C section body

[Abbie03]

Didn't have a clue what category to put it in so if someone could change it to the right one if this isn't I would very much appreciate it.
Wanting to speak to c section mums to ask if you ever got your body back? 3rd baby and first c section and it was an awful experience and I still feel pretty rubbish about it 4 weeks later. However on top of that I'm now left with this body that I don't know if it's ever going to get back normal. I hate my scar so much it smells and my belly now hangs over it. I never had this with my first two so I'm thinking it's the scar and I've also seen it never really goes. The scars not infected I've already had antibiotics and it swapped and it's got no infection but still will get smelly and even after washing isn't that great. I feel traumatised my the c section as it is and now whenever I look in the mirror I just see this horrid belly that's I just know im going to feel ashamed of going on holidays and being in a bikini not to mention being intimate with my oh again. He's 27 also and I just feel like now he's stuck with this and going to he looking at others with good body's wishing mine was like that again. I know this is all very negative feelings and I'm trying to be positive it all just keeps coming into my thoughts though and making me feel down. Any c sections mum's out there have experience of this and did you feel good about yourself in the end ? And will this flap thing ever go ?!

Hello OP,

I’m so sorry to read this and would like to give you some hope by sharing my experience.

I had an emergency c-section last year. It was completely unexpected - I had only mentally prepared for a water birth and so I found the birth very traumatic. The scar (and c-section pain) served as a horrible reminder of my experience, making it difficult to forget. It took a few months to be able to return to an exercise regime to help me lose the weight, but my scar is no longer noticeable and my body shape is slowly returning. I won’t lie - in my case it will be a long road but I am determined to get there.

Please be kind to your body and give it a chance to heal. You have been through a lot. You mention that you feel traumatised by your c-section. Have you sought any help or counselling from your postnatal hospital team? The only way I was able to come to terms with my c-section experience was via counselling and it helped me to move forward with my life. Have you spoken to your partner about your feelings? Hopefully they will be able to reassure you. My husband was a rock in the early weeks when I felt so fragile.

I hope this helps.

xx

Hey Thank you for your reply it's nice to be able to relate to someone that's been threw similar. sorry that you also had a bad time. My midwife did say when I'm ready we can meet and have a debrief about everthing that happened so maybe I should take her up on that. I had a home water birth planned and really just feel like I failed and feeling slightly robbed. I had preeaclamsia so also feel traumatised by that as it was such a shock and I was so unwell after. I guess it's just time and I need to just see where I'm at when I'm all healed and go from there. I do speak to me partner has been amazing but I haven't gone into too much detail about how I'm feeling about myself though so maybe it would help to also talk to him more about that. Thank you for your response

Hi OP, sorry you're feeling down. With regards to the smell - I highly recommend mildly medicated talcum powder. Apply after your shower/bath and as often as you like during the day if you're feeling sweaty! As for the wrecked stomach, mine was already wrecked from my first and no better now, although apparently there are massages you can do to improve the over-hang. The Facebook group C Section Support UK has further info/videos.

Hey katnissk thank you I will defo be looking into the powder as that's the worst but for me right now so if I can get that sorted I think I will feel much better. Just makes me feel dirty it smelling even though I know I'm not. Thinking I need to just try and accept my new body :/ I had my first at 18 and bounced back really quick probably to do with age then my second 4 years later but again didn't look too bad after. Not like my body was great after my second but I could live with it and put on high waisted and tuck my belly in ect but now I just feel like I'm stuck in massive granny knickers for the rest of my life. Love my baby so much and she was 10 11 so no wonder my bellys such a mess, trying to be grateful I grew 3 babys in there and one being massive as I know I'm lucky I've been able to have my kids but it's just hard to accept. Thanks for the responses as I've said it's nice to not feel alone

8yrs on yes i still have the scar and an overhang, but i also sleep with men who arent the babydaddy and they dont complain ;) so, its not holding me back!

After my c section I felt the same, I'm lucky the scar is quite neat and that I was fairly young at the time so all seemed to heal nicely. But I was very worried in the beginning and it didn't seem like it would ever heal well. It did! it's been barely noticeable for years now, the overhang has been totally minimal, which is different to how it was in the beginning. Most people wouldn't guess I'd had a section and that's in a bikini.

I'm pregnant again so slightly worried this time round at how I'll bounce back, I'm also bigger than I was last time. But I'm hoping it will go down like last time.

