Before I had kids, I had a decent figure - not model-esque by any stretch of the imagination, but I looked OK. Now the mirror tells more of a comedy/horror story than a romantic tale, and I’ll admit that I’ve toyed with the notion of plastic surgery (after we win the lottery) to get my old body back.

I know I’m not alone, because there’s a plastic surgery package (typically called the “mommy makeover”) just for women like me.

Aimed at mothers, it usually involves a trifecta: a breast lift with or without breast implants, a tummy tuck and some liposuction. The procedures are intended to hoist slackened skin as well as reduce stretch marks and pregnancy fat.

You mean my boobs will go back to where they should be and gain perkiness, my tummy sag will tighten, and this spare tire will shrink? Sounds like a deal! Last year, over 325,000 of these surgeries were performed on mothers across the nation - and not just on mothers of young children. Empty nesters are reclaiming their pre-pregnancy bodies, too.

Critics of the triple procedure point fingers at the cosmetic surgery industry as trying to ostracize the mother’s figure.

Many women struggle with the impact of aging and pregnancy on their bodies. But the marketing of the “mommy makeover” seeks to pathologize the postpartum body, characterizing pregnancy and childbirth as maladies with disfiguring aftereffects that can be repaired with the help of scalpels and cannulae.

“The message is that, after having children, women’s bodies change for the worse,” said Diana Zuckerman, the president of the National Research Center for Women and Families, a nonprofit group in Washington. If marketing could turn the postpregnancy body “into a socially unacceptable thing, think of how big your audience would be and how many surgeries you could sell them,” she said.

So…is the post-partum body something to be “fixed,” or should mothers be offended by the notion that they might consider changing their figures in order to feel more beautiful?

I say that if you are satisfied with your body, more power to you. If not, and you have the wherewithal to change that, go for it. Me, I’m going to wear my stretch marks with pride…and buy a lottery ticket now and then.

Posted by Sunshine.

When my mother was pregnant with me, pregnancy was not a publicly celebrated thing. I’m sure people looked kindly at her, but she wouldn’t have dreamed of wearing anything that would accentuate her belly. In fact, most maternity clothes were all about hiding it (tents for sale - Aisle 7!). Most women would have probably been mortified to see likenesses of their pregnant stomachs on display in their homes or even in a photo album.

These times, they are a-changin’.

Shannon Iverson has photographed children and babies for years. Two weeks ago she began photographing a new market segment — bare bellies of moms-to-be.

“Maternity photography has taken off ridiculously,” the Edmond, Okla.-based photographer said. “One of my friends who is a photographer in Arkansas started doing maternity shoots and her business doubled, so that’s why I started.”

In addition to photographs of their baby bumps, expectant mothers are indulging in plaster cast belly molds, special spa treatments, even prenatal yoga courses. Many mothers also pay upwards of $175 for 3-D ultrasounds of their babies. Not a bad haul for 30 minutes’ worth of work on the “tech’s” part!

Maternity wear is no longer the frumpy cover-it-up style of yesterday. Hip styles are altered and even created just for the pregnant woman’s figure. Bellies are bared even in the eighth month and onward, and I saw several pregnant women in maternity bikinis at the pool this past summer.

Businesses are raking it in, and mothers have new ways of making this ultimate journey memorable - and of taking it in style. More power to ‘em, I say.

Posted by Sunshining.

When I was pregnant with my son, my toddler loved to lift my shirt, poke my distended belly button, and yell, “Belly belly belly!” - even in public. I found myself hastily covering up again, and then I’d feel dumb for being embarrassed.

After all, big bellies are “in” these days!

Today, the baby belly is celebrated, exalted, shown off, and in the case of celebrity bellies, stalked. And these bellies are everywhere: They’re popping out of tight-fitting maternity fashions. They’re glistening in semi-nude family photographs that can be taken at the corner mall. They’re on display in homes, maybe even in a neighbor’s, in the form of plaster belly-casts, three-dimensional mementos of a biological process now considered less Discovery Channel and more prime-time viewing.

Ever since Demi Moore glamorized her pregnant belly, appearing nude and heavily pregnant on the cover of Vanity Fair way back in the early ’90s, pregnant fashion has been changing to reflect a profound change in society’s attitude toward pregnancy. Pregnant women are now widely seen as beautiful, even sensual. Women flaunt their baby bellies in public, wearing bikinis and–

Wait, did I just say that?? Yep…heavily pregnant women are often seen on beaches in swimwear that accentuates, rather than hides, their extra curvy fronts. I have never been comfortable in a bikini, much less during my stint as a rare zebra whale (I was - and am - that striped, from my belly and chest all the way down to and including my thighs)! I’m quite sure the world at large appreciated my modesty, since I never had one of those adorable, tanned, mark-free bellies with either pregnancy. I don’t regret my stripes - they are tangible reminders of just how blessed I am - but I would never show them off, either.

