But I just see it this way, my stretch marks and mommy pouch were just results of caring my beautiful baby girl in my body, and the fact we can do that still blows my mind aha!
So thank you for sharing and not being too hard on your self!
Ali- you look amazing! Thank you for your transparancy and vulnerability. It takes a lot to put yourself out there, but can help so many other women feel supported with where they are at on their own journey. One thing I have constantly had to remind myself: to give myself grace. I have two girls- 2 and 4 years old.🤗 I was tiny (like 105-115lb) before having kids and right now I am 150lb and just starting my journey towards getting back to a more comfortable place with my body. I don’t have to be that tiny again and that is totally fine. Raising littles is tough- it is so important to make peace with where you are at and just give yourself grace. We will get where ever we want to be when we are ready. You are gorgeous just as you are right now!😘
Thank you for sharing Ali! I think you look amazing and its so wonderful to share your story. I was lucky to bounce back pretty quickly after my 2 boys but like everyone else I have my insecurities. I love that we can share them and lift each other up instead of tearing each other down! I also think that often we see all of our flaws but I’ve found that often no one sees my flaws but me. You’re beautiful and if you just keep smiling your beautiful smile thats all anyone is going to notice 🙂
You are such an inspiration Ali! My eyes welled up with tears as I read your post. I truly admire your outlook on your post-baby body ( and all of life for that matter!) I am currently expecting my second child and have lots of worries and insecurities about my body. Your post really helped me out today:) thank you 😊
Also- I think you look AMAZING
Go you! I also have leftover to my from my baby and am trying so hard to find clothes that make me feel confident! Keep sharing!
Love that you shared! With my first I bought a tummy trainer. It was so uncomfortable and my baby didn’t think it was comfy either while laying on me. Moms are for comforting and cuddles, I’m okay if that means being a little squishy.
Thank you so much for sharing!!!!! I think you’re beautiful and now seeing how similar our bodies are makes me more proud to strut my stuff 💕
Amazing! Inspiring! You just had a baby!? Your beautiful momma💕Thank you for being real, open and honest. It takes time for your body to adjust! I have two… a boy& a girl and 11 years later I still have my little momma pouch😉. I have learned to be comfortable with myself and stop comparing. ❤️
Yes <3!!! I just had my second child, handsome baby boy, 5 months ago and my body looks the same. I was really hard on myself about it for a couple months…why does my belly look like this, will it always be this way, etc. My husband and I had our daughter almost 7 years before we had our son, so needless to say it had been a minute since my first pregnancy haha! So I honestly couldn’t compare what my body was like after, and for how long, with my first child. But I felt like I bounced back quicker. (This time around) I tried to remind myself to cut myself some slack, you just had a baby *1,2,3* months ago, but there were times I just couldn’t help but to cry. Within the last month something just came over me, this profound feeling of “I’m ok with this, I’m doing great and I won’t apologize for it for another second”! Side note: my husband has made me feel nothing less then gorgeous this entire time (pre babies and post babies the same) – I was the one hard on myself. My son has finally begun to take naps in the last week or two (hallelujah haha) so I have had some time I can block out for exercise, which has boosted my feel good vibes for sure! Revamping my wardrobe has been a true must – even if my old clothing fit, it didn’t fit the same and made me so uncomfortable and self conscious. <— which I love following you for this (amongst other reasons). I, like many others apparently, thought “Dang! She looks so great after just having that cute baby boy of hers!”, it’s nice to know I’m not alone in my post pregnancy body type. I think over time it will get closer to pre baby body, maybe never the exact same but I’m okay with it. Whether it’s because it’s my second baby or because I’m 30 now, I have no idea. But I think you look wonderful, I appreciate you and sharing so much. At the end of the day: these bodies brought wonderful human beings into this world and that’s something to be ever so proud of, worth it, and thankful for <3.
Your post made me teary-eyed because I’m a first time mom and have been feeling down about still not having my pre-pregnancy body back even after almost 11 months pp. I’m SO grateful for my body because of the precious gift it gave me of my son, but I just hate how I look in everything and never want to be in photos anymore because I’m so self-conscious. I have to remind myself daily to be kinder and more gracious to myself as well. Thank you for being so brave and real and sharing this with us! Congrats on your baby boy, the sweetest little addition to your beautiful family <3
I am three months out from having my second child, and while my stomach appears skinny in clothes… I still have loose skin. Hoping it will firm up! The other thing I have is the dark line running down my belly. I am hoping it fades soon – but for now… I will be in one pieces all summer!
You look great – Love the post!
Thanks for sharing this and putting yourself out there! It’s my daughters second birthday today and my son is 2 months old so you are not alone! It’s hard not to be hard on yourself and I was (and still am at times) a downer because of my looks and it being summer and I felt I needed to look a certain way. I just keep reminding myself that my body made 2 beautiful babies and to focus on that instead of my body and to be patient and kind to myself. Easier said than done for sure! Thanks for being so open about postpartum I think it’s important to show others reality!
THIS! This is everything. Thank you so much for posting this. I am due any day now with baby #2 and am MUCH bigger this time around. I was looking at your insta posts and kept thinking “wow I hope I bounce back like Ali”. For you to share this part of your life with your followers is amazing. So again, thank you!
Wow Ali this is amazing! You are such an inspiration!! I had and still have trouble with my post pregnancy body. I don’t feel as confident as i use too but after seeing this it really helped me! Being a mother has been the biggest blessing for me but it has also changed so much! Thank you for sharing your story!!
Thank you for sharing this, you are such an inspiration for body acceptance and love. I can totally relate to your big boobs/nursing situation! I was a 32D before having my son and ended up a 34F while nursing him, and was totally caught off guard by how off balance I felt, at first. None of my pre-pregnancy tops fit the same (or at all!) and I felt enormous. It made such a difference to buy clothes and swimsuits that actually fit my new body instead of just feeling insecure about how I looked in my old stuff. And it was the first step in embracing my post-baby body, which is a beautiful thing. Thank you for encouraging all of your followers to do the same!! You are gorgeous and have been a style role model for me for a long time, it’s so encouraging to see posts like this.
Thank you for doing this. I am raising an impressionable young 12 year old and I want her to know she is beautiful no matter what and to feel beautiful in her skin. As a parent I find it is so hard to keep your child in that mindset with so many social media outlets and television shows that make beauty look flawless. We need more Ali’s in this world.
Wow Ali, you are so inspiring! You look absolutely amazing! Thank you for this post and lots of love from Finland! 🙂
I’m so happy for you to be showing the real side of motherhood & postpartum bodies…so much of the time Instagram portrays the total perfection ideology which is very damaging to women who don’t fit that model. I don’t fit that model. I’m 15mos pp after my 2nd child, & feel gross in my skin. It’s crazy how much I need to work on my mental state still this long postpartum now, but hey, it is what it is. My children are my greatest blessings & they were both born healthy & still are very healthy, so I am glad they’re here with me no matter what. My body is amazing to create them. I am a freaking superhero & I need to rock my cape of badass mamahood every single day! Our bodies are amazing, but we are still so much more than just our bodies. I am more than my pant size. I am more than my body. I am a big heart & a beautiful soul. I am perfect in my imperfections, & I love myself. Thanks for being so real. It’s truly a breath of fresh air & you’re inspiring. Love you! PS. This is an obvious truth, but your kiddos are gorgeous, just like their Mama. Mini Superheroes in the making! 💖💖💖💖💖
Thank you for sharing this, Ali. I am 2 months postpartum and a first time mom. I have been struggling with my new body and feeling like I need to hide behind baggy clothes. When I’m home with my baby girl I am so proud of what my body has done and is still doing to sustain her life! Your vulnerability has given me courage to start embracing my new body and being proud of what I have accomplished. Thank you and keep sharing!!
My kids are 24 &18 and my body has never been the same after 2 C-sections…. plus delicious, wonderful food and wine. 😀 Oh well-never been happier!!
Havin my first baby in 6 weeks….
Thank you for this, being authentic and real is hard to do! But we all connect and feel the same way – so thank you for sharing! xoxo
I love you 🙂
You are so brave sunshine thank you for being so amazing. It inspired me to share the letter I wrote to myself right after I had my second baby.
My Apology letter to myself.
Dear Body,
I am sorry in the past for…
-The cruel things I have said to you for many years.
-For comparing you to others.
-For starving you at moments of weakness when I was younger and consuming those godforsaken over the counter diet pills, expecting to look like the airbrushed cover girls on the magazines.
-Insulting you with each passing of my reflection.
-Wishing you bigger breasts, a larger booty, more defined arms, leaner legs, and those killer six pack abs.
-Grabbing and pinching at you.
-Having others dictate what is expected of you when it comes to being faster, squatting deeper, pressing heavier.
-I am sorry for underestimating you by not believing or having faith that you are capable of doing all of those things and so much more.
-For saying “thank you” with a convincing smile when others would compliment you, but internally tearing you apart.
-Not embracing these curves or acknowledging that you are the beautiful instrument that God has blessed me with to walk this earth in.
-For the constant insecurities and lack of confidence.
-I apologize for the lame excuses and for not having enough time for you at moments.
-Editing Facebook photos and cropping off the areas I feel are not up to expectation.
-I’m sorry for my extreme body dysmorphia and my distorted few and over consumption on my physical features and body imagine. It was exhausting.
These days I am strong, I am accepting, I am powerful. I spend the extra time complimenting you, feeding you healthy foods, and hydrating you. You give me a reason to run, to lift, to compete, and to spread my love and passion of fitness onto others at our Norfolk fitness center, Meyer Fitness.
I thank you for my weaknesses for they give me the most strength, for the doubts, without them I could not reach my PR’s, max, ranks, or receive those fancy medals at the end of each race, and for the scars and many surgeries, for they are a reflection of my amazing journey on this earth.
Most of all for carrying and protecting the loves of my life for 44 months. I now embrace my battle wounds, the stretching of my skin, struggles, and my many flaws. My daughter Sparrow and son Austin has inspired me more as a mother than I have ever been inspired in my life. This was once my journey now it will forever be my daughters, son, and mine. They make me strong, they make me beautiful, they just MAKES me, Me!
I have so much more free space in my day now that I have stopped being negative and obsessing constantly about my body. By choosing healthy strong and sexy over skinny, I have chosen self love over self judgement, and to pass that lesson on to my beautiful baby babies. We are all imperfect permanently and inevitably flawed; that is what makes us so beautiful. Embrace.
Be-You-Tiful,
Lauren Meyer
Oh Ali… what an amazing thing you just did here!!! I have struggled with my body image since probably high school! Here I am almost 36 years old, Mom of 2 amazing kiddos one 6 and one 20 mos and fighting tooth and nail to look at my body the way my husband sees it.. beautiful and strong and now what’s on the outside! I needed this post! Baby 2 has been a game changer for my body! Hips bigger, butt bigger, noobs saggier, belly floppier.. list goes on. But what I need to remember is I carried those babes, god blessed me with a body that was able to have babies and love them, and carry them, and I need to cherish this temple of mine that I’ve been blessed with! Thank you for being so vulnerable and open about you body and honest about how you are learning to be “ok” with it after kids! You are simply amazing!!!
Ali, I have followed you since the bachelor! You have always been my favorite because you are just so real and down to earth! I respect you a lot for putting yourself out there. I haven’t even had kids but my stomach has always been an insecurity for me and since turning 30 I just can’t bring myself to wear a 2 piece anymore. So, to me, you are awesome! Thank you for sharing 💗
Thank you so much for sharing and being vulnerable. I’m due with my first in a couple weeks, and though I feel like I’ve always had a pretty good body image and am not overly critical of my imperfections, I know it will be tough to adjust to my postpartum body. Just like how no one used to talk about postpartum recovery, I feel like not that many people talk about or show what your postpartum body may look like, so thank you for doing this. It’s helpful for me to know what my body might look like, and I’m sure it will be helpful to so many others too.
Thank you for this! Finding self love and acceptance of body after baby is still difficult even though my daughter is 17 months already. Especially now that we’re discussing having another and all the thoughts about physical and emotional changes that will come with that. Kevin’s post on here after Riley was born hit all the emotional thoughts I was having about expanding our family to four and this helps so much to normalize (and accept) my fears about the physical changes. You are truely incredible and gorgeous!!
And I’ve been looking for a swim suit that’ll give me more coverage and support…can’t wait to order one! Thanks for all the great tips and advice on here!
I commented on Instagram but I wanted to post here after reading your blog post. I very much appreciate this post and I hope you found it freeing! I can’t imagine how vulnerable you must have felt though. I struggle with my postpartum body and I don’t have a huge audience watching me! Following my first pregnancy I bounced back to my prepregnancy weight only to develop postpartum hypothyroidism which led to a 50lb weight gain. That was incredibly disheartening and that extra weight has had a huge impact on my confidence. I am now 8 weeks postpartum with baby #2 and have decided I need to be happier and healthier overall so that my kids have a positive role model to learn and grow from. I’m starting small with daily walks but I’m starting to feel more positive about myself already. Pregnancy is so magical but it can certainly leave moms feeling a little lackluster about themselves even when others see only beauty. You look beautiful Ali and you are a big inspiration for me. Thank you again for this post xx
Ali, thank you SO MUCH for sharing. I invested in one peices because I have a 2.5 year old and I still have some of that skin on my belly, especailly when I sit, and I was so embarrassed by it! It’s easy to look at your child and say it’s all worth it, but when others see me I think and feel they are all staring at me :/
My chest has probably been thr hardest part for me…I nurses my son for 20 months and then my breast were like Flappy Jack’s after nursing. I feel like just now almost 10 months later they are starting to plump up again but how your body changes is a real adjustment and it comforts me to know I’m not the only one! Your babies are beautiful and so are you! Thank you for being so vulnerable!
You are just sooooo amazing!!! Thank you for sharing this & putting yourself out there. As I’m sure everyone will say, you’re so gorgeous! As women we put so much pressure on ourselves after giving birth but it’s such an amazing thing bringing little humans into the world. It took me major time to bounce back and I’m still not there 2 years later but then I look at my girls and think it’s all worth it, every stretch mark, all the loose skin because they’re simply amazing as your kiddos are too! Much love to you & yours!
You have so many comments to read so not sure u will read this but…. hats of to you! I admire your honestly and your bravery!!!!! You are real and I love that!!!
I have two kids 2 and 5. And my body is still not where it once was. I now have stretch marks and I have learned to accept them. I have my two beautiful and healthy kids!!! I earned those marks!!!!
You’re amazing and we need more people like you in this world! Thank you for sharing!!! You are beautiful!
Wow. Thank you for sharing. So many people only share what they want others to see. Thanks for keeping it real mama. You’re so beautiful and I appreciate you being so open to us about your body. I’ve never had a baby but I still struggle with self-imagine like so many other women do. Keep it going.
Thank you for sharing! My daughter is 3 years old now and I recently turned 31. We are so busy and on the go plus working full time. It is so hard to find time to work out and focus your time and energy on you but I’m slowly working on that. Our babies will always be our priority but self love must be there too. It’s so difficult to see yourself/body so drastically different from what you have always known. I struggle with that especially feeling my body change in terms of energy, metabolism and overall tone. Some things will just never be the same and I’m learning to accept it. The focus is on feeling good and just loving what a blessing these babies are <3
I am literally in the exact same boat! Both of my kids are just slightly older than your two. I bounced back so fast with my first and not my second. Also my chest is impossible to shop for. I grew to a 36G which is just outrageous. Nothing fits I cant find anything long enough. I am loving watching your journey because I feel it is exactly mine as well. Thanks for everything you do!
