When did your pg tummy finally retract to normal size?

[BobbysBeardOfWonder]

I gave birth to DC2 12 days ago :) With DC1 I'm sure by this point my uterus had contracted pretty much back to what I would consider normal size...certainly not making me look 6 months pregnant still.
I was asked the other day when my baby is due :(

None of my clothes fit and I'm just feeling a bit uncomfortable about my body. I know it's still early days and am of course incredibly grateful for my healthy baby, but living in the same pair of trousers & top is getting a bit silly.

What are other people's experiences?

Ok this might not be what you want to hear but my ds2 is 6 weeks and I've been out today and bought clothes in a bigger size as its much slower to shift this time. I was a 10-12 pre pregnancy and have been having to buy 14-16 clothes now

DH is being really supportive and discouraging me from dieting as breastfeeding. I will get the weight off but I think it will just take longer this time.

As you said you are very early days. Go buy some new clothes, remember your shape has changed so things that suited you before might not now and visa versa. Primark has been very useful for a few bits to keep me going

Good luck

About 4 years?

Friday!

My DS2 is eight weeks and I am currently wearing size 10 jeans, having been a 6/8 pre-pregnancy. Can't say I am thrilled about that, feeling rather chunky as I am only five foot. With DS1 I was back to size 8 by now. Hoping I will be back there in a few months. Dieting not an option as I am breastfeeding and diabetic on insulin - a calorific combination!

My uterus was pretty much contracted by day 5 and completely contracted back when I was checked on day 10.

I could wear my normal clothes on day 4 (slightly stretchy trousers) and my normal cords/jeans by day 10. My stomach looks like it did pre-pg, but given that it was a completely flabby size 18 that's not a mega achievement.

Oh, DS2 is 19 days today.

Congrats on DC2

uterus not the same as tummy.

my stretchy baggy skin is still quite a bit baggy, 5½ months, but i fit into my normal clothes (on the bottom - the bazunkas mean i have no tops that fit!)_

Thing is when I lie down my tummy is flat, it's the muscles that stick out when I'm upright (rather than being particularly overweight).

Sigh.

It took me months and I was quite happy with that

One thing that helps a lot is doing pelvic floor exercises! That will make your "inside muscles" get back to place, and they are the ones that support the other ones.

It might have taken a while, but by 4 months my tummy was absolutely flat!

Took me about 6 months first time round.
This time... 3 months and still can't fit into most pre-preg outfits despite only gaining a stone.

Bobby - have you been checked for diastasis recti? It's where your stomach muscles get pushed apart and then don't come back together completely after your birth. Very common in multiples pregnancies or if you have lots of pregnancies close together.

You can check for it yourself by doing this. It's near the end of the page.

It is different from extra pregnancy weight or slack skin - it'll be harder to the touch and you'll look like you've still got a pregnant belly when you stand up. You can do lots of exercises to help close the gap (all to do with engaging your transverse abdominal muscles), but its best to find a proper physio who can advise. HTH

WhenDoISleep was beginning to hate you until I read last sentence. I have had jelly belly & stretch marks ever since I had DS, have never got rid of them but am still same clothes size.Look OK clothed, a bit ropey naked, still who cares?

rednellie I think what you describe is correct, thanks. I was beginning to resign myself to looking pregnant forever

I've found a local physio that specialises in pregnancy related problems so hopefully can get to work on it soon

No worries Bobby, I know how depressing it is and how much difference getting proper help can make. Good luck!

Hiya, I've literally just been talking to my midwife about this. She just picked up on the fact that my tummy muscles have really come apart due to a big baby and has recommended lying on my back in bed and lifting my pelvis so that nothing else moves. She said the movement should come from the small of your back and this will also help your pelvic floors.
She said after 2 weeks if the muscles have not come back together then to get a referral to the physio.

Good luck!

I was quite skinny and a gym freak when we conceived DD1 4 years ago. I'm 5'8 and weighed about 8st 10lbs (aged 25). Gained just under 2 stones and my belly disappeared very quickly (she was VB). Back into my regular clothes literally weeks after without doing anything. My body wasnt exactly how it'd been, though: i liked the softer lines that the pregnancy had given me :)

Then I relaxed a lot :) My weight stayed at around 9st 4lbs, but I didnt return to the gym (no time; no inclination what with my snuggly little girl a home). Walks became my exercise.

Got pg with DD2 last July, had an ELCS this April (5 weeks ago today!). Gained a similar amount of weight. My belly definitely stayed bigger for longer but I stopped looking pg at about 3 weeks PP. I'm usually a size 10. I can squeeze into some Pre-pg clothes (forgiving ones) but prefer a size 12 at the moment.

Belly is flatter, yes, but not as flat as usual and certainly not a flat as after my first delivery. Maybe it's because I'm older (though still only 29); maybe it's because my abdominal muscles have taken a battering; maybe it's because they weren't as toned to start with; maybe it's because it's my second pg ... Maybe all things factor in.

I like the tip about pelvic floor exercises. I've got some especially for CS called pelvic tilts where the entire core gets work.

My body has changed after two pregnancies and deliveries but it's definitely worth it :) My girls are the best thing I've ever done.

Whilst I think its great that people are comfortable with their post pregnancy bodies, if Bobby, or anyone else, has got diastasis recti then they do need some extra help. This is because its an actual condition where the muscles separate and can lead to all sorts of issues long term - lower back pain being the start.

So it's good to work out whether you just have post pregnancy belly or whether there's something more. As someone who has got the above condition I know how frustrating it is - I lost all my pregnancy weight as soon as I gave birth (twins will do that for you), but I still look pregnant due to this issue with the muscles...just wanted to put it out there again. There are also some exercises that make the condition worse or better, for example stomach crunches are the LAST thing you should do!

Oh that's interesting Red my stomach has never been the same since I carried twins to term and has a bit of a hollow in the middle. Lots of lower backache too. How do you know if you have this condition? Sorry to hijack.

You do this. Basically, I had a 3 finger gap above my tummy button, 4 fingers at it and 2 below. I've managed to reduce that a bit since the birth, but it takes a lot of hard work.

There is a thread about diastasis recti on mn, but it makes depressing reading (lots of people going on about having major surgery!!!) so might not be worth looking at right now! Janet Tupler has a book called Lose the Mummy Tummy which is all about it, but you'd be better off seeing a physio who specialises in womens health - i.e. pelvic floor, diastasis stuff.

(PS Emphatic, there are few twin mums who don't get this - if you carry them for long enough the muscles have got to go somewhere!)

i cant remember but it must have been at least 6 weeks

dd is 8months and im only just fiting back into most (though not yet all) of my pre-pregnancy clothes

4 years and counting.

Mine has gone down a lot but it's not flat. i started yoga last week....i reccomend it.

Still waiting (and we're talking years)