Post C-Section Belly

[SleepyHeid]

Hello,

Posting here for traffic as the post-natal board seems very quiet.

I was wondering, for those who have had a c section, how long did it take for your stomach to return to it's former glory (if it ever did)?

I'm almost 4 weeks post section (just to be clear, I'm under no illusion that it'll take much longer than a month to get rid of the belly) and have what resembles a shelf directly above my scar which I'm assuming is diastasis recti (or is it too soon to tell?)

I'm just looking for some anecdotal evidence to try and gauge how likely it is that I'll get rid of it. Incase it's relevant, I'm 35, FTM and was higher end of healthy BMI prior to pregnancy. I've lost 23lbs since giving birth and have the same again to go until I'm back to my pre-pregnancy weight.

Thanks.

I'm a year down the line. My scar healed lovely and it's difficult to see unless your looking for it.

I've still got a 'pouch' and to be honest I think that will be there for quite a while. I'm trying to loose weight - getting married next year - but it's slow going.

I've got back problems limited with what exercise I can do - I walk a lot and sometimes go on the treadmill, but my stomach is always the last place that I loose weight.

Hi OP,

Congratulations on the little one

I had my first section in Feb 2018. While the little shelf above my scar never completely went away it was much, much less noticeable by the time my baby was around 18 months old. I always assumed the little bump was due to the scar tissue so accepted it would always be there. Bur unless you're looking for it you probably won't notice!

I'm now pregnant with my second and due another section in less than 2 weeks so we will see how it goes this time around!

Well, it's 10 years now and I'm still waiting... I'm slightly heavier than I like to be, but a healthy weight and BMI, so it's not that I've not lost the baby weight. I'm moderately fit and do have abs. Somewhere but not visible!

I think it's more that the c section pulled it very tight where it was stitched, so where before the whole area would have been curvy, I now have a built in muffin top.

I can't see it going anywhere.

Congrats on your baby OP

I'm 14 months down the line and scar is barely visible at all. I still very much have a post baby belly but that's because I've been very lax with losing weight.

But I'm now well on the way through a good food/exercise regime and it's starting to tone up more. Think there will always be a bit of a pouch (and stretchmarks) but it's pretty small.

Also, just to add don't put too much strain on your core if and when you start to exercise again. I haven't been able to do sit ups or crunches until recently and I think it's advised to leave intensive abs exercise till a year post partum.

I found some really good videos on YouTube for diastasis recti - my favourite one was HASFit. Hope that's helpful, sorry it's so long!

I had my first csection but second baby 4 months ago. It wasn’t until about 2 weeks ago that my little pouch above my scar went away and from the side my belly looks flat. Although I’m left with some lovely wrinkly skin around my belly piercing. Hopefully once the gyms open and I can do some proper exercise I can get things back to some kind of normal.

1st section after about 6 months it was back to normal and I didn't even have a pouch, I was so pleased. If only I'd stopped there 😭

11 mo after my second now, I have a very subtle pouch but my stomach looks more bloated than it used to like the muscles aren't holding it in as well if that makes sense? I'm hoping it's just the lockdown wine that's caused it as it will go back to normal when I'm doing lots of school run walking with DS in the sling.

I had two csections (15 months apart) and my stomach is a mess- it literally hangs over so I can't see my scar. I've been told no matter how much weight I lose (I've gained 4 stones from both pregnancies), I'll always have the CS 'shelf' unless I have surgery (which I'm not).

We went on holiday when DD was 10 weeks and I wore last year’s bikini and looked, I think, pretty much as before.
I don’t expect to be so lucky second time around!

I've had 2 section. Both scars have healed amazingly well. After the first one my stomach was pretty normal after about a year. Second one has ruined it with over stretched skin, which gets worse the more weight I loose. I'll have the apron unless I get surgery to correct it.

Mine won't shift, pre lockdown I was at my lowest ever weight but I still had that small sticky outy bit. I was making some good progress with weight lifting so I was looking forward to hopefully seeing progress but that all went to pot and now I'm facing the consequences of boredom eating and drinking whilst barely doing exercise.