Ali, you are such a sweet, beautiful, kind and genuine soul. Thank you for sharing your vulnerabilities. Being a woman is an amazing gift, but it can be so challenging in the world we live in that strives for a perfect outward physical appearance constantly. It’s draining and discouraging for woman. So thank you for being real and honest!! I’m 39 weeks pregnant and find myself constantly wondering if my body will ever “look the same again”, when it doesn’t matter! What matters is mine and my babies health and well being. So many people tell me I look amazing for being 39 weeks pregnant and “you’re gonna bounce back so quickly!!” Well, yes it is encouraging to hear, it puts an expectation on me that isn’t necessary. I feel an anxiety of..”well would if I don’t??? Am i letting myself and others down??” What a silly thought that is when I type it out. Thank you again Ali for creating a safe place for us woman to share our inner thoughts.
Ali thank you so much for sharing. I’m not a mom but I have totally had experiences where I look in the mirror and don’t recognize the body I’m seeing. You look stunning mama <3
Good for you Ali!! I am 3 weeks pp with baby #2, and totally feel so weird in my own skin. Having a difficult time with the fact that none of my pre pregnancy clothes fit. There is nothing wrong with my body now, I just have to dress it differently! Thank you so much for sharing! 💕
Thank you for sharing! You look great! I had baby number 3 over five years ago. I’m fit and regularly workout. I am at my prepregnancy weight but my stomach isn’t going to ever look like it used to. I just recently accepted that and put on the darned bikini because you only love once! As women we have to remember our bodies have done amazing things!
Ali! Thank you for posting this. I admire your bravery and the example you set for moms like myself. I have struggled with my post pregnancy body and my son is almost 7! It has taken a long time to accept my post baby body the way it is and your post today helped me get further into the acceptance of my body. Thank you!!!
I’m so proud of you for being so open and real about your body post baby. It’s ridiculous the way our world tries to “hide” the reality of having a baby. We are all “wonder women”. You look amazing and I’m seriously impressed at this blog post and your pictures!!! ❤️
My son was born a week after Riley (my daughter, Riley is 3.5 years old) and I am very self conscious. This post was very uplifting, raw and real. You are amazing for sharing and know people like you are out there too!
Ali you look amazing! You will bounce back! Remember you just had 2 kiddos in a short period of time! Thanks for sharing! You are so inspiring!
-Brooke
Ali I am nine weeks post partum and was honestly getting a little depressed following you on IG and feeling down on myself for not looking as good as you! I appreciate you being real and even though your body has changed from pregnancy you look great and it helps me have a more positive outlook on my body changes! Thanks!
Ali, you are such a beautiful person, on the inside and the outside. Thank you for sharing with all us women/moms who tend to be so hard on ourselves.
First of all you looks beautiful…I know that wasn’t easy to share but was very refreshing to read. I have a 9 year old and still struggle with my weight. I have always been bustier so I am so excited to look into this swimwear to get a more “modest” reasonable fit for my chest. Thank you for your honesty!! Enjoy those sweet babies.
Thank you so much for sharing this! I’m pregnant for the first time and have gained 31 pounds so far (I’m 30 weeks). Pre-pregnancy fitness was my life, but during this pregnancy I’ve definitely spent more time living in the moment and giving into cravings since I’ll never have an experience identical to this. I’m less nervous about losing the fat/weight and have been more anxious about loose skin – especially when so many mommas I follow on social media do seem to bounce back so quickly!
You are beautiful! Good on you for nervously embracing it.
xoxo-
a new mom who is 3 months postpartum
You are absolutely stunning, inside and out! I love this post so much and your confidence to share your struggles are so beyond inspiring! I do not have children…..yet….but you truly show all of us what really matters in life! Couldn’t love you more! 💕
You look great, it takes time. Thanks for sharing! I had my son a year ago on July 4th and still working on getting my body back. Fitting in a workout is tough after chasing both my son and daughter around! Just finished nursing my son and am a 34DDD, excited to check out those out!
Thank you for sharing! I don’t have any kids yet and one of the biggest fears I have is how my body will change. I love how more and more women are showing their bodies after pregnancy in an authentic and positive way! Seeing women love themselves and their bodies after they change are so important, your daughter has a great role model💗
Ali, you look fantastic! For me, it was much easier the first time than the second to lose the weight, but it eventually happens. Breastfeeding helps so much. Most likely, your tummy will settle into something you are more used to. I’m so glad to see you’re not too worried about it right now though. You have much more important things to do right now! 😉
Our bodies change so much over our lives. My post-hysterectomy tummy is definitely MUCH different than it always has been. But, just like you, I’m healthy and happy and that’s what is most important. Thank you for sharing for all the new moms out there that feel badly about themselves. <3
xoxo
This is really inspirational and such a good reminder. I remember standing in the shower in the hospital after my first child was born and feeling shock and disgust at what my stomach looked like. I tried to be kind to myself and give myself time to recover. Now I’m pregnant with number two, and I am trying to stay focused on how amazing it is that my body will have produced two amazing humans, rather than the number on the scale or the pants size. Thanks, Ali!
Oh my goodness, I value vulnerability so much and seeing it from someone like you who when you have such a big platform is heartwarming. I may not be a mom, but I am in recovery from an eating disorder and recently finished higher level treatment to weight restore. Living with my “nourished body” has been such a challenge. Buying new clothes to fit my body is very intimidating. Reading your rawness reminds me its okay to struggle and hearing you accept your new body is so encouraging. Thank you so much!
Brene Brown writes about “vulnerability hangovers.” So I thought I would send out a little validation for how important it is to be gentle with yourself post being real and raw 🙂
Thanks for sharing Ali! I’ve been a huge fan ever since your Bachelorette days and I’m a mom of two just like you with kids almost identical ages! I was a super fit athlete before kiddos and I definitely do not have that body anymore. While there are many days I do long for it back and keep those clothes in the hopes that maybe they’ll fit again, like you I do love my body now knowing it’s breastfed, delivered, and loved on two kids. Wouldn’t trade it for the world! Thanks for being honest!
Thank you for sharing, Just had baby number two and just like you with baby number one felt and looks really good after, but now after number 2, its just not the same, and with breast feeding my boobs turn to different sizes all day long! Still have yet to put a bathing suit on that has shown my belly, but maybe someday I will. The worst thing right now i’m having a issue with is my arms looking large when they use to be tiny(i’ve been told its cause i’m breast feeding and supposedly that where fat gets stored closed to the breast). But thank you, its nice to see someone being real about post baby body.
You are Amazing!!! No one famous actually shows their real bods. touched up in photoshop, surgery first etc!!! and so it gives people a unrealistic view of how they should look. Every mamas body is different and I get that but thank you for being so honest and open. Your body has given you 2 gorgeous babes and you are sooo beautiful too. Thank you thank you thank you for sharing this!!!! lots of love health and happiness to you and your family 💜❤💜❤💜
Ali, you look amazing! After I had my son, it was so hard to look in the mirror and see how much my body had changed. I had a really hard time with how big my breasts were while breastfeeding too. Nothing fit right and I just felt super uncomfortable in my own skin. I hate that society has put so much pressure on women to “bounce” back as quickly as possible. And if for some reason you are not back into your skinny jeans 6 weeks after birth you are somehow a failure. After having a baby nothing in your life is the same as it was before and that goes for your body too. Our bodies are amazing and should be celebrated for all that they do for us instead of being shamed. I am working on being kinder to my post baby bod as well.
Just wanted to let you know you aren’t alone. I only gained 10lbs with my baby. I lost the baby weight and an extra 25lbs within two months. Everyone says how great I look, but I carried a 10+ lb baby. I can hide it well in clothes, but the loose skin, intense stretch marks and c-section pouch will likely never go away.
I’m embracing the tummy, especially the softness as that’s what I remember of my mom’s tummy when I was little, and I think it’s a beautiful place for my baby boy to rest his head and cuddle up with his mama.
You are a beautiful, brave mama, thanks for sharing!
This is REAL. Thank you for that. A daily dose of “we’re not alone and in this together”. Rock that mom bod, I love not worrying and showing my kids I can get into a swim suit and jump in the lake/pool just like them! It didn’t happen overnight but learning to love the new you after kids is an amazing feeling.
Really appreciate you being so open about this. I’m 5 weeks postpartum and have been pretty self conscious about how my stomach looks, and try to even hide it from my husband (which is silly). I’m fairly close to being back to my pre-pregnancy weight but my body looks nothing like it was, which like you, I am proud of what that means and the little boy it created. There’s a lot women just don’t talk about, one of them being recovery. Thanks for your openness and honesty.
Thank you so much for being so vulnerable with us and sharing so much of your experience with us! It definitely encourages me that I am not the only mama there that struggles with my chest size! I have always struggled with my chest size since high school and about 10 years ago I had a breast reduction done right after college because I wanted to not be so big when I had babies. I was a 34 F in high school and college. So for a while I was a full C until our daughter came and now up to a DD again. I felt so alone in this struggle since so many other girls wishes they were that side. It is so encouraging to see I am not alone! Love your blog and posts they have been so encouraging to me over the last 2 years!! We should have a day where we all our open to share our new bodies and how we can love and encourage each other in the process!!
Ali, I’m currently 18 weeks pregnant with my first. Experiencing the body changes is pregnancy isn’t for the faint-hearted. Thank you for having the courage to set some realistic expectations. It means a lot to know and see examples of beautiful and confident women exhibiting what actually happens and that it is ok to embrace it. ❤️
Ali, thank you so much for sharing. I’m going through the same. My baby boy is 3 months old and I haven’t bounced back like I did with my little girl who is now 3. I have all sorts of insecurities but I’m just trying to find things that work for my postpartum momma body. It really helps to see that I’m not the only one going through this. You are so beautiful and I love your fashion sense! Way to go momma!!
Ali, thank you so much for this post! I am a first time momma. I had my daughter 16 months ago and I have still been struggling with my body image. I was very skinny before I had her and it has been hard to lose the weight and adjust to the changes post pregnancy. Seeing you put your vulnerabilities out there, has really encouraged me to be kinder to my body as well. I have been following your blog and each post has been so helpful! I really want to sincerely thank you for being honest and real. You have definitely helped to change my perspective and I really appreciate all that you do! Best wishes to you and your beautiful family! I look forward to your future posts! xo
Wow! Thanks for sharing. Though I’m sure you’ll get your pre-pregnancy body back (or close to it), I personally still have a “belly pouch” as you call it, and my twin boys are already NINE years old. So… maybe I should work out more, maybe it’s my age (I am 40 now), maybe I should eat better, but I’ve grown to accept it. I no longer particularly love to wear bikinis, as I’m into one pieces now, but reading your blog and some of the responses, heck, I just might go and get a new bikini and put it out there. Thanks!
Ali,
I read your blog fairly consistently. I came across your story on Instagram-I have never posted in the online comments, but feel so compelled to do so today.
I want to thank You so much for taking down the veil and being real, it is something you seem lent to. You did not have be open and share as you did today-but chose to do so. In this world so many can be often be tempted to look upon celebrity, and believe what is merely an allusion of perfection. My body, your body-every wonan’s body is affected by pregnancy, postpartum-and aging-it is inevitable regardless of who we are! You are real about the reality of postpartum, in the physical body and in so many other ways.
I appreciate your sincerity, and I believe that your vulnerability is going to help many today!
You are a beautiful woman inside and out-although your heart is truly what truly shines!
Awww. You look fabulous. Thank you for sharing your story. I am not a mom yet but I struggle with weight and am very self conscious about my body. I will purposely buy tankinis because I don’t want to see the fat when I wear a 2 piece ha! I hope to one day look as great as you having having a child.
I LOVE you even more for this post! I’ve had 3 csections and that little lower belly pouch from them is never going to go away! I beat myself up about it all the time. I have worked my butt off with exercise and it’s still there. I’ve pretty much been told unless I have a tummy tuck it will never go back and I’m not totally sure I’m up for that so I am trying to learn to embrace it! You are totally right about picking the right clothes to fit your body shape so you look thin. I was just looking at one of your pics last week and was like “wow, she already looks like her pre pregnancy weight”! I think we can be too hard on ourselves so it is nice to see that there are others out there feeling the same we do. Us mama’s have to stick together and build each other up ❤️
Ali, you are so beautiful inside and out and I cannot thank you enough for sharing. I have loved and followed you since your bachelor days! I also had a little boy too, that was born just one day after Riley! So I really enjoyed following you during your pregnancy and relating to you so much. Being a first time mom I’ve really put a lot of pressure on myself to bounce back and this was exactly what I needed!
You are incredible!
Thank you for being so real and sharing your story with us. 🙌🏻
I think you look fabulous! I don’t think it’s about getting back to that pre baby size. It takes time and your body is still healing. Honestly I’m 5’4” an was 97lbs at 19 when I got pregnant. I was also solid muscle. After I had my daughter I thought it would all just go back to normal. Being so young I felt awful when I didn’t get back to what I thought was perfect. I learned to love my new body and embrace being the new me and a mom. I realized When I had my son at 25 I knew what to expect. Both pregnancies were high risk and I was in bed rest a lot. I wasn’t able to exercise so it was even harder. Enjoy what you have and embrace it. Thank you for always keeping it real and being you! Also you have adorable babies!
Thank you for being honest and showing how it really is. You look beautiful! Your body positivity and authenticity are inspiring. My second child was born July 23rd, and I’m still wearing mostly maternity pants because my old jeans are just too uncomfortable. Lol. Sending you and your beautiful family lots of love 💕
Ali,
I am a mother of three grown children (all in College). Even though I am far removed from worries of a post baby body, I NEEDED to see this post! My body bounced back quickly after each pregnancy but was forever changed. It is only now, as a 44 year old woman that I feel more self conscious than ever. You are BRAVE and a role model to ALL women. Thank you!!
Ali,
You are Amazing!!! Thank you for having the courage to share your post baby body and experience with us!!
I have had 2 csections and my lower abdomen will never go away! It took a really long time for me to get over my insecurities but I’m so proud of what my body did (carrying my babies) and I’m continuing to focus on healthy weight loss and being comfortable in my own skin!
Your blog is so inspiring! Thank you for sharing your life and covering a topic that so many women deal with everyday!!
Enjoy your beautiful family!
Thank you for this post! So nice to hear! I didn’t get back to my pre-preg weight (close but not quite) and then the second pregnancy right now I feel huge! Who knows that the recovery from that will be. Buts it’s nice to know everyone feels the same way!
You look AAAAMMMMMAAAAZZZZIIINNNNGGG!!! I think kids or no kids all women are judgmental of their bodies. After two c-sections, I’m very self conscious and I bounced back quick but still have that little pouch and will never have my pre-baby body.
I had to go through IVF to have my son and 15 mos later had my 2nd miracle naturally. I look at my kids daily and I am beyond grateful for my body that carried two humans. Seriously, how amazing is that!? Chasing toddlers will put you in the shape your body should be in. Enjoy those babies and enjoy the journey!
Woohoo! Congratulations on your amazing body! You look great! My baby is 4 months old and it’s so nice to know I’m not alone. I love my body and I am so grateful to it, and my husband is so sweet and encouraging but I try to explain to him it’s so tough to look at yourself in the mirror and not look like yourself (or feel like yourself sometimes after baby). I admire your courage to open up about your post-baby body, it’s not easy!
