If you've had kids... has the skin on your stomach ever gone back to normal?

[notspringingback]

I had my first when I was 36 and my second when I was 39 so not young. I've never had stretch marks, however, the skin on my stomach is a bit 'loose' when I am sat down IYSWIM. When I am standing up it's not noticeable.

I was curious if others have the same issue? I am a very similar weight now to before pregnancy (I'm a few KGs lighter now).

It's not something I lose sleep over, I was just curious. I assume there is nothing that will help (but if anyone has any wonderful fixes, let me know! 😂)

No never went back to what it was. I am petite though so my belly was huge as baby had only one way to grow and that was out! Taller women with twins had smaller bellies than I did.

I'm 51 and have always exercised and even though I was in the overweight BMI range after having DDs in my 30s and have only become more of a healthy weight recently, I've never had loose skin particularly on my stomach. A strong pelvic platform is the main thing though rather a flat stomach or six pack.

No, and I had mine in my twenties. I think it's worse if you were relatively slim as it needs to stretch more.

No, my youngest is 17yo now so I guess it never will.

I’m exactly the same. Almost three years on and I’ve just about made my peace with it (I’m 40
now). I look roughly the same as pre-pregnancy in clothes, it’s just when the trousers come off you can see the ‘jiggle’. I exercise, generally eat well… I just think this is the next phase of me.

Yes mine went back. I was 24 though.

No, mine has a ‘crepey’ layer of skin. I have good abdominal muscles which I can feel, and not much fat but the skin is a bit loose and looks slightly rippled. My first DC was only 7lbs and I had a neat bump, but my second was nearly 9lbs and as I’m short with a short body, I had a huge bump, right out front almost like a torpedo. I also had quite a few stretch marks for the same reason.

I was only 30 when I had him, so I had quite young skin, and I got back to exercise very soon after I had him. But that little loose pouch has never completely gone. The fact that it was also stretch marked caused the ‘crepey’ effect because although the stretch marks have completely faded, the skin there is thinner.

Anyway, it’s not very noticeable and doesn’t bother me, and the bonus is that if I have a big meal it smoothes it all out (but then I’ve got a pot belly 😂)

My stomach was fine but I have stretch marks on my cleavage! More textural rather than visible, but I suppose that's what happens when you go from a B cup to an F and back again... I quite like them because they remind me of that time in my life.

I noticed no difference in my stomach skin. It all went back to how it was. No stretch marks or loose skin. I was 31 and 33 when I had my DC.

Mine never changed. Obviously it stretched while I was pregnant but immediately after birth it looked like it did before I was pregnant without doing anything.

Mine never changed.

Same. Which is weird because I have stretch marks on other parts of my body from growth spurts and weight gain etc, but pregnancy belly just stayed the same.

Absolutely not.. along with a few other parts of my body. Thank you DS!

It makes me a bit sad seeing other mums on holiday with absolutely perfect skin (you’d never knew they had kids) because mine was trashed! Stretch marks, loose, saggy… you name it!

Yes mine went back. It’s a bit crepe like if I push the skin together but otherwise it looks like it always did. I am hypermobile though and have quite stretchy skin so maybe that helped?

Mine never changed, except the dark line down the middle (which faded). However, I have just had an umbilical hernia fixed 8 years after I last gave birth! So now I have a very weird belly button.

No, it did more after my first smaller baby but not after my big DS2!

No

No. I had a fantastic flat & smooth stomach pre-kids. It was model-standard although I’m very ordinary looking.

Went back reasonably well but not completely after first baby at 38, I was absolutely huge with my second and it never recovered. (Also had several pregnancies in between that ended in miscarriage.)

For me it has been more the skin at the top around the ribs that is still lined and wrinkly, then if I’m on all fours (happily not frequently or in public!) there’s a kind of pouch that hangs down! Lovely…

Gave birth at 38, skin went back.

I never had stretch marks or changes to my skin, I just have a bit of a C-section pouch. My mum, who was teeny, was back in a size 8 within days of having me but her stomach looks like crepe paper forever, much to annoyance.

Mine has never recovered. It bothers me more than I’d care to admit. If I could afford to do something about it then I absolutely would, and I am not a person that worries about my body generally or someone who spends £££ on nails, eyebrows etc. I had a great stomach before my two babies 😭

I had my first dc in m teens.
Stretch marks from my knees to my belly button.
Im very petite so my tummy was big. Never was the same despite not being over weight, plenty of moisturizing and exercise.

As long as your escaped with your bladder and bowel intact OP, don’t sweat it. X

No! But they say it's my fault as I was over 25. To be fair, it wasn't so bad after my first, just the skin wasn't exactly the same. The second was an emergency CS, so my stomach has been in a right state since, with a falppy droopy apron despite tons of exercise,but it's the same with everyone I know who had CS, and who cares anyway, we're mums now, and if our husbands/wives were pathetic enough to judge bodies, they're not worth being with.

I think like lots of things it’s to do with genetics. My youngest was 5kg so I was huge but no stretch marks or crepey skin (I was 35). I do have stretch marks on my hips though from when I went through puberty. I’m tall and a rigid size 16 so I think maybe there was less of me to stretch than had I been 5ft2 and a size 8. I’m just thankful my pelvic floor survived and I can sneeze with impunity even though I’m in my 50s.