It depends how tightly your scar is stitched I think, I have had two along the same line and I have a definite pouch which I don't think will ever go, partly because the skin is so stretched that even though I've lost weight the skin itself won't retract any more and because the scar itself is very tight.

It depends how tightly your scar is stitched I think, I have had two along the same line and I have a definite pouch which I don't think will ever go, partly because the skin is so stretched that even though I've lost weight the skin itself won't retract any more and because the scar itself is very tight.

Scar massage might help a bit. It helps to break down some of the scar tissue that contributes to ‘the shelf’.

I still have a tiny bit of slightly thicker tissue above the scar but even by 6 months it was barely noticeable. We’ll see what happens with this pregnancy though!

After my first three sections I had no pouch and my stomach was normal again after about 12 weeks, albeit with stretch mark. Then it all went wrong and I've now got a pouch. If I had the money I'd have a tummy tuck.
I think it's just the luck of the draw. Though I could do with losing a few lbs I guess.

After my first three sections I had no pouch and my stomach was normal again after about 12 weeks, albeit with stretch mark. Then it all went wrong and I've now got a pouch. If I had the money I'd have a tummy tuck.
I think it's just the luck of the draw. Though I could do with losing a few lbs I guess.

I’ve had two, 5 years apart

First: no pouch, smooth and flat, scar almost disappeared. Couldn’t really tell it had happened after a year.

Second: scar a bit visible a year later, no Pouch but a bit puffy above it, especially at period time.

I’m not carrying extra weight & think I was lucky with two good stitchers?!

There won’t be a third...... 😂

30 years later and my c section pouch is still there!! Is this a MN record?

I've had 3 sections. After the last one I lost the weight and was back in my old size 8 jeans within a couple of months but 6 years later the pouch is still there and I can't shift it. In clothes I look OK but my stomach is a mess. I can't feel anything from belly button down to my scar. The scar itself has faded to virtually nothing.

I had a CS 9+ years ago (emergency, late in labour, huge bump)
I've had a droopy flap of spare, partially numb skin/ flesh flapping around there ever since.
I think surgery would be it's only chance of redemption. I got down below 9st for a while after both pregnancies, and it's there regardless of my weight.

I think a lot of it is due to stretching from a 26" waist to 43" through pregnancy so my skin elasticity is trashed. The scar is relatively neat which doesn't mean much when it's permanently covered by a spare flap of flesh.

I just make sure that everything is high waisted or the bugger escapes.

I've had 3 sections. First one no pouch, second one pouch took about 12-18 months to go. I'm 8 months after my third and I still have a pouch. The skin is also very numb/sensitive urgh! I'm around 9 and half stone now but I'm hoping over the next 6 months it will go down more but I think it will always be there a bit. My scar has always healed beautifully though. I also definitely have fairly significant diastasis recti.

Thanks so much for all your replies, it's good to hear people's experiences.

It'll 4 weeks tomorrow since my section and my scar is looking great, I'm really pleased with it and have no numbness either. I did have a big bruise beneath my belly button after the op but that's long gone now.

I'm able to tense my stomach muscles so hoping that's a good sign 🤞🏼 to be honest, I wasn't a fitness fanatic prior to pregnancy so didn't have a strong core to begin with but I'm hoping I can rectify that.

@sconenotscon best of luck with your upcoming section!

@ShrimpingViolet thank you for the YouTube video recommendation, I'll check that out.

I opted for a planned c section second time round and was filled with horror when I realised I had a pouch which I didn’t with my first vaginal birth! Asides from that, my section was a great experience. I was frantically googling what might happen. Nobody warned me about the possibility that I might have one and that it might stay. It’s now gone (I’d say it took 12 months to disappear completely), but I’d sort of made my peace with potentially having one forever by about 6 months. I would’ve really appreciated being prepared for it though!

My first baby, I was extremely healthy and exercised loads in pregnancy. I was back to normal within 6 weeks. My scar had faded, and even though I put weight on my stomach I didn’t have the pouch that a lot of people talk about. It was an ELCS and the doctor did a great job.

For my second baby like you I had about 20lbs to lose after the initial couple of weeks. Definitely a slower return to normal. But I don’t have the pouch again, despite a flabbier stomach. I’m 7 months pp but have only just started working on my body.