But you know what? To those moms who feel comfortable baring their pregnant bellies, YGGs - that takes a confidence I wish I possessed. The pregnant belly is worth celebrating, and more power to anyone who does that.

Posted by Sunshine.

Raise your hand if you’re surprised to hear this: The fired nanny of Anna Nicole Smith’s baby said that Smith asked her to skimp on [Smith’s] baby’s formula because she wanted the infant to be thin and “sexy.” What do you expect from someone who led such an outrageous life, right?

Well, while that might be old (though disturbing) news, I was shocked to read in this article that Smith was in good company - regular moms are taking drastic steps, without medical guidance of any sort, to ensure that their babies and toddlers fit the slim ideal for kids.

While I dutifully follow the American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommendations and fill an 8-ounce cup with whole milk for my well-rounded son, other moms are splashing a bit of 1 percent milk into a sippy cup of water, explaining in a side-mouthed whisper that their 15-month-old is “getting a bit chunky.”

I share this observation with my son’s pediatrician, who frowns knowingly and tells me her office is overrun with babies who are underweight - “absolutely off the charts.” Then I tell her something she hasn’t heard before: “I know a woman who waters down her breast milk.”

These anecdotes make me angry. Who in their right mind would dilute their child’s nutrition for the sake of some magical perfect weight? I know parents whose toddlers eat healthier foods than my own child does (though admittedly, we do pretty well there) and some of those kids outweigh my peanut by eight to ten pounds or more. What are these parents supposed to think when people make snide comments or look twice at their beautiful son or daughter with pitying eyes? And what message will that send to these children?

And it’s not just the bigger kids who get the looks, either. God bless my pediatrician for never making me feel that I was starving my child (the kid eats, I swear!) even though she’s always been on the stringbean side. I know another mother who was told by a medical professional, who presumably ought to know better, to feed her kid junk food to put some fat on her. Um, excuse me? What the heck is going on here?

Are we so far gone in the media-polished world of superthin models and voluptuous movie stars that even our small children aren’t allowed to grow into the frames given to them? I don’t think I’ve ever looked at a group of babies, toddlers, or even kindergarteners and found the discrepancies in height, weight, etc. to be anything but normal.

Yes, we have a problem with childhood obesity. But skimping on nutrition during the first critical years in hopes of denying fat a foothold is risky and unwise, to say the least. Children deserve proper nutrition in adequate amounts to promote growth and development. I’ll follow my daughter’s needs and the AAP’s guidelines, not those of my neighbor or the media or the latest trend. My child might not be “average” size, but she’ll be healthy. And I’ll cover her ears every time my well-meaning grandmother advises, “Don’t you let that baby get fat, now” as if a bowl of fresh fruit and a cup of whole milk will suddenly morph her into the baby Goodyear blimp.

Posted by Sunshining.

Salma Hayek is glowing with her pregnancy. And the tabloids cannot get enough of her voluptuous pregnant self. The tabloid that ran this picture considered her “really pregnant”. Now does she look “really pregnant” to you? Usually that means a nice big round belly.

Cut to the chase - her chest has really expanded during pregnancy. And I think she looks great! As a gal who increased 4 bra sizes during each of my pregnancies, I can feel her pain…literally. Large pregnant breasts (if you are blessed with the genetics that turn your normal bust into a pair of cantaloupes) are quite heavy and require sufficient support - often day and night.

Fact of it is - it is something that you can’t change. So good on you Salma for embracing your natural assets. And I wish you a happy and healthy pregnancy!

Posted by Meganlux

Ask me on a frazzled day, and I might say yes. Most days, I’d quickly tell you that my toddler keeps my inner child leaping for joy. For our outer mommy selves, the truth is probably somewhere in between - and attitude plays a big role in it.

Both pregnancy and parenting can cause enormous amounts of stress, and as CareFair.com notes, stress is one of the leading causes of visible and internal signs of aging.

Of course we’re stressed during pregnancy. We feel ugly (I cried walking by the bathroom mirror the other morning), don’t sleep worth a flip, get intimately acquainted with our toilets, aren’t comfortable in our own skin, and worry about our unborn children. Dark circles under our eyes, blotchy skin, and even broken blood vessels gather to mark this stress. Then there’s that pesky weight gain - if your weight gain goes beyond normal amounts, your body comes under undue stress that results in signs of aging to your skin, bones, joints, and ligaments.

Gee, if I wasn’t already stressed out, I might be now! And that’s just pregnancy. Parenting is where the real stress begins, and it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the daily minutiae inherent in mothering our children - the spills, the clashes of wills, the constant wondering whether you’re making the best choices, struggling to get out the door to go anywhere on time, etc. However, a mother’s attitude going into the day can make a huge difference as to how much these potential stressors actually affect her. An easygoing “We can deal with this, whatever ‘this’ turns out to be today” attitude goes a long way toward relieving stress before it even has a chance to pile up.

