Over hanging stomach after c section?

[mincymoo124]

Does anyone else have a over hang after a c section? I'm 6.5 months pp now and everyday I look in the mirror and feel sick at the sight of my stomach it literally hangs over and covers my scar (I can't see my scar) some fat and loose skin! In anyone else's experience does it just go down over time or will it always be there? I'm starting a bit of exercise use next week but can't see it shifting :( someone said a tummy tuck is the only way to get rid? I'm sick of seeing all these women a couple of months after giving birth with a flat stomach!!

[mincymoo124]

Oh and I still look about 6 months pregnant

[Ebony12]

Hi @mincymoo124

I know what you mean my little one is 8 months and I still have a pouch but my pregnancy was all out the front and from behind you wouldn't know I was pregnant, plus I haven't yet gone back to the gym and some weeks I eat really healthy and other weeks I'm just snacking on rubbish.

Is this your first pregnancy? Have you checked your tummy muscles for abdominal separation? (Google - disastasis recti) There will be an explanation to help you assess how separated your muscles are?
If your muscles are very separated there are certain exercises you can do and might be worth seeing a physio? Basically my pregnancy and how I carried meant I was at more risk of having very separated tummy muscles. They aren't too bad, but not great either. Like you I really need to start getting fitter but with a little one all the meals for weaning and house work / baby classes I don't actually know when I will find the time 

[Ebony12]

And yes I had a c section also

[Notasunnybunny]

Didnt have a c section but it took two years for my body to ‘re set’ and even then it wasn’t quite ever the same

[DarkestBeforeDawn]

I have had three sections. Since having my children I have lost the almost four stone which I put on. This is great, however, no amount of weight loss seems to have made much of an impact on reducing my over hang. I hate it too but am having to learn to accept that this is my body now.

[TroubledLichen]

I was also going to say diastasis recti. If your abdominal muscles haven’t come back together properly then you should be careful with your exercise regime as things like crunches can make it worse. Lay down on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, lift your head/neck slightly and feel with your fingers if there’s gap between the sides of your abdominal wall, along the centre of your stomach.

[EllenRipley]

Diastasis recti could well be a factor and if you have it there are things you can do to fix it (I recommend exercises by a biomechanist called Katy Bowman, you can find info online and she's written a really useful book on the subject).

However, a specific c-section overhang is very common and a direct result of the surgery, both the incision and the way you've been stitched back together! It will naturally reduce a bit and you can do massage etc to try and reduce the scar tissue but I'm afraid you will have to live with it to some degree. Mine is still quite noticeable and uneven but now it's just part of my body.

[breastfeedingdrivingmecrazy]

I had a c section. On the right hand side the scar goes up a little higher than on the left, and it is that side that I have a little bit of overhang. There is none of the left, which suggests that a lot of it is to do with the positioning of the incision.

However it does also sound like you have a little bit of diastasis recti, which you would need to fix to solve the problem.

[MiniMaxi]

I had the same for ages. It went away eventually!

[marciagetscreamed]

I've had two sections and it took about a year to get 'back to normal' for me.
After six months I still felt and looked pregnant so I would say give it a bit longer before you decide on more drastic measures.

[RaymondHolt]

Sorry to say mine didn't go after my first but I found that running reduced it.
Just had my second and I cannot see how I will ever get rid of it without a tummy tuck although I don't really want surgery again.

[Mummytobabygirl]

@mincymoo124 I thought I was the only one! I’m too 6 months since having my little girl
I’ve read so many things about csection belly taking longer to go down but some days I look so pregnant still. I’m being extra healthy and walking lots now but can’t shift any weight x

[Beaverhurdle]

Yup, but tbf my tummy was never flat before, no matter how slim iv been iv always had a wee muffintop! It doesnt bother me really. I think its imposdible to grow a second human inside yourself and come out the other side pristine. The haemorrhoids (sp?) Bother me more

[Fatted]

I have had 2 sections and I still have the overhang 3 years later. I've been told losing weight will reduce it to a certain point, but because it's mainly made up of stretched skin, there's only so much you can do without surgery.

Mine doesn't really bother me. I guess after so long I go used to it. I was never one for wandering around in a bikini before kids anyway. Usually, I can just tuck it into my knickers.

Still looking pregnant probably is separated muscles rather than anything to do with the overhang, so I would go to get that checked at the Dr as others have suggested.

[villageshop]

Sorry OP but I'm afraid no amount of dieting or exercise will get rid of the actual overhang completely as it is caused by the way you were sewn up.

Weight loss and exercise can help to minimise it over time but an overhang will remain to an extent.

A tummy tuck really is the only option to eliminate the overhang entirely, but the scar will extend further than a C section scar.

[Murane]

I was told that a c-section takes a year to fully heal internally (and if I intended to have another baby I definitely shouldn't get pregnant before the year was up). So at 6.5 months you're still in recovery. Losing fat will help the skin to shrink as much as possible, and building some abdominal muscle to fill out the skin will help too. Personally I'd wait a year to fully heal and a second year to get fit and lose weight, before I assumed that was the final shape of my body.

[villageshop]

A C section overhang is a physical alteration to the structure of the stomach. Weight loss and toning can help but won't change the way the cut was sewn up, which has caused the overhang.

This pic shows the structural overhang on a slim toned woman.
www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=WRv33MeH&id=FF3FF9B4E4358F8ABD83BB95196DD905FCC68AC8&thid=OIP.WRv33MeHCpGRKYYel-tUJgHaFj&mediaurl=https%3a%2f%2fwww.drrocheford.com%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2017%2f01%2fview172_before.jpg&exph=224&expw=299&q=c+section+overhang&simid=608022489309316634&selectedIndex=1&ajaxhist=0

[jude1960]

My daughter had a c section and the hospital gave her compression garment to wear after. It helped pull her muscles back into shape and she walked every day. After 3 months her tummy was back to pretty much normal. All hospitals should use these.

[villageshop]

Yes, compression garments work well when there is not a 'sewn in' overhang.

[springsummer12]

I have a bit of a pouch of stretched skin but it’s well above the cs scar. I think I would have had it regardless of birth mode. As it’s over stretched skin that’s just a bit saggy I doubt exercise etc will help. I do a lot of sport anyway so time will tell!

[namechangerstranger]

I have a hanging lower tummy but didn't have a CS. I'm slim but not skinny and have got back within 1/2 a stone of my pre- pregnancy weight. However my stretched skin just makes my lower tummy hang- it's more muffin flop than muffin top.

I was massive pregnant put on over 3 stone and had a big baby

[MizzAH]

Hi im trying for another baby but my first c section left me with a shelf now it went down quite a bit that i could cope with it but just wondering after your second c section did it end up worse or stay the same?