Bowel or intestinal discomfort months after C-section – help

[sellotape12]

I’m almost 5 months postpartum and I have a big, distended stomach, and I have the runs every single day. Stool tests from the GP have come back negative for viruses and bacteria, and ultrasound didn’t show anything untoward regarding my reproductive organs.

The GP says the next step would be referral to gastroenterology, I just wondered if anyone had experienced a similar thing? I know about diastasis recti/abdominal muscle separation which I definitely also have. I don’t think it’s just that, and neither does my physio. It’s not just mummy tummy - my belly balloons up and it’s bloated. The only time it looks like a normal mummy tummy is first thing in the morning when I obviously haven’t eaten for 11 hours. I don’t have any food intolerances and never had anything like this before preg. Any doctors here or people with similar potential bowel/intestinal discomfort so long after C-section? I’m sorry to be vulgar, it’s just daily diarrhoea with a small baby is really getting me down 🙁 I have attached an image. I was a size 6 petite woman before pregnancy. Yes, some of this is normal fat, and some of it is the muscle separation, but it’s also my whole abdomen that’s bloated.

[Katie567]

@sellotape12 hello, your post is exactly me and I'm so happy you've seen improvement. I am 16 months pp and have been seeing a physio for a month, with definite improvement however I still often get very bloated by the evening. I will keep going, but just wondering how long it took you to see a big improvement with the bloating as I'm getting discouraged. Also any insight into how you released your pelvic floor as I think I have this! Thanks

[sellotape12]

Yes, my child is now two and I’m still not fully out of the woods but I’ve been on a long journey and have learned so very much. As the other person has said it really is time and expertise that’s going to get you through. Obviously if you have any pain, you should stop reading Mumsneyt and go see a doctor!

What I learned is it because I had a small, narrow body and quite a big baby, my weak deep core muscles were just stretched, a bit like a soggy hair bobble. So I was getting discomfort after eating because my core muscle were not really providing a strong framework for the rest of my organs and muscles. Sometimes you could see gas passing through my skin after eating cruciferous foods like cabbage.

There’s also a lot to learn about the pressure system and how the pelvic floor and your diaphragm are actually all connected. I can’t really do justice on this in a text post. It is best to speak to specialist women’s health physiotherapist. For me I found that a technique called hypopressive breathing worked as well as very small, deliberate, deep core exercises. You need to move your whole body and release any tightness existing in your pelvic floor which is actually common in C-section deliveries.

Unfortunately, the NHS had absolutely no clue how to help me, and I used a bit of my savings to seek out specialist women’s health Physio, who had experience in varied techniques and how to recover from diastasis recti and bloating in the postpartum period. It’s well worth the money. In the meantime, check out on Instagram / YouTubers called The Belle Method or Get Mom Strong

[LemonSwan]

I did @TammieRose90 Proud to say my body is back and my stomach like a washboard again.

I had the upper right quadrant pain too. It was basically a sluggish digestion and a borderline hernia.

I believe op fixed hers too. Sounds like she was well on the way.

It is a journey though! You will need help to figure out exactly what it is and how to fix it. I found nhs wholly unhelpful. They think if you don’t have a three finger diastis then you’re good to go.

Time helps also but I don’t believe my body would have gone back without the work I did.

It wasn’t dieting or effort at the gym or anything like that. It was finding someone really experienced with post partum rehab. And as I said above breathing excercises, realignment of posture and reactivating connections in the ‘sleeve’. It’s the thin muscle below your abs that connects your diaphragm and pelvic floor. Basically a shopping bag for all your internal organs.

Goodluck

[TammieRose90]

Did you ever find an answer? I have the same thing, including the upper right quadrant pain.. no answers yet.

[LemonSwan]

Yes doing much better now it’s amazing. So glad I found her she’s a miracle worker!

It’s weird as most of it was not hard work. It’s lots of breathing exercises whilst in your neutral position and postural awareness checking in throughout the day in between sessions. So nothing that makes you break into a sweat or even feel you are ‘exercising’. But it’s certainly doing a lot.

My pelvis was pretty much corrected in less than a month. My challenge now is the upper spine curve. So checking in every time I remember to flatten my rib cage (bring the splay together), but also be straight rather than hunched and to flatten the shoulder blades.

All these wonky bits were pulling the core apart so no matter how much exercise I did it would never have gone back without sorting these bits outs.

Am in no doubt by the time I am finished will be stronger than I ever have been.

[sellotape12]

Oh that’s a lot! Have you regained your core strength? I’m proud to say I can see tone and definition coming back in my upper abs (Lower still sticks out 😥) but not without some serious work and Pilates moves

[LemonSwan]

Thanks for the update OP. I too turned a corner with mine. Went to a Pilates psychio and turns out my pelvis was tilted, spine curved and my core had collapsed. Digestion much better now although still a little way to go.

[sellotape12]

Hello. I’m updating on this five months later. Baby is now ten months. I don’t fully know what’s going on, but I learned that pregnancy can cause so many things that you don’t even think about. I learned from two women’s health physiotherapists that your digestive system can take a long time to calm down, especially if you had a big baby or a C-section. I have noticed that taking a probiotic at bedtime, really helps as well as something called hypoppressive breathing. It’s a breathing technique that you can do for 10 minutes a day and I would recommend following someone on YouTube. Now 10 months postpartum I still have a bit of a belly and it’s still blown up. I would say that I look about four months pregnant. I still have bloating even though my diastasis recti has healed. Probably going to do FODMAP now to find out which foods are causing me such gas, and I’m going to eat more protein in my diet.

[LemonSwan]

How much PP are you now JR85

Mines started to go down quite a bit out of the blue the last month.

I did actually have my first period during that time so don’t know whether that’s related.

[JR85]

My gastro wanted to wait a month after putting me on fibre gels - but I’m feeling horrendous so have pushed for a follow this week and going to beg for a CT or MRI

[ML2017]

Hi JR85

i have the same issue. Did you get any answers?

[JR85]

Hi there - I’m the same too!I have had a laparoscopy and they found endo on my scar but he doesn’t think that was causing my problems. Now off to see a gastro this week - I get right side flank pain and lower pelvic/back too. Convinced it’s an infection but have been on multiple antibiotics and nothing seems to clear it

[LemonSwan]

Sorry will also at you as been a while @sellotape12

[LemonSwan]

Bumping for you OP. I have similar. Except opposite problem of constipation. Ever get to the bottom of it?