Honestly - what was your tummy like after delivery?

[pippinleaf]

I used to have a flat tum, it was probably my only good feature. I miss it already as my stomach swells up with this lovely baby. Will I ever get it back? Please tell me what to expect in the hours, days and weeks following delivery. I know it's not that important in the grand scheme of things, but I'd like to be forewarned

Empty and wobbly at first

Gradually shrinking back

Mine felt empty the day after delivery - it was really weird, I felt like I had to hold it up when I walked. In the days after I could feel it contracting back as I breast fed. After 4 weeks or so I started doing gentle exercises, just sitting up a little in bed- then progressed on to more tummy exercises as I felt comfortable. I
Didn't have any splitting and had a straight forward birth

I had my flat muscly tummy back after a few months

Straight after - still very big
Nine days after - able to wear Fitted trousers but loose

Took five months to be relatively flat again - nearly normal but got a bpf

Bpf? Is that some device or a typo for bfp?

Straight after, I looked like a deflating hot air balloon.

A few weeks later, basically fine - still a bit bigger than usual, but mainly hips/pelvis being wider.

Two months: non-maternity jeans.

One year: pretty much normal, bit lighter. Slightly (if you squish it about a bit) baggier tummy, mainly due to lack of focused exercises. No one else can tell.

Mine felt wobby and saggy!

With my first it didn't take long to go down, probably about 4 weeks. With my second (6 months ago) it is taking a bit longer...

It wil come back. It may be a different time frame than you expect but simple exercise will bring it back

I remember being large straight after and for a while. Within four weeks after DD I'd lost 12 of the 30kg I gained and had a flat ish but definitely not toned stomach. I had a c section and didn't start exercising for a while. Can't remember how long tho.

Back to same as before (which wasn't flat ) in about 6 months. I was surprised how quickly it looked normal again.

Empty and wobbly but went back to normal at about 3 months

Blow up a balloon, let the air out. That's what I thought about after delivery. I didn't really notice until I was lying down in the bath.
Focus on pulling your tummy button in to engage the muscles as much as you can and that should help.

Sorry bfp

Wobbly. But then I have never had a washboard stomach.

It wasn't too horrendous after DD and I was back to my normal size after 9 months, but then I fell pregnant with DS and it was wobblier and much slower to tone up even a bit.

As others have said like a deflated balloon straight afterwards, with dc1 was back to normal clothes after 2-3 wks, dc2 about 4-6 wks. Now flat as before, skin slightly wrinklier but only I would notice iykwim. Have to work a bit harder with toning exercises etc but that might be age too. I've been quite lucky though. I found pilates (both ante and post natal) helpful.

I still looked pg for about a week after dc2 was born. By 4-6 weeks all the weight was lost (bf) but Tummy still wobblier. Skin slightly wrinkly now, I've lost too much weight

Saggy and deflated. Took about a year to resemble what it did before (was never toned though!) but the skin was a bit softer and stretchmarked/pitted. 3 1/2 years later I felt confident enough to wear a bikini... then got pregnant again so I'm sure it will be even worse this time!

After delivery it had the most amazing texture, sort of like risen dough.

Now, after 2 births and 18 months after the second, it's not that much different to before. A few stretch marks, my belly button is a different shape, and I've got a strange little numb bit just above my belly button (tiny, about the size of a stamp. No idea why).

Well, that's not quite true, it's about a stone different. But that's mostly biscuits.

Like porridge in a pillow case.

I did shape back up though - took a few months. Was still wearing a bikini even after dc2.

After dc3 this was out of the question though - but I was late 30'a by then so meh.

Mine looked almost the same as before within 24 hours after all three pregnancies. I realise I am fortunate though. Breasts will never be the same again sadly.

Wobbly and blobbly. Took a few weeks and still hasn't really recovered 2 years later.
That's probably because I've not done much about it though.......
I'm quite slim naturally but my tummy will never be the same again. ( unless I do some sit-ups, so, never!)

The wrinkly balloon description was accurate for me! Have to say though that it was flat again almost immediately, I was incredibly lucky. The midwife on the post natal ward called me a cow for having a flatter stomach than her! I was back in pre pregnancy clothes and back to my pre pregnancy weight within 2-3 weeks. I understand this is totally not the norm though.

Ok, sounds like I can just about hope to have something near my old tummy again. I'd just be happy with a belly button!

You'll just have to exercise and you'll be fine I promise

I was 38 years old when I had my baby. Had a flat tight tummy before. No exercise or gym just lucky to have a slim build.I didn't have stretch marks ( just one on breast) and my tummy looked like a deflated balloon after birth. Very strange feeling. My muscles tore during the last four weeks so had this funny gap as well. But if you want a tidy tummy there are ways and means. My midwife said I would never get my figure back unless I had a personnel trainer. So I became my own personal trainer! It didn't bother me for a couple of years after so I didn't worry. I won't have that flat wash board tummy EVER agin but then I'm not going to be wearing crop tops EVER again.

Depressing thread