After csection - few questions please?

[xkatyx]

Hi

I had my csection on Wednesday and had my lovely twin girls.

This is my first csection I have had 3 VB before this.
My question is about my tummy? It still looks pregnant and I have a awful looking over hang :(

My scar is tucked under it you have to lift it to see it.

So 1. Is this normal?

1. Will it go? :(

1. Willy scar heal under that flabby yuckie skin

Also just to add I'm not big anywhere else sp isn't due to being over weight or anything I'm usually size 10 but I am only 5ft

Someone please tell me I won't look like this forever.

You won't, had the dreaded overhang myself for a few months. I've never snapped back completely the way I was but haven't made any special effort to diet or excercise either. It is a bit alarming at first because the stitching is so tight. Congratulations on the birth of your twins x x

Oh no really was it huge like mine? I can't see my scar or anything which makes me worry it won't heal.

Congrats on your lovely twins!

I've had 2 c-sections, both times had to lift my "apron" to see the scar for a good 3 months afterwards and it did take about a year to get my figure back - but it did come back, with my tummy looking much the same as it ever did before, only with a very faint white smiley scar on my knicker line.

You will have some inflammation in there, which explains the puffy tummy. There will be a fair bit of post-surgery wind, too! Hope you are pampered this Christmas!

I found the more weight I lost, the less overhang I had so if your only petite and can be bothered to do stomach exercises then it should not be a problem. I think I was advised to try and lie down and get some air to it for a good period each day. It was six years ago though.

oh yes and do your pelvic tilts & physio! Even if you can only move an inch, it will help things to settle back into place.

I had DD by EMCS 14-nearly-15 weeks ago, little tinker was a missed breech. DS was a standard vaginal birth two years previously.

My tummy stayed puffy for ages and I was told it was due to the trauma of the CS, it might be a routine procedure in the sense that they do multiple sections every day but it's still major surgery and very invasive. The swelling goes down though, gradually.

I was worried about my scar being under an apron but it's healed really well. Keep it clean, I was washing mine at least once a day with just warm water in the shower, and after your wash lie on the bed and let the air at it for 20-30 minutes. If you get chance during the day to lie down then let it air then too (I used to air it during feeds). Stick to bellybutton height cotton knickers for the time being and if you notice it's particularly damp in there or it's rubbing then put a sanitary pad in to keep it dry.

I'm nearly four months on and I honestly don't even notice it anymore. Each week after a caesarean should be noticeably better than the week before in terms of discomfort, movement, healing, etc. I still have a line of numbness running downwards from my belly button but even that is starting to get less numb.

Take it easy and always do slightly less than you think you're capable of in these early days to avoid straining yourself, you'll know if you've overdone it the day before.

Congratulations on your twins :)

Hello again xkatyx- I'm now two weeks on from my ELCS, and it has improved noticeably in that time.
I was really worried in the first couple of days as no-one told me I'd still look pregnant, but now it has receded to a small pot belly with a little overhang (first week I couldn't see the scar without lifting, I can now).

Hope the twins are doing well!

Thank you everyone, it's looking a lot better still got saggy skin but alot better.

Finding everything so hard at the moment and not rig able to do everything is making it even harder

Yeah, it does take time. Even something like rolling over in bed is a major performance at this stage.

Mark your calendar for 6 weeks from the birth and just shuffle towards that - you'll be amazed how different you'll feel!

Yes I can't lie on my side yet, mind u I don't get any sleep at the moment lol

I remember it so well, the recovery is so different from a VB, you feel quite shocked at first. Just take it in small steps - I got obsessed with the 6 week mark and almost wished the first few weeks away as I felt so rough. The key is definitely to try to avoid doing too much...but with babies and other children it is very hard. Just remember this is the tough bit and you WILL get your body back and be able to race about like before, whatever it feels like now. Congratulations on your new twins!