So…do kids make us look and feel older faster? Ask me this summer, when I’m juggling a two-year-old and a newborn by myself all day. For now, I say no. Coloring with my daughter makes me feel like a carefree kid again myself, and the yogurt smeared across my arm, face, and hair by gleeful little hands is just an all-natural anti-aging cream, right? The giggles that go along with it seem to say so.

Posted by Sunshining.

Having a baby can be a beautiful experience for a mom but a traumatic road for her body. Your body goes through so many changes that once the emotional rollercoaster settles it’s important to get on the fitness path. It is easier said than done.

I’ve been there… three times.

SparkPeople emphasize that you need to put workout and fitness as one of your top priorities. If you find time to exercise your enegy levels will increase, and you’ll feel better about your image. Not only do you need to exercise but it’s important to get support from those around you. You shouldn’t overdo, but whenever you get to the mall walk faster so you can burn some calories. Get help from friends or relatives. Take your baby for a stroll around the park. Most of all, stay motivated.

With my first baby I only gained seven pounds, and�with the second one fourteen. I lost all my baby weight within a month. My third baby… that’s another story. I gained 45 pounds and after a month I had only lost ten. He was born in June and when school started in August I had to take my kids there and handle the baby. When I got home I was really tired. No time for exercise.

Then it hit me. I wanted to have fun with my kids and needed my energy back. I started exercising and finding online support to reach my goal. By the time my baby was a year old I had lost 50 pounds. I have been stuck for the last two months but I have found new motivation during this week. I’m going to be a maid of honor in a fall wedding. By then I hope to reach my goal and lose those extra twenty pounds.

By the way… what is my online support? MomSquawk!

Posted by Momcrazyforkids.

Hispanic Dads and Culture Shock:� A study out of the University of Missouri-Columbia�used interviews to�explore Hispanic male immigrants’ attitudes toward family planning and found that for these men, their traditional values are often in conflict with the fast-paced, wealth-driven culture of their adopted country.� For example, traditionally Hispanic masculinity is associated with large families, which can be hard to manage in the US.� Other factors requiring adjustments:� Accepting that they will not necessarily be able to be the sole breadwinners for their families, and losing family time because of challenging work schedules.

Vasectomy Danger?� Researchers out of Northwestern University have found�that older men who underwent vasectomies are more likely than their peers to develop a form of dementia called Primary Progressive Aphasia, in which the ability to recall and use words is impaired.� A possible reason:� It may be that in men who are snipped, the semen that leaks into the bloodstream breaks the blood-brain barrier and causes damage.�

Kate the Great:� Kate Winslet is threatening to sue�a British magazine over a story that claims she is seeing a diet doctor in Los Angeles.� Ms. Winslet, a mother of two,�has been outspoken�about the pressure to be thin and has repeatedly announced that she will not conform to the super-skinny trend. �”I will continue to say what I feel about this issue of women being thin and emaciated. It’s just out of control…I know I’m a role model to young women. It’s a role that I take very, very seriously and I would never want anyone to ever think I was a hypocrite in doing something like going to a diet doctor, for goodness sake. I mean, it’s really, really ridiculous.”� Go Kate!� Give ‘em hell!

So said designer Valentino yesterday,�after French fashion bigwigs refused to ban super-skinny�models from the catwalks, as Spain, Italy and Brazil have.�

�It’s been a long while since I’ve followed fashion, so I had no idea�how extreme�things had gotten until I stumbled on mamaVision, a former model’s blog about the fashion industry and all its inherent dangers, and its accompanying photos from the Fall 2006 runway shows.

Sure, some women are naturally thin.� But this is just wrong.

Valentino announced, “I want a more fuller woman, proud of her femininity, with fuller sides, more life and a fuller bust. Elegant but with more emphasis on the curves.”� So, OK, we’re still talking about a single ideal of feminine beauty for the fashion world, but at least it’s one that should allow the models to eat something.

Posted by MommaSteph.

Parents cause anorexia? A group of international eating disorder experts is criticizing model Gisele Bundchen for her comment that unsupportive parents are the root cause of anorexia. They note that the disorder has a strong genetic component and that misinformation like that spread by the model adds to the stigma of the disease.

Diabetes Research:� A study�published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences finds that stem cells passed from mother to infant during pregnancy can later differentiate into cells that help the child produce insulin.� The same study found larger amounts of maternal DNA in children and young adults with Type 1 diabetes than in their peers, which implies that the maternal cells might be trying to repair damaged tissue.� These discoveries may have promising implications for the future of diabetes treatment and management.