This is an original post written by Jen.
Thank you for listening to her story.

I had my last miscarriage (of 3) in April of 2008. I have always been slim and petite but I have lost about 18 pounds since the miscarriage and now fluctuate between 115 and 118 pounds at 5 ft.

It’s very hurtful to see people excited and happy asking me if or when I’m expecting since I can’t seem to carry full term and I want to be a mother. It makes me vulnerable because I feel obligated to explain how I got this way, especially to people that know me.

I used to love my body now I spend all my time trying to cover it up. I feel so unattractive.

Jen is a 34 year old receptionist.

Together we unite. YOU are not alone!        

photo credit: Dyanna

This is an original post written by Bobbie. Thank you for listening to her story.

I have a 3 year old daughter and a soon-to-be 7 month old son and only birthed large babies (my first was 9 pounds, and my second was 10 pound – both born via c-section).

• Every day I try on a needless five outfits…and I end up not caring in the long run.
• I’m constantly asked “What are you having?” and told “How exciting you’re expecting again!”
• The only response I can provide is “No, I’m not pregnant… just fat.” What else is there to say?
• Honestly I have not started to diet. I know, shameful.
• And I do not exercise.

It took me 2 years after having my first child to become comfortable with my body again. I remind myself of this every day. In time my body will go back to its old self (aside from mass amounts of stretch marks).

I think I may need to start a separate tummy-tuck savings account.

Bobbie has a beautiful daughter and son and they are living proof that dreams come true.

photo credit: A. Strakey

Liz, over at The Paper Bluebird, understands our pain and is ready to let everyone know just how rude it is to assume someone is pregnant because they might not be!

See what makes her Moonbat Crazy when people think she still looks pregnant in her latest blog post I’m NOT PREGNANT!!

photo credit: Espen Klem

This is an original post written by Tabatha. Thank you for listening to her story.

My daughter is now two and half years old,  and I have always got the “I thought you got fixed” question from people.  I have lost 132 pounds since giving birth, I am down to 213, but unlike most women my weight is all in my very round pregnant looking belly.

I just got hired at a gas station and my boss thought I was pregnant. He wanted to give me a 5x shirt to “grow” into. I wanted to yell at her but I laughed and said if I am pregnant there are some doctors that have some explaining to do.

I hate feeling pregnant.

I want it to go away but it seems the more weight I loose the more I look pregnant.

Tabatha is a 30 year old mom of five (4 with feet and 1 with wings)

photo credit: ripkas

This is an original post written by Kristen. Thank you for listening to her story.

Well…

A few weeks ago at work, someone said “When are you due?” I’m like “Never!!!!!!” She felt really bad, I told her not to worry about it.

But I’m worried!

Then within the same week, someone else asked me if I was pregnant and rubbed my belly! I’m like, “Why is this happening to me?!”

I did gain over 20 lbs. in the last year, and no, I am not pregnant. I have a 5 year old and lost the weight right after him. Gained a little back, lost a lot, and now it’s back…but it went to the wrong area! why could it have gone to my boobs…then maybe I wouldn’t be so critical about my stomach! LOL.

Man, I am glad I could vent all that.

Kristen is 26 and a single mother of a 5 year old.

This is an original post written by Mama Maria. Thank you for listening to her story.

It’s me, Maria, who posted before about people constantly asking me if I am pregnant.  Since I last posted, the following happened that I can recall:

1. Met up with an old friend I hadn’t seen in a while who shared that her sister-in-law is pregnant with #3.  I asked how far along she was and my friend said “About five months.  And how far along are you?”  I said “Zero months.”  She said “Oh, so you just found out?”  I said “No, I’m not pregnant.”  She laughed and said “You’re kidding, right?”  I said “No, I’m not.”  She said “But you were pregnant, right?  I heard you were.”  To spare us both embarrassment, I said “Yeah, I was….”  She said she was sorry for my loss and looked really awkward, and then said “Well, I heard it takes time for your stomach to go down….”




2. Presented at a community function and was really worried about what to wear.  I bought a new shirt I thought made my belly look normal.  Did the presentation and an older woman I know fairly well asked me when I was due.  I said “oh, I’m not pregnant.”  She said “Then you’ve gained weight – you used to be so small.”




3. Was at a work-related event and a woman I know (but haven’t seen in a while) who is pregnant with #1 came up to me and said “Oh, last time I saw you, you were pregnant and now you’re pregnant again!  When are you due?”  I gave her a date six months ahead and she said “You really show faster with your second, huh?”

