Please let me know if you got extra skin overhang/apron on top of your Cesarean Section scar? Yes or No?

[PJen]

Hello all of you who had a elective or emergency section. I just want to get a realistic idea of section overhang or apron and if it is a universal thing that everyone gets or is it luck (determined by surgeon's skill set?). Please help me understand this as I am carrying a breech/transverse baby and will discuss the section with consultants and want to understand the reality from mom's side that have been through it. Thanks xoxox

No overhang. Had 3 babies, the last one by ELCS. Had a flat stomach before pg, my flabbier bits are located elsewhere but mw also said it's a very neat incision so down to the skill of the surgeon too.

2 sections, slight overhang.

I had none at all when I was at my thinnest 1 year after ds was born. So for me, it was a weight issue. I think I was too thin then. Am a healthier weight now but I have the overhang. Does not show when I am in a (one-piece) swimsuit.

I've had two sections, one emergency for breech and the second elective. No overhang whatsoever and stomach pretty flat within about 3 months. The scar isn't pretty (I seem to scar badly) but you can't see it even in a bikini as it's so low. I think weight loss after pregnancy is entirely down to luck. I ate (and am still eating) like a pig but lost all the weight within 3 months (was just under 9 stone when I got pregnant and am now back to the same weight). Think its's down to breastfeeding but, again, depends on the individual.

One ELCS, no overhang. Under 7 stone pre-pregnancy, and am the same now. I breastfed.

Unlike QT, I did put on weight in first trimester, but I think that's down to being underweight to start with. I felt almost animalistic in my desire to eat, it was awful as I'd never felt anything like it, and was permanently exhausted and queasy, but never actually sick. I put on a fair amount during pregnancy, but it all came straight off again. Thank goodness.

Goes to show, different people have different experiences. It would be great to be above worrying about my body and how it looks, but it's important to me. Just because I'm a mother, it doesn't mean I am giving up caring about my body!

Hi there, I've had 2 c-sections, one emergency, one planned having difficulty getting them out. Anyway pre-babies was naturally skinny size 8/10 but still have never ever had a flat tum, that only happens after severe gastroenteritis.
I have an overhang now because the c-section scar runs across the part of my body which happens to store any spare fat. It doesn't bother me tho' it was just what happened to get the lovely babies out safely so a very small price to pay.
I ate fairly sensibly through both pregnancies and exercised, did all the bio-oil etc and put on 4 stone with 1st though some of that was horrendous oedema and approx 3 stone with 2nd. No stretch marks on tum but my bum still covered in them from teen growth spurt whereas had kids in my mid 30s. Breastfed both for about a year and 4 years on from the last one am roughly pre-pregnancy weight and still have the overhang but I just tuck it into my jeans and forget about it! The most important thing is not the flatness of my stomach but having managed to have the kids
BTW I was hoping for a natural birth so found the whole thing a bit of a shock but the website caesarean.org was useful for more info after the emergency one and after the second I bought the book 'Caesarean Recovery' which you can get on Amazon. It has some good advice on how to look after yourself post-c-section and how to help you to recover, heal and get mobile and strong again. I hope that helps and good luck!

I've had two c-sections (both emergency, first time for a transverse oblique lie). The first one was pretty good in terms of aesthetics, but the second one is a bit wonky. I'm told that they get technically more difficult after the first one because of the previous scar tissue. I wouldn't say I have an overhang, but it's not very beautiful (a sort of wonky dent which pulls at times). I had the weird numbness for a few years afterward too, but now (dd is 10) it's mostly worn off. I think it is a combination of how much you stretch when pregnant, how you scar, how elastic your skin is, the skill of the surgeon and the exercise you put in after birth (there are some really good gently abdominal exercises you can do in the first few weeks after birth which for me anyway worked really well). My breasts suffered much more from the whole birth/bf experience. But it's nice not to have any issues with tears etc - I have no pelvic floor issues, and some of my friends have had many more problems than me.

No overhang at all. Have had to had a subsequent (unrelated) stomach operation, and at every examination I had, the docs/ surgeons etc all spontaeously commented on the neatness of my scar, so I think I was lucky with surgeon, espcially as it was a emc, and done as fast as poss. Scar still feels numb though, and I never feel I've quite got my core body strenght back to what it was.

1 CS (planned) - no overhang. Bit of muffin top if I'm not working out enough but no "flap" to speak of. IMO it was much much harder to recover from the natural childbirth I had with DC1 -- pelvic floor gone (for years). Shudder. Thank goodness I'm past that now. Good luck.

still have some lack of sensation, and have put on quite a bit of weight so obv tummy is fatter than scar and sticks out/ hangs over (?) not sure it hangs over really - it's just bigger as i have fat there, and not below my scar... (suspect i would be the same shape without having had a cs tbh?)

am fascinated by how much attention folk are paying. i got pg, put on weight, had a baby by elcs, have a scar, had two more vbac babies, put on a bit more weight, and have at no point sat and pondered what effect a cs has had on my body. scar is v neat.

if you have a cs, you have a cs. it's pretty routine, and you're going to have a scar that unless you are pondering about it and checking the mirror, will have no effect on your life at all once the incision heals...

if it helps, my obstetrician said he wouldn't let his wife give birth naturally, as a cs was far better for the woman with less long term consequences for her body. unless you are planning more than three (cs) births. hey ho.