Thank you for sharing! You look normal to me after just having a baby!! I have a 16 month old and working on her sibling. A good reminder of what the body can do and it takes time to get back to normal. I remember after my first even though my weight got back to “normal” within a few months. My body didn’t feel normal until after 9 months postpartum. It will never feel the exact same and that is okay as we have carried and now feed our precious babies and that is a miracle and a gift! I might need this reminder in a year ;). I greatly appreciate your honesty and willingness to share.
Ali,
I can’t thank you enough for posting this! I am a new mom as well and my postpartum body has been my biggest struggle. Though I am learning everyday to accept it and set a good example for my daughter! Thank you thank you again!
Love your honesty because all us mamas go through this and we all “bounce back” differently and that’s ok cuz we did grow a human (or 2 or 3 or more) and that’s freakin amazing!
I remember when you first became pregnant with Molly that you were having anxiety over how your body was going to change so mama you have come a long way. Welcome to motherhood xo
Ali, you are beautiful inside and out!
I had my kids in my 20’s and “bounced” right back however now in mid 30’s I realize how amazing a woman’s body really is and change is OK!
You made and carried your 2 adorable babies inside you and that right there is a miracle! Give yourself some time and I’m sure your skin will tighten back up and if it doesn’t….embrace it because YOU are exactly the way God wants you to be for your Husband and your Family!!
And way to go on breastfeeding….it’s tough but so worth the bond it creates 😘❤️
Lots of love! Thank you for being vulnerable
Thank you so much, Ali! I’m currently pregnant with my first and having not yet experienced post-partum, it’s really encouraging to see what a “real” body looks like. It helps me manage my own expectations and pressures that I’m sure to place on myself and it’s a great lesson that when I look at you now and think “Wow, she looks great!” – I should remind myself that I will look great, too when I’m in your shoes in a few months. Thanks again for your bravery, honesty and candor.
15 days post-birth of my first and this article is something I needed so desperately! When you’re trying to care for your new baby and you’re in survival mode it is so easy to get down on yourself for the reality that is the postpartum body. My boobs and stomach are my biggest insecurities, as well. Thank you, Ali. Your positivity is contagious and makes such a difference!
I love and respect your honesty. You are beautiful inside and out and you are loved because you are real. Not fake. And honestly I have to admit now that I am addicted to HAVANA😂. I can not get it out of my head ha!!!
Needed this today!! Thank you so much for being vulnerable and sharing! I had my first in May and my body just isn’t the same. I am learning day by day to love the body that gave me my sweet boy! Though, it has not been easy, especially since I was someone that was a size 0 pre pregnancy and didn’t even have to work for it (so I have never really struggled with my weight). I truly appreciate your post, and you have helped me allow myself much needed grace!
Thank you so much for showing this Ali. We are flooded with people who bounce back and look perfect and I’m so thankful you are showing that our bodies aren’t always the same after having a baby, but still beautiful!! After my first baby, I couldn’t understand why I weighed less(that’s what 20+wks of intense morning sickness will do) than I did pre-baby, but none of my clothes fit. No one ever told me to expect it all to shift so drastically. I thought since I didn’t weigh more, it would all be the same. NOPE!!
What an incredible miracle it is to be able to carry and deliver a baby!! I’m 18 mos past my third and final, and I’m trying hard to lose some weight, but it is so hard and after 3 c sections I don’t think my tummy will ever be the same.
You look fantastic and I so admire that you posted this honest blog write up. I had my baby a week after you had Riley and feel pressure (from myself) everyday to get my prebaby body back. Like I should already be there by now (so silly). This is a much needed reminder that my body is supposed to look like this right now. At the end of the day it’s about the little babies we brought into this world. Thanks for sharing!
Your absolutely amazing! I’ve had two children and two miscarriages in between them and I am size 16 now… it bothers me some days and some days it doesn’t. I worked hard for my girls and I don’t want to be ashamed of that. And if I hate my body I am sending the wrong message to them! So thank you for sharing and again you are lovely!!!!
Ali,
Thank you for sharing this today. I had my first baby on May 19th and have been thinking about what I need to do to help get myself back to my pre-pregnancy self. This made me feel better about where I am.
The thing I’m struggling with most is stretch marks… trying to find something that will help make them fade or disappear all together.
But completely embracing this time in my life and just letting my body do what it needs to do.
Thank you so much for being so open about everything!
I love this post! I love how good your body looks and how NORMAL<3 I have been through 2 pregnancys and lost 60kg. So now my body is just.. everywear! But thats OKAY! I'm proud and happy and I finally don't care about what everyone thinks of me. I'm a yummy mommy✌🏼 28 years and loving life with all the exstra skin and every stretchmark! Yummy mommy power🎊 Love from Norway!
You are amazing to put yourself out there like this! I couldn’t agree more after having my first, how different your body looks and how clothes that were always a go-to, now don’t fit as well or the cleavage issue is suddenly now a problem! But this post is amazing, you are incredible! Thank you so much for teaching us to be kinder to each other and for showing that photos don’t show the “behind the scenes”.
This post is AMAZING because it supports body acceptance after babies! I have 4 kids all sections, stretch marks around belly button ,some loose skin, and I still rock two piece bikinis! It took me a while to come to terms with accepting my few imperfections and although I lost all the baby weight and then some quickly because I also breast fed all my kids, i still have loose skin, stretch marks. And that mommy pooch! But I’m like you, I pick the right clothing! Thanks so much for sharing your journey, I identify with it oh so well!
I think you look beautiful! I have always struggled with my weight but a lot has changed after my second. Even if/when I get back to a comfortable weight for me, I know it will never be the same. Part of getting older too I guess. Somehow I have accepted it and am no longer embarrassed but actually happy. I really think you can help women by doing this though. I don’t know why we all compare ourselves & to photos on the internet for goodness sake.
Thank you so much for sharing this Ali! I know everyone has their insecurities and I definitely am having body issues since I have had my second one. I really appreciate people being honest about their bodies… especially since we live in a world that is so heavily focused on image. Sending you and your sweet family love! 💖😘
You look amazing! It takes 9 (almost 10 months) to grow a baby and your body so it will take that long sometimes to get back to where you were or new post-baby body. I am almost 4 months post-baby and it is definitely a work in progress. I am embracing it though and just enjoying this time in my life and not letting it get me down or take away from my time with my sweet daughter. Let’s be honest – you will never get this precious time back. So enjoy it Mommas.
You look so great! Thank you for being so raw and real in these post. I just recently gave birth to my first child 5 months ago. I continue to struggle with my postpartum body because I have always been a very active/fit person. I have slowly come to learn that this is my new body and how to love it. I continue to love my body more each day because my body created my beautiful baby boy. Own your beautiful body! Thank you again for being so amazing and having 2 beautiful babies ❤️
Ali 🙌🏼💛
Thank you for being so open about your pregnancies and the postpartum.
A woman’s body is never fully the same, forcing us to find a way to love ourselves again.
Postpartum is not talked about enough letting women feel alone, confused, and sometimes unhappy.
You are beautiful for opening up this conversation. I am still trying to gain my body back after baby 1 who is now 2 yrs old.
Thank you
Thank you so much for posting this! I have an almost 2 year old (she will be 2 in September) and a 2 month old. My stomach went almost completely back to normal after my daughter was born, but the experience this time around with my son has been the complete opposite! I have always been athletic so this is new territory for me. It is so nice to know that other moms feel this way and are learning to love their bodies for the gifts they have given them. I miss my flat tummy, but not as much as I love these babies ❤️.
Hey girl! Thanks so much for sharing. You look great! I had my second baby a couple weeks before you had Riley. Like you I have a lot of extra skin this time. Not sure if it will go back but I’m trying to embrace this new body! I’m going to enjoy playing in the pool with my girls no matter what I look like! Again thank you for sharing your life with us! 💕
3 weeks postpartum with baby #2 and this was exactly what I needed to read! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for making yourself vulnerable and sharing these photos! You still look awesome!
Unrelated question…can you share the brand of your pool fence? We have a newborn and a pool and I’ve been doing research on which type to get. I like how yours looks sturdy and is still aesthetically pleasing. Thanks!!
Ali, you are an amazing woman and mom and I’m so thankful for you sharing your experience. I have a 9 month old and I’m also struggling with the summer and pool season. I did stop breastfeeding now so I have the opposite problem 😆. How would you compare your post pregnancy body and recovery after Molly compared to now? I’m thinking of having another baby and I am wondering how it would be changing a second time around?
Thanks for sharing Ali, I have days where I dislike my body too, but learning to love it. I’ve given birth to a boy at 18 weeks in 2016 and recently a stillborn daughter at 25 weeks, so I’m a mum, but it’s hard to love my body when my kids aren’t here. Thanks for being open and sharing your blog. I love it x
I love and respect you even more for this post!!! You are such an inspiration to so many women and this is a great reminder to love our bodies no matter what stage of life we are in. You look awesome!!
I still think you look beautiful. I’m right in the middle of being pregnant with my second girl so I’m going to tuck this away for after. I struggled with my body after the first, but then I got pregnant again and I still feel that way because my body is still stretchy in all the wrong places that my fist baby did. I’m learning to love it and embrace it, especially since it is my last pregnancy. Thank you for writing this post and sharing with us. These posts help a lot more than you could know.
Love, Allison
http://clementschronicles.com
Thank you for being so open and honest!!! You’re a true inspiration, mama! I love my post part in body, and we are superheroes for growing and birthing tiny humans!!! #momlifeisthebestlife
You look amazing ! And truly find even more refreshing on how real you are and how real your life is! Which I feel like I can relate ! And how brave and strong you are to show people your post baby body. I have always struggled with my weight .. even when I was skinny fat ( which I would do anything to get again but having my second child has changed it all ! My boobs are now 48DDD which shocked 😳 me when i heard that size ! But after I had my second which I named Molly ☺️ It was all worth it I have come to terms with my body and all the changes and i am lucky and blessed for healthy beautiful girls ! Your beautiful and your body is perfect because you created two beautiful children.
Take care
Meredith
Thank you for sharing. It’s truly inspiring. You honestly look beautiful ❤️
You look amazing!! I have roughly 40 pounds!!!! Of loose skin after having my son and loosing around 185 lbs. I know the loose skin struggle!! I so appreciate this post because having as much loose skin as I do makes me have zero self esteem and zero self confidence so it’s so nice to see someone as inspiring as you posting such a vulnerable post!! Keep being amazing and thank you for sharing your life!
Ali, that’s huge what you did! To all the new mom’s your incredible body grew and birthed a little person. That will grow very fast to be a young lady or man like my two are. I’m 53 but love this blog Ali does.
I had two beautiful babies two years apart and I bounced back immediately and it wasn’t a good thing. I had infections that made me very ill. It’s complicated but dragged on forever. I had no intention of bouncing back I just wanted to be healthy enough to be the best mom I could two my two precious gifts.
There’s lots of time later to think about your body, but babies grow up far tooo fast so enjoy every moment you can.
You all are super hero’s don’t ever forget that.
Wow Ali, you should feel really good about all of the comments your post generated today. It’s so hard for us to not beat ourselves up about our bodies and weight when we compare ourselves to photos of celebrities, etc. You are brave and beautiful and I thank you for sharing your story. I think you helped many, many women today.
Ali, I just wanted to tell you I appreciate your rawness and realness so so much. The world needs more people like you. Although I don’t have any children yet (my husband and I are trying), I just love reading all your posts about your pregnancies and post pregnancies. Thank you for putting yourself out there always!! 💜 PS. Molly and Riley are the cutest!!
This is great Ali!! Thank you for posting the truth (not that it’s anyone’s business), but it’s refreshing and in a way comforting to know that us women aren’t alone in this body thing. I’m 36 and a mother of 4 all of which were c-sections. Your body changes so much, things don’t go back to where they used to, but i’m so happy and nothing can take that from me. We need to embrace our body’s!!!! Thank you for being REAL, HONEST AND VULNERABLE for all of us!!! 😘
You are simply AMAZING & beautiful inside & out. There should be more people like you in this world. Thank you for your realness, you truly are an inspiration to women (moms or not)!
You are absolutely beautiful and an inspiration to women everywhere. We are all so hard on ourselves and it’s amazing to see you embracing your body, no matter what. This is a positive message we should all really hear. You truly are gorgeous at every point of your baby journey! Thank you for sharing. God bless! xo
Ali,
Thank you SO SO much for sharing this!!! It is so refreshing to see honest moms share their real bodies! I, too, am a 33 year old mom of two, who bounced back after her first and felt completely changed after her second. My body looks just like yours and while I am still struggling to get comfortable with it, it’s a step in the right direction and a boost of confidence to see another mom (and public figure!) who is willing to share the reality!
XO
You and I have babies almost the exact same age apart, and our first two were born just two weeks apart. I was just like you with my first, and with my second. I can’t tell you how fresh and inspiring it is to see someone show the reality of creating life and what it comes with. You’re an amazing role model for putting yourself out there! So thank you for that! And you truly do look amazing, and I’m sure slowly we’ll get back to the “pre baby #2 body.” Cheers to you momma, you’re so inspiring and creating a path for other mommas to be comfortable on.
Hi there LUVley! I just wanted to pop on here and say THANK YOU for having the strength to share your vulnerability & beauty, pre & post pregnancy, with us every day. I’m
not a Mama yet, but hope to be one day, and it’s so incredibly refreshing to follow someone who isn’t scared to share all aspects of the ups & downs of this crazy, wild, beautiful life. So, THANK YOU!!!
And PS – you look wonderful! XO
Thank you, Ali. Not only do you look beautiful and happy, but this is such a powerful message. My baby is 21 months. Although I lost the weight fairly quickly after having her, ppd hit, and I gained it all back. I am tall, so people don’t necessarily realize the extent, but I am 25 lbs up from pre baby. Your post makes me realize that maybe our bodies will NEVER be exactly the same after babies, and that should be okay, right? So my hips and chest are bigger- I also have the greatest gift in the world, my daughter. I need to focus more on being healthy and a good influence for her rather than exactly who I was pre-baby. Xo
I admire your strength and beauty! Thank you for sharing your true wonderful self! I don’t have kids yet but it’s always good to work on being kinder to yourself! Xo
What a wonderful and courageous thing to share!! I don’t think anyone’s body ever goes back to what it exactly was pre baby and why would you want it to. We were blessed to actually have the children ourselves and should be proud of it. I think it’s even extra amazing in our climate now. You are SO beautiful!!! I know you have made many post party’s mamas feel normal today 😘
Thank you for sharing. You look amazing and have a wonderful, normal attitude! I too bounced back quicker with my first, but eventually got back. Now my girls are 10 and 15 and I still have insecurities. I’ve come to realize that at age 42, a bikini top and skirt bottom is just how it has to be too feel comfortable and at times tankini top. As long as I work out when I can, I feel good about my body and don’t care anymore what others may think. We are beautiful!
