Looking 6 months pregnant 4 months after birth - help!

[skandi1]

Hi,
Had DD in July this year.

She was a fair size and lenght (9 1/2lbs and 22inches) plus I had a bucket of extra water in there and was absolutely huge.

Birth was total car crash! 52 hours of active labour (yes you are reading correctly!)until Consultant realised DD's shoulders were stuck above the rim and she would never make it out as intended. Followed by Em CS.

My stomach muscles no longer function including my transverse abd which has caused lots of back pain (back taking all the strain) and unhappily I look 6 months pregnant. Stomach muscles also split.

I am having physio (paying myself as GP useless and told me "take ibuprofen and it will get better"). And saw a Gyno Consultant privately to ensure all was healing well which it was. And physio is helping.

So far no one will answer my burning question: "Am I always going to look 6 months pregnant?"

Its so depressing! I had a woman scold me in Waitrose 3 days ago for being irresponsible for getting pregnant so quickly after having my babay! Was too ashamed to tell truth and fled home in tears.

Whilst the physio is helping back pain and making it easier to play with DD and carry her without ending up in agony, it has done nothing for "the look".

I wonder whether anyone else has experience and what the outcome was.

I still look 6 months pregnant and ds is nearly 4 and dd is 2y2m . I have too been to physio for back pain and feeling ashamed for being 2 stone heavier than when I became pregnant with ds. Yoga helps with back so much better now. I do a bit of exercise but not enough. I think the key is becoming less bothered. At some point I will become more bothered but I'm not going to give myself too much hassle yet.
Stig

Yes you will look flatter. Maybe not quite as before. Keep up with the physio.
What was with the women in Waitrose? Even if you were pregnant again what did it have to do with her? People amaze me daily.

I have this. much worse after dd was born, after ds was ok. I I got a quite good book called lose your mummy tummy by someone called tupler.. the basic advice is, do NOT do any crunches or twists,, which can separate it even more just gently suck in your stomach muscles and hold, as many times a day as poss, and do pelvic floor exercises. You can test by lying flat on your back and squeezing your tummy in. you will probably be able to feel a gap between your stomach muscles in the middle. this is the 'separation'.

mine got a LOT better from her being 6 months.. so don't panic, maybe get the book and try whenever possible to keep your stomach pulled in, shoulders relaxed, bum tucked in, that good posture will help strengthen the other stomach muscles..

If it doesn't get better, you can have it repaired through keyhole surgery, they sew the muscles together and give you a tummy tuck at the same time. don't despair, with the right kind of exercise it will improve, just concentrate on strengthening your back and protecting your tum, a lot of people have it, you're not alone!

Gemzooks, Wobblypig & Stigofthedump,
Thank you so much! Feel less embarrassed now.

No bugger tells you any of this (or other bad mummy body things) before you get pregnant or while you are - just how looooveeely children are! So its a total shocker once you give birth (as if that wasn't bad enough).

Thanks again.
xxx