One ELCS (3 natural) no overhang, and I put on massive amounts each time

Mine is more like the scar dents in iykwim. At my second section the surgeon did a little extra work so it is smoother than after the first time. I guess I'm a little vain because it does bother me even though dh and I are the only ones who ever see it. I would still have opted for the section though!

One EMCS followed by 2 normal deliveries. I had an overhand after the EMCS, but the subsequent pregnancies seemed to stretch the scar, so it's pretty unnoticeable now, fat or less fat (I'm never what you'd call thin).

I'm always suprised at the 'how you look should be the last of your concerns' brigade though. As if having a baby obliterates how you feel about your body. Why is that attitude any less surprising than someone who cares about what they look like post birth?

Personally I'd have been pretty glum if I'd have ended up with a massive overhang post-section and I don't think that makes me care any less about my children. It was hugely important to me that they arrived safe and well but equally I didn't want to look like I'd given birth to an elephant and then been run over by a tram afterwards. I had a nice tummy before I got pregnant and I didn't want to be miles removed from that afterwards. To some people that's vain but to me it's just about my identity. How I looked pre-children is part of who I was pre-children so keeping hold of some of that afterwards ('some' - not all) was and is important to me. I guess if that attitude irritates some people then that's their deal. I just find the whole "why on earth does it matter?" a bit holier than thou. I mean, how dare people be disgusting enough to even consider their stomach once they've had children...

Anyway, in answer to the OPs questions, I didn't get an overhang but my weight gain wasn't massive. I personally think it's down to a mix of genetics (skin tone), your surgeon's skill and how much weight you gain. I was lucky on all three but that's just it - luck. My sister in law, who has lovely skin tone put on a lot of weight at the end due to water retention and had a shIt, b*stard surgeon who gave her a wonky, crappy scar. She's got a horrible flap/overhang and it drives her mad.

I had an ELCS due to a breech baby in March this year. I have a fairly neat scar, but a slight overhang on one side only. For info, I am a fairly slim person, around 11st, put on an immense amount of weight during pregnancy due to water retention, and am now a stone lighter than before I got pregnant.

So, I don't think it's down to not losing pregnancy weight, etc. I think it's just down to luck... Mine has got a little better since I lost the weight, but I don't think it will go completely.

On another note though, nearly 7 months on and my scar still itches quite frequently, especially if I get hot. Anyone else?

Just to clarify - after reading back these posts, mine is more of a "bulge" over the scar on one side, rather than an overhang...

8 years post cs and yes a slight unnatural bulge above my scar and a definite loss of sensation/numbness. Not something I worry about though as magic pants are brilliant things.

EMCS 7 months ago, havent really got any overhang, was average build size 12 before and back to that now. Belly a bit looser though.
Didnt put on much weight anywhere other than belly, no idea how much as I never weigh myself.
My scar is v small and v neat and I am very greatful to the surgeon for that. It is very dependent on surgeon IMO as friend who had sections at same hospital have very different scars. Different surgeons have different stitching methods too. As you have time to plan it, worth asking about this.

I'm not sure why, but I think the advice is to put on around half a stone during the first month - that's what I've read anyway.

I'm not judging anyone, I just think it's really sad to feel that your identity is defined by your looks and that you need to strive to maintain the same looks as you had prepregnancy. It's a fact of life that your body changes in some quite wierd and extraordinary ways during pregnancy, birth/c-section and breastfeeding and if you worry about it then that to me is a real shame.

I have a huge overhang - and it's not an exaggeration. After two c-sections it is clearly visible in jeans or trousers. With DC1 I gained 3.5 st in total and had lost all by 6months. (Started out as 10st). I had the worse stretchmarks of anyone I have ever met. I swam 4 times a week until 38 weeks and delivered at 39. I gained 2.5 st with DC2 and got even more stretchmarks (from thighs to breasts) - did very little exercise as was so exhausted from pregnancy, DC1 and work. But then again, I'm guessing that I would probably have ended up in that state whatever I did.

I have wondered whether spine length or height and weight gain are related. I seem to only meet people who either didn't get any stretch marks or just a couple. I am 5' 3". Anyone got any ideas??

No, but I did a lot of swimming and pilates whilst pregnant and had an excellent surgeon. Very low, neat scar too.

And by the way - yes it makes me miserable as hell, it has undoubtedly changed how attractive I look and feel. I would love to have enjoyed a tummy that was just a bit loose post pg. I also feel reassured by mners who say other things are more important - because they are.

Unfortunately I do look like an elephant run over by a tram. And I still go to the gym four times a week during this pregnancy. I still care about the way I look, but look at though I don't!

I have had 2 caesareans and have no overhang. My scar was quite low both times - well below the line of my pubic hair, just to be clear. Not sure how this compares to others as I haven't seen any.

I think someone else has asked this question before and I remember thinking it seemed to be people who had low scars who didn't have an overhang.

Now all pile in and tell me I'm wrong