Love following you and you have a beautiful family!❤
I’m the exact same as you! Bounced right back for my first and with my second I weigh the same right now as I did when I delivered my second baby except minus the baby that was inside…it’s just become harder to lose the weight and I even gained some after she came (I guess bc if stress) 🙈🤷🏼♀️ But it’s okay! I’ve actually started this week to diet a little bit after crying for the first time ever after putting in a bathing suit on in public this past Saturday 😢😢😥 I had to wear one of my moms bathing suits bc none of mine fit me anymore’
I didnt mean I’m the “exact same as you” lol I’m positive unlike me you weigh wayyy less than your delivery weight. I just meant that by we lost it quick after the first and not the second 😉
What a wonderful post and I love your honesty. I was the exact same way after baby #2! I found I bounced back pretty quick with my daughter and not with my son. Lots of loose skin and it took me a while to get used to that. I’m slowly morphing back into the body I once had but I’m not in a huge rush. Love my body and the two beautiful babies it made. ❤️❤️Cheers to you and your kiddos!! ❤️❤️
Ali, First thing is first you look amazing and so do all moms that have had the pleasure of caring a child, so no one should feel vulnerable. My story was a bit different, my first pregnancy was amazing and easy to bounce back, because I was able to exercise and my little girl was such a good baby. BUT my second pregnancy I was pregnant with twins and I was miserable and tired the pregnancy took a lot out of me. I was blessed with having a full term pregnancy with the twins I went 38 weeks. I tell everyone one I had a butterball Turkey that year each child was 6lbs 2 oz and 19 inches long. My body did not recover from that at all. To this day 12yrs later I still have a baby pouch that if I sit in a certain way people say congrats on the baby. But my mom always tells me that all babies were healthy so as a mom I did my job. So stand tall and do not worry you are a mom.
Thank you so much for writing this blog! I am 29 and do not have any children nor am I currently pregnant. However, due to social media, I already feel the pressure of having to have a “perfect body” before getting pregnant to bounce back quickly once I do have children. It’s awful that I already feel this pressure when I know that it is completely unrealistic for most women to find their pre-pregancy bodies right after child birth. I wish more women would be brave and vulnerable like you, to show everyone to love their bodies post pregnancy. I wish that as a society, we would focus more on our overall health and well-being rather then our looks. I wish people would celebrate what women’s bodies can do rather then point out the flaws. Thank you for being part of what our society needs. Whenever I do have children, I will remember this and I’m sure that it will help me live myself. Thank you so much!
*love myself not live
Thanks for writing this Ali! I too had my second a few weeks back and I’m having a hard time with his new mom bod and trying to make changes but it ain’t easy!
You look great and the babies are adorable. ❤️💙
Ali, your story is so inspiring. I’m 10 months postpartum after having my second baby and my body is NOT bouncing back like it did after having my first. I’m happy with my body EXCEPT my midsection, which everyone says is the hardest area to get back to “normal”, whatever that means these days! My husband is constantly telling me how beautiful I am and how great I look and I love his support, but I still hate the mirror. But I am slowly learning to love my body because when you see it, you see what I went through to get it and it’s a blessing in disguise if you ask me. A women’s body is amazing and we should all embrace our bodies, especially after birthing a precious baby. Thank you for putting yourself out these, this truly made my Monday better!
I’m currently 22 weeks pregnant and have put on about 25 pounds. I love that I’m growing a little human! There are days though where I look in the mirror and I’m scared of how it will be after the baby comes. I appreciate what you shared, to be proud of my body with the change and to understand what I am doing is a gift! I appreciate your words and thank you for being so genuine always!
Ali,
Thank you for this. I, along with probably thousands of women, look at this and am so comforted by seeing a real post Partum body portrayed. I had my daughter 8 weeks ago today (my first baby) and was happy that I had not gained much weight during my pregnancy. I gained about 20 lbs and actually lost all the weight plus 10 lbs. However, I was left with huge stretch marks on my belly and huge veiny boobs that makes me not want to even look in the mirror sometimes. I haven’t slept much so the dark circles intensified and I spend most of my days covered in spit up, baby poop, and/or sweat until I’m able to shower. I rarely have time for any makeup or barely to brush my hair.
Thankfully I have a husband who reminds me how beautiful he thinks I am and seeing posts like yours let’s me know that it’s normal and ok that our bodies are different. We brought life into the world.
Bless you and this amazing post!! I bounced back super fast with my first baby boy and now I’m 8 weeks postpartum with my twin girls and my body is so foreign to me! My son grabs my flappy skin and asks what happened to my belly button 😂 It’s been really hard to accept this new (temporary?) me but THANK YOU for reminding me that I’m a woman who did a miraculous thing and should give myself a lil grace! You are beautiful and a breathe of fresh air from all these other ladies in the spot light posting unrealistic postpartum body shots. 💕
You look beautiful and I love your positive body image. You are my fave bachelorette ever. Also you do look amazing. Why does your postpartum belly look like it has a 6 pack ???? Lol.
THANK YOU for sharing! Thank you for being so honest! It’s so easy to sit back and see celebrities and think they are perfect! They have it sooo easy! Why can’t I bounce back like “her?!” I have 4 amazing kids and my body has not bounced back! I’m super insecure about my body! But seeing you, loving your body just as it is, helps put it back into perspective! So THANK YOU, Ali 💗 And you are beautiful!!!
Ali, you and Catherine Lowe are like my favorite people! Love how you both can open up about motherhood and how much it has changed your bodies. This post might be my favorite one yet… just because you are being SO vulnerable and I really appreciate you showing us that side of you. I only gained 22 lbs with my baby boy, but I felt like I was “skinny fat” for about 6 months after. My arms and legs seemed skinny but my stomach was just like jello. It took a LONG time for my body to go back to “normal.” Not to mention when I stopped breastfeeding when he was 19 months, my boobs shrank to even smaller than before! Like a negative A cup. It’s so weird! I miss my milk boobs – ha! But I love being a mom and my body image just doesn’t matter to me as much as caring for and loving my own child. I know you understand that, too! Thanks again for sharing, Ali.
You’re the BEST Ali! Thank you for sharing and being so real ❤️❤️ Your kids have such amazing role models in you and Kevin.
PS you look beautiful!
This is one of the best posts ever!!! Thank you so much for sharing this! I have an almost 20 month and I am just now getting comfortable with my body again and thinking about having #2 😂 This is so so so empowering to women and REAL. Praise the Lord! So awesome of you and makes me love you even more. You are doing a kick ass job Mama!
Hi Ali,
I credit you for keeping it real 💖! This is such a relatable post and topic. For the record, I gave birth 16 years ago and I still have a post-partum belly roll! 😄 I told myself from the beginning, “Motherhood is not a beauty contest!”
Hi Ali! I just wanted to say thank you for this post here and on Instagram. I’m a 35 year old FTM-to-be. I have 2 months until I meet this little baby that we have tried so hard and waited so long to have! I’m loving being pregnant and loving my bump! But I’m actually quite worried about how I’ll feel after baby is here about my body. I’m worried I’ll miss the bump and really hate the mirror! I love seeing the realistic side of things and seeing what actually happens to a women’s body after pregnancy. And seeing you, makes me less afraid of what may happen because you look beautiful and real! And PROUD! That’s the way it should be! I know having a baby isn’t easy and adding extra stress to look a certain way after birthing that baby must be overwhelming so I’m glad to see you putting yourself out there and just being happy and proud of what your body did. I hope I can be this way after my baby gets here. So thank you for sharing and for being a good role model for women! XO and congrats on your beautiful babies!
You are so brave!! I think I speak for many new moms when I say “THANK YOU!” I just had my 2nd baby in May and it’s unbelievable how much pressure I put on myself like so many other women to bounce back almost instantly. A lot of this stems from social media obviously so it’s beyond refreshing to see someone I admire (you!) keep it so real for us. I loved following you before, but now I reallly love following you!
Ali,
You look incredible, and I am so inspired by this post. You are so genuine and you make me feel so good about the postpartum body. I had my first 13 weeks ago, and although it might seem like I am bouncing back quickly, everything just feels different and squishy. Your post just made me feel good about where I am. Babies are so worth it 😊. Thank you!!
Ali,
I love your posts and your fashion style. You look fantastic! I have borrowed tips from you on how to dress because you keep it so fashionable and classy.
I also gained 15 lbs with my second and never lost it. My daughter is 3 now. I do go to the gym and watch what I eat, but being over 40, the weight is hard to lose. Like you said, it’s important to be kind to yourself.
You have a great attitude and terrific family, so no doubt, you are coming out ahead. No matter what registers on the scale.
Xo
Thank you Ali! Trust me, every blogger or Instagram star thinks we want to see perfection all the time but we don’t! Because we readers aren’t perfect and have struggles – every person does! So when people are willing to share that it’s so helpful and refreshing.
I am 2.5 years post pregnancy and still not where I want to be…. but I tell myself this is just a season like many things baby and kid related. I have two kids and very little time to myself. But soon enough my baby will be in preschool and I will have more time to exery, meal plan, etc. Now I am just doing the best I can and that’s okay.
I think you’re just so so wonderful, and beautiful both inside and out! God has blessed you with a wonderful family and you do such amazing work blessing those around you. If I ever have a girl one day, you are the kind of role model I hope she would look up to. I know I appreciate your encouraging words as a new mama myself 😊 – many blessings xoxo
Ali, you look beautiful!! I have a daughter that’s a month older than Mollie. She was an emergency c section and I’ve never felt the same since. I felt like I failed myself at first my having to have a c section, then there’s the lovely flap that doesn’t seem to go away above my incision scar. You look amazing and thank you for being so honest about insecurities and not everyone just goes right back to teeny bikinis and skinny jeans. 😘
So, I cried when I opened up Instagram for the first time today to see what the people were up to, and was greeted by your video. I’ve always thought you looked great and I definitely envy that you can purchase higher end clothing that hide some of (what you feel are) your imperfections. I’m exactly four months post partum and am struggling with my body as well. While I am 20 pounds lighter than my pre pregnancy weight, it is hard for me. I don’t like to talk about it because I fear that others will think I am “bragging” or that I’ve done it in an unhealthy way. I did seem to loose my baby weight in a matter of days and now that I am 4 months out I am fearful of regaining. I’m not anymore confident now than I was before, but I feel like if people are commenting on how good I look post baby that I must’ve looked terrible before! My boobs were also big before (36D) but holy cow have they grown! I cannot find a bra, nursing or non, that is supportive let alone a swimming suit top!!! Thank YOU so much for being vulnerable so that others are comfortable enough to do the same! You are an inspiration for real 🙂
You are amazing!
Ali,
You are amazingly brave for posting this! I had commented just the other day about how hard it has been for me after my two babies, and how awesome you look after your second! You still look nothing but perfectly gorgeous, but this definitely helped put things into perspective for me. I do need to be kinder and more patient with myself. You are a great inspiration to follow and your family is blessed to have such a strong positive lady like you!
Much love,
Elaine
Thank you so much for posting this. You seriously don’t know how impactful it has been and will be to so many people. You are so brave and so beautiful, inside and out. Thank you times a million!
Ali, I have always adored you, you drew me in years ago. I am a mom of a 16 and 21 year old and have a decade plus on you, I enjoy all aspects of your life that you share on your blog. Today, you made this woman so very proud. I can’t tell you how much your post today was personally inspiring, but also so empowering to all of us women who pick on ourselves and and would never have the courage that you have shown today not just the pictures. I am not surprised you shared this today because you are the person you let us see, you are real and thank you. You are paving a beautiful way for your daughter Molly. If she sees you love yourself and be kind to yourself, so she will be. For it’s not just our words as moms, but our actions. I have two boys but many of my friends who have daughters are always talking about how imperfect their bodies are and their daughters hear that. Molly is listening to you. Wow! I am having trouble finding the words to express how amazing you are. Thank you – was already a fan, but next level.
Your Are The Best Mom❣️You Have Wonderful Husband and Two Beautiful Children❣️
You are such a boss! I love how confident you are with your beautiful body that gave you your children! The female body is so amazing that it can do such a thing!! ❤️ I love this!
Thank you for doing this Ali. So many moms out here who are so hard on ourselves and it is so helpful to see others being vulnerable. There is a ted talk I just watched today about vulnerability and those who are vulnerable can receive and give more love and care than those who aren’t. Go you!! You look amazing!
Long time reader, first time commenting. Thank you for showing what a real post-partum body looks like. Having just had my first child, I had no idea what to expect and was shocked by how my body looked after childbirth. I appreciate that you are one of the few people who is honest and truthful about the changes a women’s body goes through.
What nursing bras do you use? And how did size yourself for your bra size and swim suit?
I’ve struggled with an eating disorder and body image issues since I was 16. I’m now 34 and my husband and I are discussing expanding our family of 3 (our puppy is definitely a child!). I’m so worrried how I’ll handle 9 months watching my body change and having so little control. Then, like you said, I’m bombarded by women on social media who go from 9 months pregnant to size 0 in a few weeks! I love, love, loved watching you on Bachelorette and you are and have always been stunning. Thank you for being brave and beautiful and telling the truth. I’m flagging this page so I can remind myself how stunning women really are post baby.
Ali,
You look amazing and more power to you for putting on a bikini! I’m a mom of 4 my youngest just turned one and my bikini days are long gone. I had 3 c sections and the scar tissue bump is just awful… but I’m with you, I love my body because it provided a perfect home for my babies to develop and grow in.
I love how real you keep everything! And I enjoy keeping up with you and your beautiful family. Enjoy your babies! Time flies by oh so quickly.
YES! YES! YES! Why is there so much shame and negativity surrounding women’s bodies? Bodies change, age and grow over time–just like our experiences. So grateful for this REAL and healthy perspective! We are beautiful before and after having kids and we don’t have to conform and try to be something different. Bodies come in all different shapes and sizes and that is OKAY!
A mother’s body is s beautiful miracle! Creating, growing, protecting, and nourishing a baby, then delivering it?! Anyone who says it’s not beautiful is blind. ❤️❤️❤️
I just want to say thank you! Thank you for this blog. I am currently struggling with my body image after having my third baby on July 3 2018. To have someone as beautiful as you to be completely honest and real is amazing. Thank you and btw you look amazing!
I have a lot of respect for you, Ali, for posting this. It is so nice and refreshing to see someone being real on social media. And you look beautiful, by the way!
Ali – THANK YOU!!! I’ve loved you from day one and more so as a mom because you are real and so honest. So many hide between Snapchat filters and photoshop and yet you show you are human just like the rest of us and let yourself be vulnerable. I love your baby’s name our little girl is Rylee. ❤️
I will say as a mom, it’s a lot of hard work carrying a baby for 9-10 months and learning to love every part of your body that created that special baby, you deserve to embrace and love every little or big roll of loose skin. You created a miracle, always a perfect reminder of what our bodies can do. You are beautiful! 💕💕💕
Not only are you beautiful you are brave. It took me the longest time to feel OK about my body. When I realized I was missing out on too many wonderful times with my kids, family and friends, I change my attitude. I still don’t like being photographed and that is an issue I am not sure will ever go away. Don’t ever let other people’s thoughts compromise your life. Enjoy your children!!
Thank you for posting this! I’m 12 weeks post baby and literally cried yesterday over my post baby body. This made my day!
THANK YOU!! Just… thank you ❤️❤️ This is why so many people love you.
I love that you posted this. I was a size 0 with a cute body before I had children and now I’m a size 2/4 but have a stomach that looks like crape paper and I can still grab and shake. It’s taking me forever to love my body again and I’m still working on it. My friends have no stretch marks and now flappy skin. I have 3 children and 3 babies in heaven so I keep telling myself that my stomach is full of love marks. I wear high waisted everything to hide my insecure areas and hope to some day feel confident and comfortable enough to bare them. Seeing you post this has really helped in a era where women are shown to bounce back with little evidence of motherhood. I always felt like I was a loner!
