How long does it take for your body to get back to normal?

[Saffra]

.... And I don't just mean the tummy area, but everything else too! I've had very obvious dark patches of pigmentation on an old naval piercing and, attractively, under my arm pits.

I've not minded really, but think I would like to have my normal skin back please at some stage.... (minus my pre-pregnancy skin breakouts would be nice).

I'm now 37+3, so not too long left.... and can't help dreaming of wearing vaguely interesting clothes in my usual style again at some stage...

Not very long re the pigmentation. My body has never quite got back to normal - in the errr nether regions it will forever be more 'roomy', breastfeeding and pregnancy gave me droopy boobs, I have crepey loose skin on my tummy which only surgery would resolve and pregnancy developed varicose veins on my right leg (which I am genetically predetermined too) which are still there. Otherwise I am a fit, normal weight (well slim actually) mum in early middle age!

Things won't ever be exactly the same but with time it'll get back to something close to how it was before (and most people won't be able to see the differences). The pigmentation returns to normal fairly quickly, other things take longer. My MW always told me that a good rule of thumb is to remember that it took you 9 months to grow a baby so you should allow yourself 9 months to get back to normal afterwards.

Thanks - good to know... my mum quite quickly went back to normal so fingers crossed I will be similar. Mind you, she was quite a bit younger with her pregnancies.

NatashaBee - only after 3 weeks? That's not long at all! Did you put on much weight in the pregnancy? Oh, I guess that was a bit unexpected with your wiggly dark line! I wouldn't have thought it would be NOT straight.... At least it shouldn't take too long to fade - judging by the other comments.

I was back to normal after 2 weeks. I was lucky that i didnt have stretchmarks and I was my normal size on leaving the hospital but it was flat by 2 weeks. Skin and body look exactly the same as before I got pregnant now.

If you breastfeed, your tummy will disappear more quickly and your boobs will stay larger for as long as you keep it up...

i think pigmentation only took a few weeks, though I still have brown marks on my face that never went away and have gotten worse again in my current pregnancy.

My tummy flattened back and the bulk of the weight (ca. 25 lbs.) came off fairly quickly but I wouldn't say I was totally back to normal for about 8 months, when I started seriously exercising again. I actually ended up thinner, at least for a while, and my boobs definitely got smaller but in a good way I thought. (now they're huge again and i fear what another round of pg and bfing will do to them.)

I was 38 so was surprised my tum flattened back perfectly. Praying it will do so again! (now 41)

one thing that I noticed though was my legs became more jelly like. No idea why but i've heard that from other women too.