I can't comment on the smell, I've not experienced that but I was very phobic of getting my scar wet and just had really shallow baths as we didnt have a shower back then.

It's not been long give yourself some time to heal.

Some people swear by belly bands and compression wraps, I've not tried these but it may be worth looking into. Belly Bandit is the most popular brand but I'm sure there are several.

Try and relax and enjoy your baby! :)

Oh I felt exactly the same after my c section. (My DS is now 3.) I remember asking a friend if she had a weird “pouch” over the top of her scar, and she didn’t know what I was talking about which made me feel worse!

My scar is still quite prominent, but any pouch or flap weirdness is completely gone. I can’t even remember when it went, to be honest!

I’m quite used to the scar now. It’s below my bikini line, so if I wanted to wear a bikini, I could without it being visible.

Friends who have had c sections have very faint scars, you can hardly see them.

I didn’t try any of the healing creams or massage though.

Please don’t worry. Four weeks after a section your body is nowhere near back to normal. I was still crying, hunched over and wearing paper knickers at that point. It will get so, so much better. And you will definitely reclaim your body!

It's only been 4 weeks so you dont know yet what it will all look like when you've healed and recovered. This will take months!
I have 3DC and have had one csection, with DC1. It took a long time for the scar to heal and stop feeling sensitive and achey. It looks ok now ai think - I don't have an overhang only a very slight indentation. I can (and do) wear a bikini on holiday and fitted clothes etc.
When I had DC3, I noticed my post pregnancy body was in much worse shape than after DCs 1 and 2, even tho he was a VBAC. I had a huge hanging belly which I had never experienced before (yes, I was overweight post birth but I was just as big after my first baby and I never had a big gut like that!!) and I really believed that was it, that baby 3 had ruined me. BUT - it did pretty much go back to normal eventually. As I lost the weight the belly did go down. I have slightly more loose skin than before but it's not awful.
Give yourself 6-12 months and see where you're at. You may well end up with no overhang at all. Its really impossible to judge that 4 weeks after your surgery. I looked like shit after my third baby but normality did resume in the end, and I was 10 years older than you when I had my third.

Also add that the c section was my first section, vaginal births before. Like you, it was a total shock. A completely different experience.

But I was 36 when I had mine, much older than you, and my body is completely back to normal except for a scar which I’m used to and doesn’t bother me. I did work hard at it, though. I didn’t care so much about having a bikini body etc, but I wanted to feel fit and strong and toned again (and I do).

Just give yourself time it’s still very early days. The overhand and scar will calm down and get better. If it smells you should have it looked at as could be a sign of infection. I hated mine and took me ages to come to terms with it but ultimately you need to learn to love it as part of your body

Thank you so much for all your responses it's nice to see it's not all bad in the end and sounds like I can maybe eventually bounce back. I'm breast feeding right now but will defo be on a diet and exercise when I can. Literally been thinking I would get plastic surgery if it's that bad after a year which is crazy because I've just had my first proper surgery and it was horrid. I've had my scar swabbed and it's defo not infected my go said but may be I will chat to them again. I've been having a pad on the area to try keep it dry just nothings working.

Thanks emsyj37 it sounds like you had a very similar experience with 3rd pregnancy body to me and given me some hope. I'm defo going to work hard when I can and hopefully have a good body for my 30s at least haha. I know I shouldn't focus on what I look like but it's just hard. Horribly thankful for lock down right now as don't have to see people looking amazing right now

Breastfeeding should help it all go back aswell, I definitely felt like it helped with my section recovery :)

Squidgypeach yes I've heard breast feeding is meant to help so hopefully if does. With my first i breast fed and was back tiny really quick but I was so young that was probably why. Was a few days with my first and about a week with my second and now im thinking I was just really lucky back then haha could eat what I wanted ect so I think i just had different expectations to this but it seems 3rd babies might just take longer. Feeling alot more positive about it all today though and not so down so thanks guys.

I am pleased you are still thinking positively about how amazing your body is for growing 3 babies - never forget that Childbirth is still one of the most dangerous things a woman can do so never feel like you've failed, you did what you could and no-one can ask you to do more, every baby and every labour is different.