Ali – words can’t express how powerful, beautiful and unapologetically genuine this post and these photos are. I’m moved to tears by the power and strength behind these images and words. You are such a beautiful woman inside and out and in a world of filters, photoshop and false senses of body image, it’s so hard for young women to separate reality from digital handiwork. I’m not a mother (yet) but I know this is something I will undoubtedly struggle with. And I can’t thank you enough for sharing this and being so real and trusting of us to let us into this part of your life. Your family is beautiful and I have no doubt the sacrifices you made (and make) for them day in and day out will enable them to be the best, most real versions of themselves. Give those kiddos an extra hug tonight – and remember how much of a blessing your body is to have made them. From the bottom of this girl’s heart (who has also struggled with body image) thank you for showing us what it means to truly have #nofilter.
❤️❤️❤️
ps I ALWAYS think of Little Miss Molly whenever Havana comes on!
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being real. I am a 38yr old plus sized woman And it took me lots and lots of years to finally love who I am and as I get older and I learn more I realize just how much I love myself a little more. I wish I can go back to my 20 something self and tell that girl to flaunt it. I applaud you for being so real and giving other women out there the strength to be the beautiful women that they are.
Thank you for sharing your story. Post partum bodies are so tricky. I lost all of my baby weight in three weeks of nursing… however I developed Post Partum depression and a form of agoraphobia with my post partum and don’t do well with working out at home. When I dried up at 4months post partum I ended up gaining back all the weight I had lost. Now I am working to relose the pregnancy weight but have come to love my curves and stretch marks as a symbol of what my body did to bring my son into this world one year ago.
Ali, thank you so much for sharing. My husband and I are talking about having a second baby. I already have loose skin on my belly and stretch marks from my first pregnancy so I’m concerned about what it will look like after another pregnancy. It’s so easy to get caught up in all of the pictures on Instagram and Facebook of celebrities “bouncing back” after baby. Thank you for reminding us that we are all different and our body’s are incredible. I love that you are so open and honest. Again, thank you so much for sharing- you are an awesome human!!
I love your honesty and putting yourself out there. I am sure it wasn’t easy to do, but what a wonderful role model you are. My body bounced back easily with baby 1 and now after baby 3, I have been struggling to love my post baby body. Women’s bodies should be cherished for how amazing they are, to grow tiny humans! I am going to work at giving myself more grace! Thank you for the reminder !!
Hi Ali,
You look amazing and thank you for posting pictures of your body. From other pictures you posted I thought you had bounced back. So good to see that some stars are just like us and don’t bounce right back. I had my 3rd baby 4 months ago and I’m not even close to bouncing back. I have abdominal separation and waiting for surgery so I still look 4 months pregnant. It’s very defeating having people ask when I’m due even though I’m pushing a baby. Any tips on finding clothes to hide the belly? I tried shopping at the mall and walk right out as nothing was fitting me right.
Carmen
Thank you SO much for opening up and being so vulnerable! I have really been struggling with my body after baby #2 and I had forgotten how rough swim suit season is postpartum – I needed this post so bad to remember that every body is beautiful and I should embrace the changes and imperfections. I wish more women in the public sphere would be as honest and candid with their readers as you are. You have no idea how helpful you can be! Thank you!!
I love love love that you did this!! You really do look great and I give you so much credit for being so brave and vulnerable, it seriously takes a lot of courage to do that. Thank you for showing women what postpartum really looks like. And my goodness did I have the vainest boobs when I nursed, they were out of control. You are one badass women Ali!!
Amazing post Ali – this is so important to share. I am still struggling with my body image 17 months pp with baby #2. It did not take this long after baby #1!!
It’s difficult seeing so many women “bounce back” and feeling like I will NEVER get my old body back. BUT – I am trying to be OK with that.
Thank you for sharing – you DO look fabulous as always 😊
Thank you for making me feel like I’m not alone. My daughter was born 5/11 so just a few weeks before you and I’ve been struggling with this summer bikini season. Gosh what is up with our vainy boobs. My are so prominent as well!
So inspiring and so real. I feel guilty about feeling insecure about my mom bod, I know I should appreciate the miracle and be grateful to grow healthy babies. I feel like one of the post partum qualifiers for women who have a public life is how quickly they can bounce back. I know I’m not the only one who had no idea and idolized you for your post baby glam outfits!
Can you do some instastories or posts about flattering poses and fashion tips to hide the mom pooch!?!?
Mother of 2. Started out family when I was 19 so my body was cute, trim and hardly any fat. After my first I bounced back pretty quick but after going from an A cup to a C cup with breastfeeding to drop back to an A was physically discouraging. My husband was always supportive and reminding me how beautiful I was. After baby 2 who is now 7 was born I got the flabby tummy, bigger butt, and still no boobs. It took me till about a year or 2 ago to finally feel comfortable in my new adult/mom body. I am turning 30 this year and seeing posts like this is so encouraging. Love your authenticity. ❤
You are amazing for sharing your story!!! I am due in two weeks and find it so empowering that you shared such a personal story with us all. Keep being you! You are beautiful.
Hey Ali! Thanks so much for sharing! You look great and it was so brave of you to post! I love these bathing suits! I definitely need one since I’m having the same bathing suit issue post baby. How do the bottoms fit? The pics on the website look like most of the styles don’t have much coverage in the rear, and I dont want a constant wedgie 😉
All i have to say is girl….you are stunning and i really appreciate this post. I have a 2.5 week old (2nd little one) who was 9 lbs 2 oz and our bodies are identical right now! You are such a great and positive roll model for women. Thank you for that . Be proud
Ali, you rock! Thank you for being your authentic self!
XOXO, Carla
Ali, you are stunning and honestly I would kill to have your post-pregnancy body anytime! I am 4 months postpartum and am finding it very difficult to bounce back. From my weak core after my c-section to my terrible back pain (a pre-existing injury that got worse during my pregnancy), it feels like I’ll never be strong and in shape again. And as a plus sized woman, I am super self conscious that I still look pregnant! Thank you for being vulnerable.
I am so proud of you for doing this. I have two children almost the exact same ages as yours. You have been an inspiration for me and it’s been amazing knowing someone else is going through exactly what I am. Thank you for embracing reality to the fullest and making the uncomfortable parts of life more comfortable. ❤️
This is incredible. Thank you so much for this ❤️ Newly pregnant and this is the most courageous and genuine thing I have seen regarding pregnancy bounce back and REAL LIFE FEELINGS! You are truly an inspiration and make me want to welcome my postpartum bod with open arms xo
Thank you for your post. This may be my favourite blog post of yours. I feel like women put so much pressure to bounce back. I find social media can become really negative with people comparing themselves post pregnancy and just in general. I really appreciate your authenticity.
Ali-You have no idea how much this post means to me! I have struggled everyday since my second birth 4 years ago with insecurities! It’s a battle with myself everyday and everyday I tell myself I am beautiful, but I know I will never feel the same as I did prior to that second birth! Your honesty is so refreshing and so many women need more women in the spotlight to show us we ALL are human! Thank you for doing something so brave! You are amazing and absolutely beautiful inside and out!
Ali, thank you for being so real and sharing these photos. I recently gave birth to my first child and even with breastfeeding, it was such a struggle to lose just some of the weight I gained. My body had completely changed post baby and a year and a half later I still have quite a stomach. I feel like there is such a pressure for women to go back to their pre baby bodies, and it’s especially hard when I see so many women on social media, celebrities etc who have flat bellies and perfect bodies so soon after having their babies. So again, thank you for sharing your photos, for being real, and for accepting and loving your body! You look amazing by the way!
I have never commented on a blog post before but I saw your Instagram today and just had to say something! As a young female who follows many celebrities on Instagram, your message about body image is SO important to ALL woman (even someone like me who doesn’t have kids yet lol). So THANK YOU! I definitely look up to your honesty. We need more of it! We’re all beautiful 🙂 Best wishes to your beautiful family!
Girl – I give you MAJOR props for putting this out there. New moms can feel so pressured into looking a certain way after having a baby and it’s not realistic! Thank you for giving everyone a glimpse into what life is really like after a new baby, you are an inspritation! 👊🏻💁🏼♀️💕🙌🏻
I don’t know if you will see this or not, but I just wanted to say thank you for sharing photos of your postpartum body. I had a baby 10 months ago and, although I know it’s amazing what my body has done, I can’t help but feel insecure about the changes that have happened. You sharing those photos is just so beyond amazing and such a wonderful reminder that women’s bodies are amazing. You are beautiful! Thank you!!! ❤️
I almost teared up reading this and just really appreciate you posting it. I had my first baby a couple months before you had Riley and I admit sometimes reading your blog would make me feel bad about myself, like why does she look so perfect and back to normal SO quickly (even though I know it’s pointless to compare). Don’t get me wrong, you still look absolutely gorgeous here, but it just helps to know we’re all dealing with the same struggles. I’m still far from where I was, and I wish I could be less bothered by it – though I will say, after having my baby, I realize my body is about so much more than just looking a certain way. In one of Mindy Kaling’s books she talks about body image and she says something to the effect of “sure I wish I were thinner, but I don’t wish it with all my heart” – because there are more important things to feel that way about. I try to remember that, and I wish with all my heart that I can be the best mom to my son.
Ali,
Thank you for being vulnerable and sharing these pics today! Not only are you brave, you are an inspiration to all of us mama’s out there who don’t feel secure in our skin.
I had my second daughter in February and it has taken me a lot longer to bounce back to my pre-pregnancy weight. At first, my new body was tough for me to handle. However, I’m learning to love this body because it grew and fed two gorgeous girls!
Everything is a season. For now, I am going to do what I can and snuggle my sweet babes, because when I do have more time for myself that will most likely mean less time with them.
Thanks again for being such a real mom. I love your blog and your posts! You are so authentic!
I have no words but that you are AMAZING!! Thank you so much for sharing and making me feel better about myself:) xo
This is my favorite post ever! And thanks for the swimwear rec! I’m busy (36D on my skinniest day) and always have trouble finding suitable swimwear. I’m currently pregnant with my 3rd and can tell you that oh boy does the body change!! It wont ever be the same! But then again, I’m not these person I was 5 or 10 years ago? So why should I expect my body to remain unchanged? You gotta just go with the flow, embrace your season, and aim for health (not image). Good health is what gives us moms the best chance to stay around for our kids anyway! They love is for who we are, not what we look like. We gotta do ourselves the same service. Side note* your body reminds me of my moms! She was so beautiful and I always envied her for her thin body…but you know, she never lost the extra skin around her middle. And I never even paid attention to it! Anyway, keep being you. I love your blog and your outlook on life is contagious. Much love!
XO, Cassie
You are just a blessing! Thank you for your honesty! I had two babies 17 months apart. First was a v delivery which wrecked me! Had to have a episiotomy revision 6 weeks out. So went into second terrified. Had my Abby by c section. when compared to first it was a much easier recovery. I struggle with confidence and pretty much dread swim suit season. This has helped me so much. Thank you!
Ali, you are a true beauty inside and out. Thank you for being vulnerable and honest! As a mom I can absolutely relate to post partum body woes but I can say with confidence, we are not alone in our insecurities. BUT! Your post rings so true. We are normal moms and everyone gets back to their healthiest self in their own time. #momlifeisthebestlife
Love your attitude and blog! Take care!
I don’t usually leave comments, but girl you’re as brave as they come. Thank you so much for sharing. It’s truely amazing to see a mom be real and honest, specially someone in the industry. With everyone in the industry getting plastic surgeries by 20 years old, it is refreshing and very very necessary for all of us to have someone we can actually relate to and will not lie or deceive us about what real humans are supposed to look like. Thank you again! You’re beautiful and your body is almost as strong as your mind <3 Dalia P.
Ali! I love you so much for posting this. My son is almost 14 months and my body still is not “back to normal”. Somedays I feel good about it and still amazed at what my body did to bring him into the world, and other days it’s hard not to feel insecure. This post is so comforting. Thanks for being real.
Thank you so much for being authentic! It is so very refreshing. I think you look great, tummy and all!! I got married and had kids late in life. After I had my second I was almost 41 and really struggled to lose the weight. I finally lost it, but now 5 years out, I’m in peri menopause and it brings those same problems back. Frustrating, and coming to understand that I will probably never look the way I want to, but I can try and be as healthy as I can. I know my family & friends love me as I am. Yours do to😘.
You are amazing and thank you so much for posting!! I remember that body after my first baby well! Stretch marks too! Finding clothes that are flattering is key!
Ali you look beautiful and are obviously such a great mother. That said, you should be working out and won’t bounce back unless you do cardio, cardio, cardio. My doctor gave me the best advice in saying that I just needed to get out and do it. Don’t over think it. Go to spin classes 4 days/mornings per week. They are so much fun. Or, go for runs or walks. If you can’t get out, get a treadmill for your house and plan what time if day you are going to use the night before. Hire a trainer if you need someone to push you for accountability. I know some of your followers will say I’m being ridiculous but you seem to be asking for help. It works and you’ll be so happy you did it.
Don’t keep saying that you’ll do it ‘soon’. My doctor told me to put it on the calendar and plan it. That was such great advice.
For a while, I went to class at 6:00 am, so my husband could watch the kids. Sometimes I ‘d work out after dinner when my husband was home.
Make a plan. No excuses!
Thank you for sharing this! Your body did something amazing and deserves to get props!
This post was beautiful! I love the idea of women being kinder to their bodies. Like you, I have a 2 year old and a 16 week old. My body is different after having my second and your post has given me a reality check that I have needed for a few weeks now. Time to love life, enjoy our kids and love our bodies!! Thank you very much for taking the time to write this post! You are an inspiration to all women!! ♥️♥️♥️
Ali 😭
I’m pregnant with my first baby right now and body image has been the hardest part of the whole pregnancy! I loved my body before and I’m thankful for what it’s doing now, but I’m so afraid about the after. Thank you for sharing your story and your beautiful body, insecurities and all, with us! We need people like you to break the stupid facade we all see in the social media world. Thank you thank you thank you!
How amazing and beautiful and strong you are. My body has changed a lot from before kids to now after 3 beautiful baby girls and one angel baby looking down on us all. One thing I’ve never done was let what I look like stop me. I’m always the Mom in the pool while the “skinny” moms stand outside looking in. I’ve embraced the new me. Because I knew I wanted my babies close in age and I nurse them all until they are 2 and because I’m a type 1 diabetic and need to eat to nurse. My body Has created life and then fed and sustained it. And I love every ounce of fat and stretch mark. Which one day will wiggle away when the time comes that I’m done making babies. I’m so proud of you for being so strong. There are so many moms dealing with insecurity about their new bodies. You are strong powerful and beautiful xoxox.
Thank you SO much for this! I feel you 100%. I bounced back after baby #1, but it has been so much harder after baby #2 (even with exercise and mindful eating). I appreciate your openness and sharing your vulnerability, you are not alone! I may need to make peace with the fact that I may never get my pre-baby body back, and that’s on! Much love to you xoxo
Ali, I’m so unbelievably inspired by your post! I am the mama to 20 month old twin girls and an almost 5 year old boy. I have been beating myself up over my body for some time now over the loose skin on my stomach. It’s almost like I am grieving over losing my pre-baby body. I can hear how negative I sound, but seem have trouble not obsessing. This post really spoke to me, and I respect you so much for it. I think you look beautiful and I do believe it is so important to be real! Social media can be unrealistic and create these expectations we all try to live up to. Thanks for posting. I’ve always loved how authentic and genuine you are, even on the Bachelorette!<3
Thank you for posting! I am 11weeks post first baby/csection and at 28yrs old I’m feeling so self conscious about my new mombod! I put on a bathing suit today for the first time too and panicked about this loose skin!! So thank you for posting because after a long day of judging myself, it was nice to know others are going through similar body changes post baby!