There are definitely more, but those were the most hurtful that sent me to the bathroom in tears.

I Am Pregnant Again

Anyway, the good news is that I just found out I am pregnant again with my second child.  I am thrilled.

I honestly think I am one of those people who had a hard time conceiving while nursing, because I tried for several months while nursing my toddler with no success.  He weaned himself just as he turned 3 and I conceived the next cycle.  I also lost almost 10 lbs in that time almost effortlessly, but unfortunately don’t seem to have lost anything in the stomach area.

The bad news is that I dread people asking if I am pregnant before the second trimester!  I don’t want to tell anyone that I am pregnant before then, but if they ask, what do I say?  I also don’t know what to wear – honestly, maternity clothes would be comfortable right now, but I also don’t want to wear those until the second trimester.

I wonder how I will look pregnant – will my belly get even huger or stay the same?

I’ve heard it’s harder to find a heartbeat or feel movement with a big belly.  Will my doctor get on my case about it?  Will I get to the point that I want people to notice but they all think it’s just the same fat me and say nothing?

Can I keep losing weight while pregnant?  Can I try to gain less?  Will I look even worse after I deliver?  Will I have better luck at losing weight this time?  And I want a third child – will it just keep getting worse?

This should be a joyful time, but I’m angry!

Why does society do this to us?  Why is there so much pressure to look a certain way?  Why is a woman’s reproductive life anyone else’s business at all?  Why am I bearing the shame for other peoples’ rudeness and tactlessness?

Why am I hiding my body instead of celebrating that it’s brought forth the miracle of life?

Maria is finishing up her second year of law school on the Dean’s Honor List and hopes to practice in the area of medical malpractice defense.  She is married and the mother of a beautiful, bright, two-year-old boy.  Prior to law school, she was a professional actress and playwright and she hopes to combine her love of drama with her performances in the courtroom.

photo credit: acme

This is an original post written by Keisha.  Thank you for listening to her story.   Share your story.

I was so surprised to find StillLookPregnant.com this evening as I was actually googling on what are the appropriate clothes for my shape.

There was an hourglass shape, oval shape, diamond shape, apple shape and pear shape.  But I cannot seem to find the… “I am 12 months post-partum after three kids over a 10 year period and my stomach looks like it is housing another child at 6 months gestation” shape.

Oddly enough, the average woman who cannot lose that baby belly does not fit into any category.

I seem to have lost all my breasts by way of breastfeeding but gained the biggest butt in the world; and still kept this absurd belly.  It is rather frustrating when you are at work and people will not let you carry heavy items or look at your funny when you are on your 3rd coffee of the day.

Or the worst, when they just come out and ask, “Are you pregnant?”!!  I am always mortified.  It has been a year and I am still upset when people ask me.

But can I blame them… I seriously look 6 months pregnant at all times.

I think what some woman need to know from experience is that I had 3 boys.  My son’s are ages 10, 3 and 1.  After baby 1 and 2, my belly went right back into place; flat and pretty.  I actually was in the military between baby 2 and 3 and completed basic training and AIT.  I lost over 30 lbs and could do 40 push up’s in 2 minutes and run a mile in a breeze.  My body was in the best condition of my life!

However, between baby 2 and 3, there was not enough time for my abdominal muscles to heal.  So with baby 3, I only gained 20 lbs, but my stomach basically remains the same way it did after I had him.  I have seen 3 doctors and they all say, my only option is plastic surgery.  With 3 kids, a husband, house and bills… plastic surgery is not an option.

So what is your option for women who still look pregnant and cannot afford the risky plastic surgery to repair the damage of their beautiful births?

Just try to find ways to love it.

I have not gotten to this point but I know it will come.

This summer I went on the beach in a two piece bikini with my kids and I did not feel ashamed at all.  So I know I am making strides.  Ironically, the more weight I lose, the more my stomach protrudes… so maybe being a little overweight is more aesthetically pleasing for me.

I think all in all… we need to be more supportive as woman.

I know I am not the only 28 year old woman of 3 kids who looks this way.  I may feel that way when I cannot find anything to wear to work or feel unattractive in that sexy red dress that used to look oh so fab.  But we have to find ways to overlook the pre-defined vision of perfection.  That hourglass, symmetrical beauty.  We are not perfect and I may be close (LOL)

We all need work on learning to love ourselves – especially for our kids.

Keisha is 28 years old, married, and the mother of three AWESOME son’s ages 10, 3, and 1.  She lives in Atlanta, GA, with her family and she works for a hospital.

photo credit: flequi

This is an original post written by Stephanie. Thank you for listening to her story.   Share your story.