I had an unexpected and extremely traumatic labour ending in an emergency cesarean with my first (and only), aged 33. By the time I felt strong enough to possibly have the midwife debrief, I also felt like I didn't want to re-live it and I'm still happy I didn't but equally I know people who are glad they did it too.

Breastfeeding definitely helped although I definitely think the scar makes it difficult. When dd stopped sleeping at 4 months old, I had been a pretty reasonable shape again but I started eating cake, the less she slept the more cake I ate and my empty flap just became a big, saggy bag of fat which I'm trying to lose 3 years on. I've found wearing 'magic pants' with firm tummy control, after my scar healed, helped it not to stretch even more while I was trying to do something about it.

And when you are ready to get intimate with your partner again, you could get some nice 'baby dolls' if you're self conscious about your tummy - worked for me

It's very early days. I remember feeling like the horrible, swollen belly would never go away. But I think it was gone in 6 weeks and I was completely back to normal by 6 months. The scar's so faint you can barely see it and I don't have an overhang.

Thanks for your story @Kellyhall I will defo look in the pants lol. Interesting about the debrief the more time goes on the more I feel I should just leave it and get on with things as to not just go over it all again. I spoke to her briefly 2 weeks after and just started crying so just didn't feel ready at that point and she didn't want to push it either but will see how I feel in a few weeks. She's also said I can do it months later even a year so it's nice to know the option is there. Sorry to hear you also had a traumatic birth. I was so certain a 3rd birth would be fine at home and never thought I would go threw something like that tbh. Thanks for your response

@allfurcoatnoknickefs so good to hear you have no overhang I really really hope mine goes. From all the responses I can see im looking and judging myself way to early and need to wait a bit longer.

I have had two c-sections and something I wish someone would have told me back then is that I would have absolutely no feeling near the scars for a long time.

I had a push pin stuck near my scar and I didn't even notice. I had a spot of bleeding through my clothes and I had no clue.

Also, I lost the baby weight relatively quickly but the pouch is something I have never been able to lose, no matter what. I absolutely hate it.

Btw, my last c-section was 19 years ago. I only recently got feeling back near the scars and they have decided to really itch. It's been quite odd.
I've resigned myself that I will never lose the pouch :(

I've decided if my pouch never goes, I'll give myself a tummy tuck as a post menopause gift! I might chuck in a breast lift too.

@elp30 that's sounds awful mines started itching hoping that's not here to stay. My belly is numb all at the bottom atm

I think I would want to do the same if mines not gone in a few years tbh

I had a CS overhang. I used to look in the mirror and cry. It was reduced by 8weeks but took probably 7 months to really go. I have a little bump there now but it's fairly flat, although any bloating is massively unflattering. I'm a size 10 and did no exercise and ate horrific amounts of sugar breastfeeding.

Ah yes the dreaded overhang!!! Mine was really bad and it's only on one side too so I just looked so lopsided. The less fat I have the less obvious it is. I did get to a point where I felt confident in a bikini again! ("did" as now pregnant). But 4 weeks is so so soon to be critical of your body. I have read the full thread but have you got a tummy support band?

Hello all
I don't know f my experience holds good anymore but here goes
Both of my children born by EMCS last one will be 48 next month
Both born by the old fashioned classic or longitudinal incision.This scar does not give you an overlay but I makes your abdomen look like a bottom cleft

Hello everyone
I don know if my experience is helpful now but here goes.
Both of my children born by EMCS last one 48 years ago
Both born through the longitudinal or classical incision.This cut does not give you an overhang as such but it makes your abdomen look like a bottom cleft IFYSWIM. It extends downwards from just below your belly button to the pubic line and forms an indentation like a tuck.It does not fade or go away.
For about 30 years afterwards I was a lovely slim figure and the indentation was not bad but still there, but now as a crabby old post menopausal old woman with some weight on me it looks like a bottom.
It is still numb and every so often it itches still.
I have put up with this body as you can imagine for a long time even when I weighed six and a half stone and a size six I still had some belly fat round the scar which I could not get rid of.
I hate what the two caesarean births have done to my body.In the Das when I wore a bikini the top half of the scar was there showing all its glory.
this scar is constantly giving me a reminder of the way my two grown up sons came into the world, without it all three of us would not have been here.Also I have five grandchildren and two great grandchildren all courtesy of my younger son.None of them would have existed if he had not ben born by section
This is my cheer up thought about my horrible tummy.
We are warriors, with the battle scar to prove it.