Hi Ali! I’ve never commented on anyone’s post before but I wanted to thank you for being open, honest and authentic. It’s so refreshing. I have a 2.5 year old and a 10 month old and bouncing back from the second pregnancy has been so much harder and I have seen the same changes you have. It is a journey and I too have come to love my body for all that it has accomplished and learned to not focus so much on trying to look a certain way. I wish you all the best and I love reading your blog – you have a beautiful family!
You Rock!!! As a woman who’s youngest is almost 6, I’m inspired by you! I still have a flabby gut and have desperately wanting to get rid of it, but at almost 42 it’s easier said than done. I’ve recently started dating someone and never felt sexier, but I want to look good too. I want to look in the mirror and feel sexy. Thank you for sharing and making me feel so not alone!!! Here’s to a journey to health, happiness and inspiration! 😘
About five years ago, I decided to take my health seriously and lost 90 pounds by running and eating healthy.
Then I got pregnant with twins in what was deemed a high-risk pregnancy.
Suddenly I was feeling awful and couldn’t run, and I freaked out over every little pound I gained back. I felt defeated because I had worked so hard to lose the weight and got pregnant right away.
You know what, though? My “high risk” pregnancy turned out to be incredibly healthy. I was able to carry my twins full term with zero bed rest. I attribute part of that to all the hard work I put in being a healthier version of myself before getting pregnant.
I gained back 50 pounds during pregnancy. After my twins were born, it was so incredibly hard to lose the weight. I was always starving and got little sleep breastfeeding them.
Then I remembered to give myself grace and time because kids are such an incredible gift, and if it took several years to get back to where I was, that was ok. What was most important was pouring into my kids and marriage.
Thank you for sharing!
Ali, my respect for you just grew 10 sizes! Thank you for being so open, honest and real. You are such a wonderful female role model for little Miss Molly and Riley to feel encouraged by. Cheers to EVERYTHING motherhood gives us!
I am not a mom, and am not experiencing the same changes as you or many of the women commenting here, but I follow you because you and your family are a ray of light in an other dimly lit world at this moment in time. I haven’t ever commented before, but I wanted to thank you for being open about your insecurities and vulnerabilities. Even someone who doesn’t have children benefits from hearing and seeing blogs like this because you’re right. Instagram shows this perfect window to our lives, and that isn’t always the case. Thank you for being real and honest. You are a beautiful human, inside and out!
You go girl! I can totally relate! No ones tells you that your body gets all squishy after a baby and that it takes awhile for it to get back to its normal self if it even does at all. Add diastasis recti to it and that just exacerbates it even more!! And as for the ta ta’s, I also relate going from a size 32b pre pregnancy to a 36d nursing was a huge adjustment for me! I’m not comfortable with tons of clev showing either! Thanks so much for showing your vulnerability with us all!
Right there with ya sister, and I’m post-partum 3 years now. Lol. The skin hasn’t gotten any tighter on my stomach since my 2nd child and I’ve grown to move on from it. Both kids really stretched the shit out of it, which I was super self-conscious about it for quite some time. I still am a bit when having to wear certain things, or when I sit and my loose skin blub hangs over the waist of my pants😂. Pre-kids I rocked abs so it was a tough pill to swallow when they disappeared never to re-appear again. But I have two babies that are now 5 and 3 to forever be grateful for. I keep reminding myself that there are some women out there that will never experience this. And my husband keeps telling me “you carried our kids – there is nothing to be ashamed of”. ♥️
Ali,
I couldn’t love this post more! Thank you so much for sharing this, as I know it couldn’t have been easy. I had twins so I too struggle with the belly area. Any tips on finding clothes that hide the belly??? You always look so amazing so I would love your secrets!!!
Thanks,
April
Thank you for sharing this. I’m 9 weeks PP wth my second. I gained so only 25lbs with my first pregnancy and now 50lbs with my second!! The weight isn’t coming off as fast as I would like which is especially difficult in the summer. Your post made me feel so much better and helped to take a little pressure off myself knowing that this IS normal and BEAUTIFUL!! We gave life to two tiny perfect humans and that is EVERYTHING!
Thank YOU! Thank you for being so real. Thank you for being so honest. Thank you for giving other moms (moms like me) someone to look to. I feel that all we ever see are postpartum posts of how much weight moms have lost and how great their flat tummies look. It’s not real life. You are real, and what you and this post has done for me and I’m sure thousands others should be praised! I am struggling after my second to loose the weight and skin, and to see someone in the public eye come out and show their true body and be so honest is so refreshing and I can’t tell you how much it means to me. You are a class act and are truly empowering women. You should be acknowledged everywhere for this. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
I have to say I love this!! I have three kids and definitely not bounced back! My youngest will be six this year and I still have not bouny back. I’m working on that now and love to see women especially women in the spot light be real and show things that might be looked down on the media. Thank you!! You look gorgeous either way!!
Finally! Someone who looks like me! I feel relieved honestly. I’ve always been naturally thin, like my mother. She has bounced back to her size 25 only a week after every pregancy. I always believed the same thing would happen to me. Boy, was I wrong! I’m 40 pounds heavier than I was 10 years ago. It’s hard to learn to love your body again at 35. It’s worth it to be surrounded by so much love.
I’m so thankful you shared this. Out of all the bachelorettes, you have turned into one of my favorites. I love your integrity, your modesty and conservative outlook on life. It’s so refreshing! I had a different experience (I had a 25 week baby) and they cut me vertically and horizontally, so now i have so many scars and stretch marks. I also aged quick in a lot of ways with stress (keeping our babe alive!). i still struggle with my body, but your example has encouraged me (again) to be ok with it! Social media does make everyone look “flawless” and “perfect” and I can’t ever compete!
Thanks for being you! You’re beautiful!
You freaking go girl! I am not a mom yet but I have always been busty I wear a 36JJ, bathing suit shopping always ends in tears. I finally found the Bra Patch, a local store here in Raleigh NC and thank goodness they have swimsuits! But I have never found another swimsuit that is properly made for bustier women so I am super excited to check out your swim tops! Your the bomb.com (:
You are so beautiful and amazing!!! I never comment on anything, but just wanted to say thank you for sharing your life with us. As a mom of twins, learning to love my new body is quite a journey. Thank you for being so real!!
Thank you, thank you, thank you, for being REAL! It’s so easy to get sucked into the Instagram world and compare your body to models all day, so your post was just what I needed. And for the record I think youe are an amazing mom!
Also my son would like to give a shout-out to Riley for being so relatable as well. The receding hairline struggle for baby boys is real!!!
You are a ROCKSTAR!!!!! Nothing else to add, that says it all HAHA!
Ali,
Thank you so much for sharing. Right before reading this I was rocking my almost one year old to sleep and thinking how my body has not bounced back after my second baby like I thought it would. Reading this helped me be more kind to myself and appreciate the lives I have brought into this world. Thank you for being vulnerable and honest. It is sometimes In those moments that we helped others more than we know.
Elise Wallace
Thank you so much for your “real” post! I’m 54 and a mom to twins and a 14 y/o. Needless to my stomach pouch has never returned to pre-pregnancy shape.
I’ve been at the beach for the first time in 7 years and I STILL struggle with accepting my body the way it is….
As I try to learn to love my mommy body the way it is…..it’s hard. Bathing suits aren’t really made for us “moms”.
Your post has really resonated with me…. because you are a “celebrity” and a “mom” BUT because you’re real and your pictures are real!!
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!
Hi Ali!
My long-distance best friend shares this post with me. She and I were pregnant and had our babies at the same time so we have been first-time moms together as well, through all of the ups and downs that come with it. One of the few things we don’t share in common is our bust size. She’s graciously listened to me grieve the loss of my perky pre-preggo breasts to these sad, stretched out, saggy deflated breastfeeding boobs that are still somehow larger than before having my son. It’s interesting how something so life giving as breastfeeding gets the short end of the stick fashion wise. I seriously could have written your post as it relates to bathing suit shopping and tops not fitting right because they suddenly look risqué. I am so thankful you shared Lilly and Lime. I’m going to take a look (maybe for next year after we wean, we are 17 months postpartum and still nursing). But most of all, thank you for the refreshing openness that I felt I could connect with. The whole post resonated with me. I haven’t read a single post of yours before but I am reaching out because this candid post is needed! You look fabulous and fierce—something our babies make us in a way we hadn’t dreamed before. Thanks for reminding me of that!
First of all, thank you for writing this post. I love when people are real and vulnerable and I think it’s contagious! Also, you look beautiful and our bodies are so amazing in what they are capable of doing.
So I have a one year old girl and I lost weight quickly and even dipped below my pre pregnancy weight. However, it’s because I was dealing with postpartum anxiety. I couldn’t eat and I couldn’t slow down and so I lost a ton of weight. I used to hate when people told me how great I looked for just having a baby. First of all, because it’s not like it’s an accomplishment. We can’t control what our bodies do right after having a baby! And I don’t like how so much emphasis is put on bodies after babies – good or bad. And secondly, because it reminded me of the struggle I was facing. I would have given anything for a little flab in my tummy if it meant I wasn’t struggling with anxiety and I could be healthy for my baby girl.
So I totally understand the struggle, and I’ve wanted to open up about this as well. Just wasn’t sure how to. So thank you for giving us a platform!
You are a beautiful and inspiring mama!
So appreciate this blog post as I bounce quick from my first and am much slower with my second! You look incredible and know how to dress your body! Thanks for sharing your journey and fashion finds! You are a fabulous role model!
I love this post so much!! I had my second baby 6 months ago and I’m definitely struggling with weight and body image. Your post encouraged me to not be so hard on myself and appreciate my body for what it’s given me.
Thank you for your vulnerability and know that it does make a difference.
Xo
Wow!! I love this post so much! I am 3 months PP with baby #3 and I’ve been trying to tell myself it’s OK my stomach is stretched out and saggy, I’ve had 3 babies in 4 years! You are stunning, and your transparency and vulnerability makes you even more beautiful.
Ali, I am so so so grateful to you for sharing!! After baby body is just terrifying, or least it has been for me!! I just had my beautiful baby boy 14 weeks ago and everything is just so different. If things ever go back to pre-baby measurements/sizes/weight I know I’m going to have to work soo sooo hard and even still, I’m not convinced that will ever happen. Just hearing that they Mamas are going through the same thing means so much to me. Keeps me sane, ya know!?! THANK YOU!! You look beautiful!!!!
Thank you for sharing. I often see pictures of the bachlorette alumni and think to myself I wish I looked like them. They have perfect hair, skin, teeth, bodies, etc. Your post makes me feel normal. My baby boy is one and my body has changed so much. I grab the fat around my stomach and wish it was gone. But then I see my sweet baby. 😊and I am so thankful I was able to carry him for 9 months and he is happy and healthy. Thank you for being REAL. I am learning to love my body daily. You are making an impact on people. Thank you. ❤️
It takes so much courage to do what you just did!! Especially with all the haters out there!! But you are showing that there shouldn’t be any judgement about postpartum bodies!! Because that body just gave life to a beautiful miracle!! I wish I had your blog around when I gave birth to my son 15 years ago. Because all I felt was shame for the way my body changed after giving birth to him. Much love to you!! You are a great inspiration!!! ❤
Wow Ali! You really are an inspiration. You look so beautiful and confident and we are in awe of how you have conquered your vulnerability! We couldn’t be PROUDER to have partnered with you to show all your beautiful followers that every BODY is a bikini body.
Love this so much!!! Makes me feel so much better about my post baby bod as well. You are stunning and such a great role model for women and moms! Thanks for being so real!
I don’t think you will ever truly know how much my soul needed this post. I honestly can’t put words together that come close to explaining to you. Thank you, thank you.
Maybe it’s the pregnancy hormones (I’m 20 weeks pregnant with my 2nd), maybe it’s because our kids are close in age and I feel like we’ve been on the same journey (my son will be 2 next week!), or maybe it’s just your raw honesty in this post but it actually made me cry! Thank you for sharing and being so real in a world so largely dominated by social media and lot of not-so-real posts.
You look great Ali. I wish I had your body. But our body will never be the same after baby’s. It’s just not as tight. But some of this comes with age too.
Thank you for posting this. I myself have never been pregnant (yet) but I have had two major abdominal surgeries and am so self conscious of my belly and my scars. You honestly have given me the confidence to become comfortable with my body again because you know what those surgeries saved my life and my body got me through it so I should love myself. You look amazing and I love all your blogs and posts about your adorable fam! Plus your a rockstar because you gave birth twice! Thanks again Ali 💕
You are beautiful and this is so empowering for all women. Your body did an amazing thing; carrying and giving life to a new human! You are awesome!
Ali, thank you so much for this post. Some days it isn’t easy getting dressed – I miss that pre babies body I used to be so proud of. My body never bounced back completely after baby #2 and I’ve been struggling with my new curves. But you made me feel more comfortable and confident in my new skin. You made me smile. Thank you so much.
Thank you so much for sharing this. I was in tears a few days ago over how uncomfortable I felt in a swim suit I ordered that turned out to just emphasize my bigger bust and felt so discouraged and frustrated. I had my second baby almost a year ago and foundmyself at times not giving myself a break and allowing myself to love what my body did. Thank you for taking the courage to share this & help me realize I’m not alone in all of this. All too often we see only the picture perfect things on social media. It’s refreshing to see you share this & help moms like me feel not so alone in this crazy journey of learning to love ourselves and what it has done for us.
Can I just say, wow! You are so beautiful inside and out! I’m a FTM who is 9.5 weeks post partum and reading this made me so happy! There is so much negativity out there about being super slim after nurturing a baby for 9 months, you only have to read daily mail where a famous model is the number 1 read entertainment news because she is a toothpick again a very small period of time after having her son. Kudos to those mums who have stellar metabolisms and bounce back, but kudos to the mums who don’t…who have to learn to love their post partum body whilst healing both mind and body after pregnancy, labour and now motherhood. I love lily and lime and wore their swimmer and on my baby moon in Fiji in January. I struggle to find anything that fits me and makes me feel comfortable normally, let alone during and after pregnancy! It’s winter here in Australia and I get to hide under layers a little…but if it was summer you would have inspired me to rock my bikini! What an inspiration you are for your little girl and the mums raising little girls (and boys) to remember that beauty comes from the inside. All the best to you and your beautiful family.
You are just so amazing. I’m not pregnant nor never have been but I absolutely have insecurities about my stomach and body. With multiple surgery’s and sicknesses it has changed over time. You are so brave and inspiring. You posting these pictures really help women in becoming more confident in their body. Thank you for always being so open and honest about your life.
