Post polyhydramnios and c-section tummy

[berrybump]

Just after a bit of moral support really. I had my beautiful and perfectly heatlhy daughter 5 months ago after having polyhydramnios that made me enormous. I was 2 weeks overdue and measured 45 weeks at the end. I'm only 5ft tall (or short) and I had the midwives wincing whenever they saw me. The polyhydramnios meant that my daughter's head did not engage and although she was 8 pounds 5, which is not huge, was very large for me. So I ended up with a c-section. So, 5 months on and I still look pregnant, which makes me self concious, and I have a huge amount of excess skin, which hangs down like a pouch - I hate it, and vast amounts of stretch marks. I'm also one of those breastfeeders who seems to be putting on weight. My husband is wonderful and very supportive and am very happy to have done this to my body in as much as I have my daughter who was absolutley worth it. BUT I'm feeling sad about my appearance. Yesterday I went to a family wedding and was feeling rubbish before I went, because I felt that I looked pregnant and no less than 2 family members asked me if was. I smiled and put them at their ease and thought ffs I've got a five month old baby and to be this pregnant is virtually impossible you insensitive bleeps, and then came home and cried. My favourite uncle also helpfully advised me that I should try to lose a bit of weight before having another baby. I know that I'm really lucky to have everything that I do and I'm glad to say that I harbour no feelings of blame for the state of my body but it doesn't stop me feeling sad. The thing is that my legs and face are slim. I've got a little bit of fat at my hips but about 2 dress sizes come from the skin. Also my tummy muscles seem hard when I'm standing up - is this normal? Will it ever go? Or will I go through the rest of life telling people that NO I AM NOT PREGNANT this is just what my body looks like now. rant rant rant. Feel a bit better for writing this down but words of advice and comfort would be appreciated.

After my son's birth, I looked pregnant for at least a year, I think. The weight seemed to stick on my belly (I had long slim legs and slender hips again within a couple of months...but couldn't shift the belly weight). I also had that 'caesarean overhang' where my belly kind of protruded over the scar.

I tried to be positive about it but it was very hard to deal with people asking me if I was expecting again. I did find that eventually my body settled back into some sort of non-pregnant shape, although my stomach has been my 'problem area' ever since (will put weight on there first, which never used to be the way).

re: excess skin - I don't think that will go away by itself. There are surgical procedures you can have to remove it, but I think 5 months post-natally is very soon to be considering that. Give your body some time (I'd say at least a year) to settle back down, get yourself into a good diet/exercise routine when you feel up to it, and see what happens and how you feel down the line.

Thanks MrsMattie - it helps to hear someone else say that its hard to deal with being asked about expecting again - it really is hard. I'm almost tempted to do so just so I can say yes . Part of my problem is it is my best friends wedding at the end of this month and I'm scared of having to go through it all again. - Perhaps I should make a badge "before you embarrass us both by asking NO I AM NOT PREGNANT"!

My cousin too has suffered from this since having an 11lb baby, excess fluid and went 2 weeks overdue and ended up with a CS, she was HUGE!

A few months after having her DS, she still looked 5 months pregnant and was really upset. 16 months on and she is nearly back to her normal size. She too breast fed and found that when she stopped, things started to go back to normal.

I don't lose vast amounts of weight breast feeding, my weight tends to stay on and then I lose it very quickly when I stop.

It is hard when you feel so low about yourself. I have had 2 pregnancies within a year (DD2 will be 16 months when DD3 arrives) and although I had a fine figure before I will admit to worrying about how my body will be affected after DD3 comes along.

MrsMattie is right about the excess skin, you will probably need surgery to remove it. If you could hang off for a year of so, go and see your GP if it is really bothering you, you can get such procedures done on the NHS.

berrybump

I remember going to christening when my DS was 10 mths old. I had lost a bit of weight in the month or so previously and had bought myself a new outfit. I was feeling quite good about myself, until 2 people asked me when I was due. I laughed it off and, as you said, put them at ease, but inside I was mortiified.

I struggled with my body image for a long time after the birth of my first child. It really was a brutal shock to the system to have my body change so completely.

It will get a lot better. You won't look pregnant forever!

Thank you, thank you - I just needed to hear from some people who I know truly understand. Women, and especially mothers, just get it. Thanks. Can honestly say I feel a bit better already.

My friend had polyhydraminos and a c sect and she suffered from exactly what you describe. She honestly did look about 5 months pregnant for the best part of 18 months. No amount of exercise or diet did anything for her abdonminal bits. It turned out that the sheets of muscle across her abdomen had split because of the size of her abdomen (not in a painful way) and they had never knitted back together after the pregnancy. She did have an op to rectify this - day surgery, and now looks amazing. All the exercise she had done to try to get rid of what she thought was fat had really toned her up and the op just hoiked it back into place. I htink she had made the decision (for other reasons) that she wasn't going to have another baby before going for the op.

.....I on the other hand have no such excuse for my post 3 c-sect hangover!

I could post you two pics of the difference in my body after having DD1, literally within the space of a few months. 5 months after having her, I was still breast feeding, albeit I was pretty slim, my body was not great, tummy overhang and huge love handles. Fast forward 6 months later, after stopping breast feeding, I started healthier eating and running and I was down to a size 8 by the time DD1 was 18 months old. It takes graft but if you truly want to feel better about yourself, give your body a little more time to repair itself and then start exercising and eating better. Then you will reap the benefits!

Your skin will eventually snap back a little bit, you will probably always have a bit of excess skin (every mother does) but it won't seem as bad in a few months.

hi just wondered how you are a year on? I m at the same stage you were when you wrote your post, I have a 6 month old baby and still look 6 months pregnant and my stomach muscles have seperated too. have you managed to get back to pre pregnancy clothes? just want to know what to expect as after baby 1 I was in pre pregnancy clothes after a few months and this time its so different. thanks xx