Will my c section pooch ever go?

[littledinonaurs]

Had dc2 via c section 5 months ago (1st section) and I've almost lost all the weight I gained, shy of half a stone but I've still got this horrific overhang/shelf where the incision is. I'm slim and fairly toned but it's not showing any signs of going!

I went shopping yesterday excited to try on new non maternity clothes and ended up coming back feeling like shit because all I can see is the weird dent/speed bump on my stomach.

Does it ever go away?

11 years on, no!

16 years here... no. No matter how much weight I lost, I can no longer wear jeans and trousers. I just wear dresses.

I had emcs1 11 years ago and emcs2 7 years ago. I work out a lot. I am a slim size 6/8 with good abs and a strong core.

No the overhang hasn't gone. It won't ever go for me. It's stitched too tight and the loose skin will always hang down. Do I like it? No. Can I change it? No.

No. 17 years on & mine's still there & I have a horrible rash/skin infection that never goes away

Primark stretch granny pants are a good disguise. 3 pairs for a fiver _on a hanger type thing.

Nope. Just wear it with pride and be grateful for the baby. That's been my attitude for the past 24 years anyway

Mine didn't after 2 c-sections despite being a healthy weight and exercising regularly. So I had a tummy tuck 4 months ago. Best thing I ever did, I've got my confidence back after 11 years of hating my stomach

I've had mine over 20 years. It doesn't get worse, but it doesn't get better. I've also got a horrid ridge of scar tissue (had 2 sections) that tends to be really painful if I ever get a cough/cold and regularly gets infected. I hate it.

I've lost 3 stone over the last couple of years and it's not helped at all. 2 more stone and it's a tummy tuck for me.

10 years on... it's clearly going nowhere...

To give you hope... I had my CS 10 years ago and would say it's not noticeable, even in a bikini. I might be lucky, I don't know.

3 years on no. Swim, yoga, size 10. Kangaroo pouch very much present.

Though without my section me and my DD would have died so it’s a small price to pay really

I run regularly, healthy BMI.
Still got the pooch after sections in 2014 & 2016.

It's really changed my body shape and I must admit it gets me down on occasion but it's a price very much worth paying for my beautiful DC.

15 years on. Still got it despite exercise. Annoying but I try to ignore it.

8 years on here and I am resigned to never wearing sexy knickers again.

I had 1 cs nearly 8 years ago, and another one in April, it was bad after the first one and got much worse after the second. It's massive now and isn't going anywhere

After my first was born naturally my belly went back to how it was before (with some stretch marks) and I happily wore the same clothes and a bikini.

After my second was born via planned c section my belly has never gone back to anything like it was before.

I lost the weight both times but I am amazed at how my belly looks. I now won’t wear a bikini and if I even put on a tiny bit of weight I look pregnant :(

I am a size 8/10 but my ‘style’ has had to change.

Nope, I've had two incisions in the same line so there's zero hope. I've now lost lots of weight, so just have this little fold of skin, not helped by the fact that I had such terrible stretch marks that my whole stomach is like crepe paper. I think it's because the skin itself is so much less taut after pregnancy, but the scar tissue is really tight, so the two don't work together!

I've not had a C section but I sympathise with you OP. All I wanted to say was over our lives we collect our battle scars whether physically or mentally. I've had physical problems, not major, but that determine what I wear and it is depressing when there's clothes you would love to wear but can't It's not helped by the expectations to be perfect.

I'm pretty sure it's how they stitch you - first c-section abroad, everything came back in (was a tight and occasionally a bit painful healing).

Second c-section in the UK, healed fast, everything felt looser, and have a big overhang.

From reading around, I think there are different ways of stitching you back up, and if they don't do enough layers (I definitely felt an internal layer of stitching disolve the first time, that I didn't on the second) then stuff doesn't re-attach properly, slides down, hence the overhang.

It took about 7 months to be smoothish and 6 years on is now totally flat for me. I did do Charlotte's belly blitz every single day for a couple of months and that worked wonders x

IMHO, no
1 EMCS nearly 1 yrs ago and an ELCS 10 years ago
No matter what I do, the caesarean shelf is still there
It's a bugger and I am also considering tummy tuck, but when I am really upset about it I remind myself DC would not be alive without it

I’ve had two sections and have no overhang at all. Just a thin white line at my bikini line. Honestly though I think it had gone by 5 months. No advice I’m afraid. I think it’s just luck.

I've just had my third csection. This has all made me feel a whole lot better. Honestly, I feel I've been brainwashed to believe that I can only be beautiful/attractive if I have a flat tummy, and should loath myself if not. Working on how I feel about that alongside Yoga exercises!

The alternative to my CS was the death of me and two babies. A wobbly overhang is a small price to pay for avoiding that.

I have never had a c-section before, but my DSIL has and this is something she has been complaining about for 7 years. She has tried absolutely everything you can think of, apart from surgery and she can not get rid of it either. She has come to terms with her new body, however. She realises that this is how her body is now and just embraces it.

Please don't let this hinder your time as a new mother. Your DC is worth it, I have no doubt.