First of all a huge thank you for sharing this and being so genuine and real. My youngest of 3 is 12 and I still never lost all my baby weight lol. I had to learn to be happy in my own skin and that is a daily struggle. You are beautiful inside and out no matter what. You are an inspiration to so many moms and just girls in general to love yourself and how important that is. So as as a mom of 2 daughters thanks for being such a great role model. Your blog is my favorite because of how real it is and all women/girls can relate. Love you Ali 😘
Bless you, Ali! Thank you so much for sharing this! I am right here along with you!!!! I’ve always been a supporter of you, always have loved your genuine nature and authenticity (and always rooted for you, even though you really have found the TRUE love of your life). You’re just the best. Keep it up! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
This is so awesome!!! I absolutely love your down to earth, honest sharing! You literally just made me feel so much better about my own personal struggle with my ‘mombod’! I have been working out, trying to eat healthy and it’s really hard to go to the gym and see these other women that are in amazing shape and not be intimidated to the point of not wanting to go! It’s nice to see, that we all go through this struggle and it’s nice to see you being open and honest about it! Thank you!
This is amazing! I have struggled with my body and I had our third 2 years ago. I have definitely had to learn to be nicer to myself for sure. We always get the glamorous and perfect lifestyle and it’s so refreshing! You are absolutely beautiful and it takes so much confidence and strength to be so vulnerable! Thank you for sharing and giving all of us moms a moment to sit back and realize, we have done something incredible and to show more grace to ourselves! ❤️
Thank you for sharing this! First of all you are beautiful! After my first c/s with my twins I was never able to get my body back, the last 20lbs just never seemed to want to go away and I just didn’t have the energy. Then after my daughter (who is almost 2) I slowly started to lose some weight, but could never really lose enough because I worked night shift. Now I am on my third pregnancy (4th baby) and I am afraid that I will never get into shape. I honestly have not felt beautiful having a post partumn body that has so many stretch marks and extra “flabby” skin, but your reminded me that I should love myself (those stretch marks and that flabby skin are basically my reminders that I carried my beautiful babies and brought them into this world). Thank you Ali for being so real and honest and reminding us that we are all human and we are all beautiful!
Ali,
You are strong and beautiful. I am a grandma to two sweet little girls, Olivia is 3 and a half and Michelle is 10 months. My amazing daughter had to have a c-section with Michelle so losing the post pregnancy weight was slower. But she cut herself some slack, gave herself time to heal and just enjoy her baby. Now she has an exercise routine and eats really healthy. She is still breastfeeding so alcohol is very limited. She is an amazing mom and I am so proud of her and the family she and my son-in-law have created. Be kind to yourself, dear Ali. You have a great husband, beautiful children and a terrific support system. Love yourself as much as they do! Embrace your body and beauty. Women are strong and powerful!
Ali,
Thank for being so brave and transparent with all of us today. What you shared with all of us today was something I’m sure wasn’t easy for you to do. Thank your for making me feel today like I not the only one that’s going thru this. That our bodies have changed from these wonderful miracles we were blessed to carry in our wombs and it’s okay if our bodies show it afterwards. Why shouldn’t we feel comfortable in our own skin or even beautiful at embracing a new version of us coming out of it all. We may not all be blessed with the bounce back to supermodel genes or the super photoshop skills, but that shouldn’t keep the rest of us from being comfortable in our own skin. Ali, I think you look amazing!! You are one gorgeous Momma inside and out. Thank you for again for sharing your journey with us.
You look amazing!
I recently did a body post too BUT I haven’t had any kids.
https://mrsfreakinforakis.wordpress.com/2018/07/10/choosing-to-love-me/
Wow. I’m so so so inspired. 5 years ago is the last time I gave birth. I have two boys. I’m still working on my post babies body and it’s hard but when people in the spotlight show they are real, it totally changes my mindset. Thank you. Adore you. Xo.
This is so beautiful. I love that you shared yourself and the reality of post pregnancy weight. You’re so beautiful and authentic to your followers and I love that about you! So relatable.
Thank you for sharing. Congratulations on baby Riley. You have a gorgeous family. Stay blessed.
Ali, thank you for being real and allowing yourself to be vulnerable with us. I just love following your beautiful family on social media. I always see such positivity and love and honest feelings and opinions. On a bad day sometimes one instastory of little Molly reading or singing can brighten my whole day. You always look great -before, during, and after pregnancy!!! Thank you for sharing with us. It is such a great example for all of us -we all need to love ourselves and let ourselves to feel beautiful inside and out exactly as we are!
Hi Ali!
First off I just want to say how much I enjoy ‘following’ you! You have a lovely light about you and I really appreciate what you choose to share and the way you do so! This blog post is a great example.. I had my daughter 1 year ago and this post hits home with me! I’ve never weighed more than 125 lbs and when I was pregnant I gained 40-45 lbs (all to my basketball belly!!). I’m mostly down to my pre-pregnancy weight but my tummy is all ripley with stretch marks and a “pooch” from where my C Section scar rests! Well, anyway, even with an outward appearance of looking like I ‘bounced back’ I’m still navigating the journey once my tummy is exposed!!
I’m not typically one to participate and/or comment on these conversations, I usually like to just enjoy from the sidelines, but I really just wanted to give huge kudos to you!!! 🏅Your post and photos are SO brave and in a heavily filtered world your rawness is not only beautiful but so encouraging and reassuring. Just one of the many ways you rock,girl!!💓
Girl, I hear you. I still look 5 months pregnant and I had my daughter 17 months ago yesterday. I am looking at pictures of me over the past few weeks and I am disgusted. Makes me terrified to have another baby. Thank you for shedding light on this. It definitely helps that someone as gorgeous as you are going through it too.
Hi Ali,
I just had my daughter 8 weeks ago and I am so overjoyed at this post. I am dealing with some postpartum anxiety and my body is one of the issues I am dealing with. I am breastfeeding my daughter as well and everything is just different now. My body doesn’t feel like mine. I am constantly sharing it and I was sharing it for 9 months before she was born. It’s such a difficult thing to navigate through and I am just so thankful to not be alone in this and to have some inspiration to look at while I work towards accepting my body as it is. My body is this way because I created a life and that is far more powerful than the size I am. Thank you thank you thank you for your words. Truly.
Ali, you look BEAUTIFUL! I have had 3 children. I started at about 150 lbs and am currently at 212… Miserable is an understatement. After my first baby I got the weight back of mostly but then got pregnant again (my 1st 2 children are 19 mo apart) and didn’t get much off and couldn’t find time to work out at all. Now after my 3rd I’m the heaviest I have ever been and don’t like to buy clothes at all. I have recently started trying to get back healthy but struggle some. I need an accountability partner, lol!
Anyway, you are beautiful and have a beautiful family. You are a great mom and person.
God Bless,
Kristin
Hi Ali,
Thank you for sharing your story and these pictures with the world. You are a true inspiration. As a mom i find myself also struggling with getting rid of the weight. However it tends to be harder in my case because i went through the teenage years having an eating disorder. When i got married the thing i thought about the most was the weightgain. The distorted image i see of me everyday is hard. And eventhough i dont suffer through episodes of wanting to starve to look better i have a hard time getting rid of the weight a more healthier way. I have never worn a bathing suit un my life thats how insecure i am. So you sharing your story with us its so inspiring. It gives me hope that the world is becoming more accepting. I admire you so much.
Thank you for sharing this!!! I really needed it. I’m 5 months postpartum from my 1st baby and still have 15 lbs and lots of tummy to lose. Some days I just feel horrible about myself and like I will never feel good again. I hate that my clothes don’t fit but I am too tired to do anything about it! But this reminds me there is a beautiful reason for my new body, my baby daughter, and I should be easier on myself.
Could you do a post on how to find clothes for that extra belly/boob area? I’m finding it so hard to buy clothes since my body is so different now and i hate spending money on stuff just to realize it still doesn’t work. You always look so great, and most importantly, clearly feel great.
This is just what I needed to hear today! I was feeling down about my stomach (4 months postpartum) and seeing this post reminded me to love my body for giving me three beautiful babies ❤️
I absolutely love you and everything you’re about! You’re real, you’re honest and you’re a freaking rockstar in all of your roles in life! Cheers to you and your amazing family!
Thank you for this post!! I’m 6 weeks postpartum and people have been telling me I look great but I’m good at disguising myself in my clothing choices. I’ve been a bit hard on myself like I need to get to the gym quickly but after reading this i remember that i did just have a baby and that it’s ok.
I’m super busty as well and now that I’m breastfeeding i don’t Even know my size or where to find things to fit properly. I’ll definitely be checking these swimsuits out!
Thank you Ali for reminding us what’s important! ❤️
I’ve followed you for years, loved your realness and always felt like you were down to earth…but this…THIS…is everything. Girlfriend, you just made my whole week. Why isn’t there more of this on the internet? Why can’t we all embrace ourselves as we are? Ali, you the real MPV. LOTS OF LOVE TO YOU. Please keep doing what you’re doing – you inspire so many. XO
Ali , I adore your blog and this post is exactly what I needed to read! I am 9 months post partum and still struggle with how my body looks. Some days I feel great and love the way I look and other days I’m frustrated by it. But most days I’m in awe that this body created my son! Anyway your posts are so positive and real and I love them!❤️
Thank you! Love your blog! It so refreshing to see someone being real on Instagram. You look beautiful! All the best to you and your beautiful family!
Hi Ali! U have no idea how much this post meant to me! When my baby boy (not so baby now: 1 1/2yrs) was born I couldn’t think about anyone else but him. But it’s been a long struggle for me to get back to were I was. I work full time and try to be a wife and mommy, so hard! And when I have finally the time to do something for myself I’m either super tired or it’s really late and have to get up early to work next day. I see u and all I can think is I wish I’d look like u and I only had one baby till now. U look amazing! I’m a huge fan! Love to se your fam grow! Greetings from Guatemala 🇬🇹 ❤️❤️
This is amazing! I love how you shared this! My second little guy was born April 5, and my body is definitely adjusting. Not only is it so hard to find time to exercise, it’s harder this time around and I’m choosing to take it slow and respect my body. I like to think that my body is for so many things and my years of exercise, training led me to be able to have a baby (now two babies) and take care of them—we need endurance for that! I also know it’s a phase as my mom always tells me—my mom who had twins and has stretch marks that won’t go away and has never showed any shame in that. It’s what our bodies are meant to do! Molly will learn from you too in this way!
Oh Ali, you look beautiful, just like most post partum mommas look!! I’ve had 3 babies (and 3 c sections). I remember after my first, I was horrified. I felt like a train wreck. By my third it was old hat lol. It took me about a year with each to get my body close to normal again, and that’s ok. I had to understand that there wasn’t any rush and to trust my body…but it was hard!!! Seeing posts like this is so inspiring as I’m positive it will help other new mamas in the trenches, beating themselves up for not looking like how they think they should. You’re amazing g ❤️
THANK YOU. My friend showed your post to our bachelor viewing party tonight and we are all Mamas with changed bodies. Bodies we’ve had hard times accepting, hard times showing, & hard times comparing to Celebs and ppl on insta. You are beautiful and I know that I personally was so touched by your post. You’ve added to the notion that it’s okay and normal for our bodies to change and be different. That we, the extra skinned, stretch marked, with a bit (or a lot) of extra weight are normal and that we shouldn’t be afraid of that, or ashamed. Thank you for the extra courage. Thank you for helping me feel more confident even as i stand before my own husband, knowing in my head, I’m not alone, I should be confident and proud of this body that made two little lives and has changed a bit, not ashamed or hiding. I’m not the same, but I’m not the only one. I’m not the outcast who hasn’t bounced back. THANK YOU.
Out bodies don’t bounce back after baby 2+ like they do after the first. And you know what, that’s ok!!! This is what your body was made for. I’m 45 and my youngest turned 12 today. My body isn’t like it was when I was 30 and it wasn’t going to be if I had ever carried a baby. Your changing body = life. Acknowledging it is living into it and is so powerful for your personal growth and for all the women you share with. Your vulnerability is so powerful. Congratulations, you earned this!
Ali,
Thank You so much for doing this blog and showing us your true self, you are stunning! I am 36 and am exactly like you. Had my 1st and it all the weight came off, my second who is now 2 1/2 took a long time for the weight to come off . But guess what? I actually weigh less now (5pounds less) pre both babies and I STILL have a tummy. I can do what you do in your pics! It’s bizarre and can sometimes be a downer. I just keep telling myself that I have 2 beautiful children that god gifted me and I am blessed. Thank You for posting such a real and raw side of you. Mad respect! Everytime I see a Hollywood report on how someone lost the weight in 4 weeks makes my eyes roll cuz most moms are not like that. Just not realistic and let’s be honest, if our priorities are straight our kids should be our priority not our waist line. Love you xoxo
Good on you and thank you for sharing such a personal part of your life. It is so important that people can see what can often be the result of pregnancies, not just the lucky ones that look amazing straight afterwards. I was not at all prepared for the changes of my body after my first child where I was left with a lot of stretch marks on my stomach and thighs. I suddenly had to be so aware of if I leant over that they could be visible or that I only felt comfortable in a swimsuit after a life in bikinis. Mothers go through so many unbelievable changes through pregnancies and postpartum and it’s not just about losing weight afterwards as there can be lasting changes that we need to accept and love about ourselves.
I grew two humans! I birthed two humans and I nursed two humans! My body tells that story clearly but without this body none of that would have been possible.
I think more so now than ever the message of being positive about your own body is so important and to know that there is so much that is edited out there to make us believe in the unachievable for most.
To those women who look amazing after babies or even better that is amazing and for the ones who look a little or a lot different you’re amazing too! I think you look great and I am so impressed you’re rocking your bikini!
Hi Ali!
I had my daughter May 2016 and my son was just born May 2018. I followed you on your pregnancy journey both times, as we were both pregnant at the same time. I feel like I can totally relate to how you’re feeling, as I’m currently on a beach vacation with the family, trying to fit my postpartum body into a one piece. Every time I look in the mirror, I want to cry when I see my body, but it’s a mix of joy and sadness. I praise you for posting these pictures. It’s the reality that as women we are so strong. Our bodies are temples that house these miracle babies, and we’re blessed to have had the opportunities to become mommies when so many women nowadays are struggling to conceive. Thank you for showing the beauty in a postpartum body. Thank you for showing me that I should be proud of mine as well. Many blessings to you and your family.
You are beautiful, Ali! Thank you for sharing & being open and vulnerable! Our babies aren’t too far about- my son just turned 2 months old on Sunday!
I literally never comment on blog posts, but I have to say thank you for this. This is really amazing and so helpful. After having my son my body just hasn’t gone back to being the same. My hips are wider, I can’t quite tighten up my tummy and my boobs, like you, went from a C cup to a DD. While my husband loves it, I just don’t know what to do with them! Nothing fits “right” or “the same”. All these changes have made me feel so uncomfortable in my own skin but seeing you celebrating your body really helps and makes me feel more normal in the changes I’m going through. Anyway, thank you for not only being real in your photos but also celebrating your body. Keep it up!
Thank you so much for posting this Ali! I had my first not long after you had Riley and I know it hasn’t been very long but it’s so hard to not compare your body to what it looked like pre baby. I have to keep telling myself it took 9 months to get to the size I was (I gained over 50 pounds) so it’s going to take time to loose it all. It’s so nice to see someone else going through the same thing and being open and honest about it. I’m struggling with the size of my boobs and hips (I really didn’t have hips before and I was a 34B and now I’m fluctuate between a 34D and DD). Getting dressed everyday is hard, especially finding things that are easy to nurse in. So thank you!! And you look amazing!
This is such a great post for moms! Thank you so much for sharing! And you are BEAUTFIUL! I love my post partum tummy in a two piece now we’re after my first I was so self conscious I always wore one pieces! But I reminded myself my body grew two perfect girls and I love the way my body looks now because of it! Thank you for sharing!
