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Congratulations, Jenny.
First of all, I think this issue has less to do with race, but more to do with the indivisual. I mean, look at all those American celebrities who give birth to loads of children and still look like a virgin in their nude shots! And it's the same in Japan. Only the "successful" mothers expose themselves on TV. There was even an extremely skinny Japanese fashion model, best when showing her legs, who looked like someone else in a photo with her young daughter. This was before her comeback.
Anyway, in means of health, pregnant women in Japan are encouraged to get balanced nutrition but less fat and sugar. This is to prevent problems such as high blood pressure etc. that may affect your baby or its birth.
If you're in Japan, you can obtain a Mother And Child's Handbook at your local hokenjo (public health center) which contains a chart to keep record of your weight. You are to attend a parents-to-be class during your better months, and there they will teach you how to calculate the ideal weight for each of your months. The doctors will also check your weight upon your regular check-ups. Of course, whether you can eat right and excersize right is all up to you.
The way the belly shows during pregnancy as a result of this, vary from person to person. Some bellys stick out, some don't. This has less to do with your health condition or postpartum figure.
Once the baby is born, breastfeeding is generally encouraged in Japan. Breastfeeding not only is considered good for the baby's mental health and nutrition, but is also supposed to make your womb shrink promptly.
Also after your 5th month of pregnancy, wearing "hara-obi" which is a piece of long cloth, is a traditional custom. It is supposed to support your big belly gently while pregnant, and you can wear it tighter after the baby is born so that it will support the shrinking of your womb. A lot of people may prefer to wear a special girdle instead, or both. Corsets are available for postpartum as well.
In means of beauty however, doctors won't tell you so much about it. You gather information from friends and the media. Various cream is sold to prevent stretch marks, and a mother of two said she wears her corset as tight as possible as soon as the baby is born.
But you have to keep in mind that you shouldn't be doing harsh excersize right after the birth, and you need to take a lot of good nutrition to breastfeed the baby. So it's not that easy to maintain your figure, especially with your breast being three times bigger than ever.
But fear not when your skin starts looking like a deflated balloon. Sooner or later, it catches up and your skin will be tighter again.
That said, I think that very few people get their figure back 100%. Your pelvis has expanded, and your nipples have been sucked day after day, and even though you weigh a lot less than you used to, funny that you can't wear the same pants or skirts you had before.
But that's that. Even if you don't have a baby, humans age one way or another. You are not the same person you used to be, but you can become a new beautiful mature woman who just happens to need to renew all her wardrobe.
Sira's right about looking at your mother. Mother and daughter tend to have similar physical characterisitics. My doctor actually told me that. So it also helps you predict a lot of health conditions allowing you to be prepared in advance.
Joining one of the many mix-married family groups or simply making one yourself, will help you gather and exchange more information. Speaking of international parents' groups, I used to join two, and I never noticed any difference between race, as far as postpartum figure is concerned.
"Are Japanese people more forgiving of stretch marks and loose skin as long as the mother is in shape?"
Well, as long as you don't wear bikinis, no one will notice.
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