I am so happy to find this website.  I really thought I might be the only person who still looks pregnant!  Actually, if I hold my belly in, I don’t look pregnant, but this is not really comfortable.

I have been listening to this incredible series of interviews which you can find at The Body Image Revolution.  The last speaker was a woman who wrote a book called The Woman’s Belly Book: Finding Your True Center for More Energy, Confidence, and Pleasure and she talks about how she yo yo dieted for years before realizing that she could love her belly, and embrace it as the center of her femininity.

I love that concept, but I have a hard time not holding my belly in, because I am afraid of people thinking I am pregnant.  Yes, people have thought that after both my pregnancies.

It is encouraging — really encouraging — to hear that other people get this response too.

I have been wondering,

Is it a big deal if someone thinks I’m pregnant?  Does it really matter?

What if my fear is keeping me living in shame and keeping me from really loving my body and myself?”

Now that I know lots of other women still look pregnant, or look pregnant even if they have never had a baby, I am not going to be so worried.  I do think bellies are cute and feminine, and a person who looks comfortable in their body is generally attractive.

If anyone wants to read a really great article by Lisa Sarasohn, check out The Goddess Ungirdled.  It’s an article on how she came to love her belly.

I am encouraged and going to work on being comfortable with my belly.

Stephanie is a mommy of a three year old boy and ten month old girl.  Her blog is www.lionmammaspun.blogspot.com.

This is an original post written by Cat. Thank you for listening to her story.   Share your story.

My daughter Henna is 2+ years old and I look like I am 4 months pregnant.  It is really hard for me because practically every time I leave the house someone asks me about my “baby.”

When they see me out with my two year old at Target they say, “Oh my! You sure will have your hands full! How far apart in age will they be?”

When I go to pay off my car they say, “Baby on board!”

When I am in a room full of people they say, “So, you are having another baby, huh?”

I say…

“No, I just have a big belly.”

They say…

“Oh, I just have babies on the brain.”

or

“Oh, it’s just the shirt that you are wearing.”

or my favorite,

“I’m sorry, it’s just that you are so small everywhere else.”

If I had a big butt nobody would come up to me in the grocery store and try to talk to me about.  It’s just that I am so freakish looking that the general public is 100% positive I am pregnant.  I am a mother of two and a full time college student.  I try to lose weight, but it definitely doesn’t come easy to me.  I try not to let it bother me, but let’s be honest, how could it not?

Sorry that this isn’t a more uplifting post, but I am struggling with this, and constantly tormented by well meaning morons.

Cat is a mother of a 10 year old boy, Spirit, and a 2 year old girl, Henna.  She has been married a little over three years and is currently going to school for medical coding and billing.

Some people in my real life often ask me why I created a blog called Still Look Pregnant? Obviously, the people who ask me have never been asked if they still look pregnant. And for the people I meet who have been asked (many times) if they are pregnant (when they are not pregnant) light up when I tell them about this Still Look Pregnant blog. Some call it brilliant. I call it a need…a need for all women out there to know they are not alone.

Being asked if you are pregnant when you are not pregnant can be a very lonely experience. If you found this blog because someone asked you if you are pregnant (when you are not at all pregnant) be sure to look around this blog and read real stories from real women fighting what can seem like a never winning battle of still looking pregnant.

Why did I create this blog?

I created this blog for the all the women goggling things like…

• Why do I still look pregnant?
• Asking someone if they’re pregnant but they’re not.
• How to hide your tummy.
• Postpartum and still look pregnant.
• How to hide a post pregnancy belly.
• Stomach looks pregnant.
• My stomach is so bloated I look pregnant.
• Looking like pregnant every time I eat.
• How to hide your stomach.
• Belly fat making me look pregnant.
• Still look pregnant post baby.
• Dress to camouflage tummy.
• Hide your post pregnancy belly.
• Style of dress to hide stomach.
• Year later I still look pregnant.
• Best tops to hide belly without looking pregnant.
• Dress that hides your tummy.
• Hide abdominal fat.
• Hide your belly.
• My stomach still looks pregnant.
• People still ask if I am pregnant.
• Still look pregnant after birth.
• I still look like I am pregnant.
• How do I loose weight in my stomach.
• Stomach disorder that makes you look pregnant.
• Looking pregnant as the day goes on.
• I still look pregnant.
• My stomach looks pregnant.
• My stomach is not normal.