I’ve been a fan ever since you were the bachelorette and that’s actually the very first season I really got into and invested in! I love your blog and following along with your growing family!
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! For posting this! I myself have recently had my second baby! My first was hard one on me as I gained over 50 lbs and it took me years to get back to my “goal weight” it was also so hard adjusting to my new marks all over my body and seeing how everything fell back into place, When I found out about baby number 2 I made such an effort to eat right and continue the gym. It worked and I only gained 30lbs! Woot victory…. so I thought. I still have 15 lbs to go. (The weight hasn’t come off as quickly as I hoped). But your post made me realize why the heck am I putting so much pressure on myself? Why do I have it in my mind that I have to get back to an xsmall within 3 months postpartum.. and i really is because social media has made me believe I should bounce back that quickly. I’ve made two beautiful boys with this body and I am proud of all the work its gone through to keep them healthy and happy. You look unreal thank you for posting this. I know it but have been nerve racking for you. But you have helped so many new mom by doing so. All the best with your little ones.
I love your blog and honesty. You are so relatable and honest which isn’t easy to do! Thank you for sharing your story and journey’s in life! I also have a 2 year old and expecting any day now and so many things you post about I can connect with. THANK YOU and keep up your amazing blog!
Thank you so much for being vulnerable and sharing your experience with everyone. Honestly, this is so inspirational. I had a c section with my first and am pregnant with my second, due 2/2019. But after having my first baby, my belly area just never got back to its flat self. I see all these women bounce back and it’s so discouraging and makes me fall incredibly insecure. I hate staring at myself in the mirror and only wear loose bathing suits. Again thank you for this!
Your pictures you posted made you even more beautiful than ever. Thank you for being so real and honest. You truly have the most beautiful children as well.
You are gorgeous and brave!!
Ali thank you so much for sharing this. You have no idea how much it means! After having my second daughter my tummy was filled with stretch marks. You are so beautiful- inside and out! Thank you for opening up to us and giving me the strength to feel more confident about my body ❤️
I normally don’t comment on blogs either, but this seriously just made my day and probably my whole year. THANK YOU for sharing this. The timing could not have been more perfect either. I saw your post yesterday shortly after scrolling past Bar Rafaeli’s post of herself sitting out by the pool in a bikini at the same point postpartum as I am. Boy, that’ll take the wind out of your sails on a Monday morning! Then I thought, wait why am I doing this to myself?! That is just not real life. YOU are real life. And you are gorgeous and inspiring and, quite frankly, superwoman. Thank you for your honesty and for reminding women to be kind to themselves. I’m going to change my relationship with social media starting now.
You’re amazing Ali! Thanks for sharing this with us. I’m 29 and have a one year old. I had a miscarriage a few weeks ago and even after that my Body is bloated and doesn’t look the same. Plus I still breast feed and my boobs are very saggy. Wish I had the courage like you to show my body! I think your beautiful and I love following you ❤️
I just want to say how impactful your post is. When I initially saw your Instagram pictures after birth I felt like I was inadequate because I’m 6 mo post partum and nowhere near what I looked like before babe. Your post helps us moms realize that the social media portrayal of post partum isn’t realistic and reinforce how amazing our bodies are both before and after childbirth. Thanks for doing this. It definitely made a difference for me. Motherhood is so hard (and beautiful), we shouldn’t feel shamed about our bodies on top of it. ❤️
I want to thank you so much for your blog post with the real photos of your body. I’m 3 months postpartum and my body has not bounced back. I’m hoping that it does but I also try to remind myself that this body gave me my son that I love more than anything. So I’m trying to take it easy on myself. But it helps to see that I’m not alone. Thank you again. You are amazing!!
Thank so much for sharing! I’m trying to embrace my new body after my first child. I’m 13 weeks postpartum and it’s been a challenge. I love the openness and encouragement you give. You look beautiful! Even more so because you were blessed to be able to carry and nourish two beautiful babies. Blessings!
Ali,
I also don’t normally comment, but this hit home for me. I love how real and true you are. I needed to read this right now. After my second child the amount of loose skin I had was shocking to me. I, like you, love my body now and wouldn’t want to change it, it gave me two precious beautiful babies, but there are times I am self conscious. For instance, when being intimate with my husband and all I see is excess skin hanging down, I just cringe, and do anything possible to try and hide it from my husband, afraid it will turn him off. My husband always says it’s his favorite part of me because it carried our children and that I am beautiful no matter what, but at a time when you want to feel sexy, it’s hard!
It’s wonderful knowing I am not alone, that contrary to what you see on social media and in print, excess skin is normal after babies, AND beautiful!! After my second child I did feel confident enough to wear a bikini again, but I chose a high wasted bikini. You are beautiful, keep being you, Molly and Riley have such a wonderful, strong, beautiful mama to look up to. Thanks for being vulnerable for us, you have no idea how many people you are helping!
Ali ! You are so beautiful, inside and out ❤️ I am a new mom too and love reading your posts, you are such an inspiration. Thank you for sharing and being so real and honest! Xoxo
Ali! Your baby’s not even 2 months old! You look great! Pretty sure 99.9 % of new mama’s have the exact same insecurities. I know I did! Another line of swimmers I ADORE for my mom bod is kortni jeane (kortnijeane.com)! They have adorable pieces and come out with new patterns and styles every season! Keep doing what you’re doing! Enjoy your precious family and this stage of life, it goes by so fast!
thank you <3
You are so beautiful and such an inspiration. I love how open and honest you are, it truly does help in ways you will never know for a person like me who has always struggled with body-image especially after my little one to really begin to love myself and my body just the way it is! So thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!
I love this and you! You’re such an inspiration. Thank you so much for keeping it real, so that us non-famous moms can learn through your inspiring words, to be kinder to our bodies, as well. It’s so easy to look in the mirror and be disgusted in what you see. It’s so easy to forget what our bodies made, the precious babies that it gave us. It’s so easy to practice self hate, when we should be practicing self love, and seeing your words help remind us of that. So, thank you!
Thank you so much for being vulnerable! Your willingness to be real and raw is inspiring to me. I am 6 months pp with baby no 2. The transition to 2 was more difficult for me than I was expecting. Keeping up with leaves hardly any time to focus on chores let alone getting my body back in shape. I love what you said about knowing how to dress your body. Also that each scar or imperfection tells a story. So often I think we get so caught up with what others think and compare our body with the airbrushed perfection. When we need to build each other up. You have definitely done that for me. Thanks for the encouragement. Us mommas have to stick together. You are beautiful both inside and out! Thank you for being you!
Thanks so much for sharing this! I am 10 weeks PP and although I am lucky that my body is going back quickly, it’s definitely not the same. You don’t look like you have many stretch marks which is nice! I think having a baby right before bikini season makes it harder us mamas as well!
This may be a day late but I still wanted to come on here and express my sentiment for your post. I am a mother of four and have the flabby stomach skin grab, too. I had my last in January and started to really work out three months ago. Instead of losing weight- I have started to gain weight which is not what I intended. Crazily though, I feel super healthy and back to normal now. I am not upset with my flabby stomach. I have four beautiful kids to thank for this stomach. Thank you for sharing and know that I applaud you.
Love your recent insta stories on this and your blog post here!! Love how honest real and open you are and I think there is nothing more beautiful than bringing a life into this world and even what it does to our bodies!!!
Thank you for this post! I’ve never had a baby, but recently lost 65lbs. My stomach is flabby and loose and full of stretch marks – resembles a post partum body for sure. It took me a while to love it but it is the result of getting myself healthy! Keep being you and showing your beautiful body. We are all unique and perfect in our own ways.
Ali your smile makes you the most wonderful woman. Keep smiling 🙂
I think you look amazing! Ahhhmazing. Seriously you look great! You’re such an inspiration and I love following you. I had Baby #3 April 9th and I’ve been really trying hard to get my post baby body back and you just helped me soooo much to stop being so hard on myself. Our bodies are truly amazing. Thank you for being so real with us. I adore you 🙂
Thank you for posting this. I had twins 18 months ago and I still so not recognize my body. I gained 25 pounds with them and lost it all then suffered PPD and gained it all back plus more within a few months. It’s hard to look in the mirror everything is wider, I have a massive pooch and enough extra skin that could be rolled out to a red carpet that even Mariah Carey herself would be happy to walk on lol. I’m slowly learning to love who I am and be really freakin proud that I carried 13 pounds of babies at one time. It’s just nice to see a celebrity who feels comfortable showing that not everyone snaps back in a day. You look absolutely amazing and thank you again!
Hi Ali! I am not one to normally comment but I feel like I have to after this incredible post. I’ve been following you for quite awhile on instagram the last year or so and during my pregnancy (my baby is 7 weeks old, 1 week older than Riley)! and I have loved reading all your pregnancy updates. Your birth story I especially loved as I had a similar experience which was very difficult for me to process initially. Reading your story helped remind me that we all have struggles and difficulties and that what I went through is not even close to what others must have experienced. You are helping all of us focus on the amazing ability of our bodies to carry and deliver our beautiful babies. We did this incredible thing! This post also hit home and I have to say you are SO brave for doing this! I give you so much credit. After having my first baby my body has definitely changed and I am struggling a bit dealing with all the changes and the recovery (physically/mentally) postpartum. It is very comforting to know that I am not alone in this. I believe you are helping women (and men) to focus on the incredible things our bodies are capable of and reminding us not to put so much pressure on ourselves. You are an inspiration! Keep doing what you are doing <3 <3 <3
So last night when I changed the channel to Access your insta video came on, I didn’t know you were in the studio at that time. I felt like I was getting all defensive like I needed to write Access if they were going to say something negative about your post of how honest you are being about your body and help other people!! I’m like don’t you say anything wrong against my girl Ali!! Haha then you came on, and I was relieved it was a good segment!! Haha
💜. Love from Valpo
You are beautiful momma! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Thank you thank you thank you for this, Ali. I am 14 mo post partum and while my weight has bounced back to what it was before, my body definitely hasn’t. My belly and breasts bear the scars of pregnancy and breastfeeding and while I love that i did it all for my son (and would do it 100 times over) I would be lying if I said I don’t feel conscious about it. Since I gave birth last year, I still haven’t found the self confidence to wear a bikini. Thank you for reminding us we are all the same and we all went through the same miracle, all because of love.
Thank you for being so vulnerable. I desperately needed this. I had my second in-vitro baby at the beginning of April. Although he came 11 weeks early, I still got pretty big. I was determined to save my maternity leave until my baby came home, so I went back to work 5 days after having him. Needless to say after spending 7 weeks working full time, driving an hour one way to the hospital everyday and spending at least a couple hours there while trying to balance life with my husband and four year old, the last person I took care of was myself. Now almost four months later, I’m feeling pretty disgusting. I never had to worry about my body before but all of a sudden at 35 years old, I need to do something differently. It’s just trying to find the time to do it now! Thank you again so much for making me feel like I’m not the only one.
Thank you for being “real” and putting yourself (your whole, wonderful, beautiful, post-baby) self out there. I had my kids 15 months apart and while I lost the weight right away after my first, my body changed so much after my second baby. I just recently lost weight and when people comment I say to them “finally, after 14 years, I’ve gotten the baby weight off! You read that right, my youngest is 14 and I’m finally below my pre pregnancy weight. But the weight really isn’t the thing, it’s people’s perception of how you should look and feel after having kids. Not everybody bounces back right away (some never do). I finally stopped worrying about my body and embraced the new me. Once I did, I spent my time raising my kids, spending cherished time with them and my husband and when I was ready and the time was right, I focused on me again. I didn’t lose who I was, I embraced being a mom and at the end of the day, that’s what matters most to me…..I love being a mom and I wouldn’t change it for the world, or for a flat stomach which I still don’t have!
You are amazing for doing this post. I can’t even describe the relief you have given to so many people. You are a true role model. ❤️
You are an amazing person for sharing this. So many women struggle when our bodies change due to society’s unrealistic expectations. Thank you ❤️
Hi Ali,
You are amazing for doing this post.You’re such an inspiration.I can’t even describe the relief you have given to so many people.Thank you so much for keeping it real.
Thanks for sharing! 15 years and 4 kids later I still continue with the tummy struggle. Would do it all over again in a heartbeat, but the struggle is real!:) Appreciate you showing that we are not alone! Congrats to you on your newest little one!
Ali,
I cannot thank you enough for sharing this brave and beautiful post!!! I am 38 weeks pregnant with my first and have been really struggling lately with loving my body and stressing about if I will ever look and feel like the “old me” again. Your photos and words caused tears to stream down my face realizing how silly I have been. You look just as stunning as ever. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!!!
💕 Jill
Ali-
Maybe you could do some blogs on dressing to cover the “pouch” because I was sitting over here feeling bad about myself before thinking you lost all the weight so quickly!
Love you and your honesty!
Ali you look great. I didn’t get rid of my after baby weight for several yrs after my last one was born. You look great and congrats on ur new member. Enjoy them while they r young. They grow up fast.
I have never struggled with my body or weight, but when I got pregnant with twins, it changed my body and the way I thought about it in so many ways. I didn’t know what a post pregnancy body looked like until people started posting them online, so thank you! What helped me most with my body image was knowing that I was a role model for my children – particularly my daughter. Someone told me that anything I express or feel about my body will be how she learns to feel about her own – that hit me so hard. How would I feel if she looked at her stomach and called it “too fat” or “not flat enough.” It would break my heart. She is perfect. Our family focuses on healthy eating, healthy living and enjoying treats, as I believe we all should. I also wear my bikini proudly!
This is one of the best articles I’ve read since I had my baby boy 7 months ago. I’ve struggled everyday with my new postpartum body and the expectation that you should bounce back right away. My baby is my number one priority and I often have a million other, more important, things to focus my attention on. I’m nursing my son and it’s the most unreal, rewarding and exhausting experience but I’ve fallen in love with what my body can do.
The hardest part for me was accepting my new tummy, especially in a time when celebrities are sharing their amazing bodies, post baby. The expectations are so unrealistic but it’s so refreshing to see someone sharing the natural beauty of giving birth. Thank you for being raw, real and setting up other women to feel amazing about their bodies, no matter the size or shape. Being a new mom is hard but women should build each other up rather than judging whether someone looks the way society thinks they should. You are amazing and even more beautiful for sharing such vulnerable photos. Thank you.
Thank you so much for finally being someone who shows the real ness of your body after giving birth for some people it isn’t super easy! I daily struggle with learning to be okay with the stretch marks, extra skin, and changes my body gave me after giving birth to my baby boy, so thank you. Also, I’m also a 34DD, so I had/am still having a hard time finding clothes that fit right without showing things off that I don’t want shown off. Thanks for the tips! 🙂
How awesome are you!! You are like a breath of fresh air that keeps “momming” real!!!
Brave. Authentic. Empowering. Thanks for being real in a sea of facades!
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Hey, You just Amazing! so real you are seriously, Ali. Stretch marks can be annoying. Stretch marks creams are the most important beauty products that we need in the age of well 30 or after pregnancy. One can use Revitol stretch marks cream in order to deal with stretch marks. This is an amazing product and shows the desired results within a week. It really works and that for sure actually! I hope you will try and Everyone should try that amazing product, after using this you feel like a queen a being a mother of a princess. Stay Healthy & Beautiful.
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