Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Style and beauty

Looking for style advice? Chat all about it here. For the latest discounts on fashion and beauty, sign up for Mumsnet Moneysaver emails.

Original poster

Stomach a saggy, wrinkly mess after kids! Help!

24 replies

Wrinkledtum · 13/05/2015 22:34

Posted this in chat but makes more sense to post here. Has anyone got their pre-pregnancy stomach back? Mine is a mess- wrinkly skin, stretch marks. I had two c- sections and 2 big babies. Am I the only one with this???? Any tips? I can live with it but would rather not...

OP posts:
Suzietwo · 14/05/2015 07:10

3 babies by c section....I won't be wearing a bikini again! Have made my peace with it now. I'd prefer not to have the minging massive overhang and wrinkly dough like belly but that's what one pieces are for, I guess!
Just try to keep the rest of it cellulite free and toned....not always with success.

Original poster
Wrinkledtum · 14/05/2015 07:42

Thanks for replying Suzie. My stomach is a wreck! Not made peace with it yet. Thank goodness I didn't have twins or it would be even worse!

OP posts:
CactusAnnie · 14/05/2015 07:46

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Timeforabiscuit · 14/05/2015 07:51

Didn't have a section, but do have a belly when the rest of me is fairly toned.

According to youngest dd my belly skin is softer than a chinchilla!

I take the compliments when they come these days! I've done some core strengthening exercises which helped hugely with my pelvic floor and a bit on the belly, but to be honest it feels like the "structure" has gone from underneath it so I'm left with this flap like belly skin.

Original poster
Wrinkledtum · 14/05/2015 07:54

You guys are great. I posted this last night and got no replies. I've been sat here thinking I'm the only one.

OP posts:
dexter73 · 14/05/2015 07:56

I am 2/3 of the way through the 30 day abs challenge at the moment and it is having a noticeable effect on my tum. Bloody hard work though!

cactusandalan · 14/05/2015 09:53

My tummy reminds me of bread after it has been left for its first prove, then you knock all the air out of it. Nice and soft and doughy!

I find the Spanx that go all the way up to the bra are great for special occasions, or for just for feeling like I have a normal tummy again (not the ones with shorts, just the pant version). I also wear normal suck-em-in pants for every day.

Other than that pilates is good, if the rest of me feels good I don't mind tucking my tummy into my jeans! After DC3 I did manage to wear a very large bikini in our very private back garden, all was well as long as I didn't move to far from the sun lounger!

mowglik · 14/05/2015 12:39

I had the post partum 'apron' tummy for ages then when ds was 1 started going Pilates and yoga 2-3 times a week and also doing Atkins. Atkins was really good for getting rid of bloat and the Pilates esp really pulled my tummy in.

It's not perfect by any means I still have a tummy but it doesn't look bad either and looks better than before I had ds. Def recommend Pilates you can do classes on YouTube as well and if you commit to doing 3 classes a week I think you would see a difference

Buttwing · 14/05/2015 12:57

wrinkledtum you are definitely not the only one! I have it to after four babies last two very close together and dc3 being 10lb 8. I also have the thing where you're stomach muscles don't go back together (forget the name sorry!) so all in all it's lovely Grin

Have some physio exercises to do for the muscles but I don't think much will help the "W" of skin that I have.

MrsStarwars · 14/05/2015 13:04

I have the squashy bread dough belly too plus separated tummy muscles. Thanks to the twins for that!
Not a great look in bikini at all, keep it well covered at all times.
Will never be quite the same no matter how much exercise I do. Sad

CactusAnnie · 14/05/2015 13:54

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

carrie74 · 14/05/2015 14:35

Mines not too bad, but there is definite overhang that will never go away (another with well defined obliques and upper abs!). Tbh it doesn't stop me wearing a bikini; my body's done what it's done, this is the result. My body doesn't determine me income, so it doesn't need to look perfect. It is healthy and strong and that's all that matters. If anyone thinks I shouldn't be wearing a bikini because I don't have a perfect stomach, they're not worth my energy.

Having said all that, I was TRANSFIXED by the mum next to me in the beach in Barcelona who had 2 babies and a concave stomach. She looked amaze balls.

CactusAnnie · 14/05/2015 15:24

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

yellowdaisies · 14/05/2015 15:29

Mine is really badly stretched. The tummy button is about 4 inches wide. The tummy muscles separated a lot in pregnancy and I still have a kind of dent down the middle. Losing weight doesn't help at all - it actually looks worse if I lose weight as there's more spare skin.

I did speak to my GP about it a while back and she said if/when I was certain I didn't want any more children there are surgical options to reduce some of the worst of it. Some sort of gauze thing they can insert to make it flatter (as opposed to having the dent in the middle)

I'm pretty much at that point now (sure I don't want more children) but it's not bothering me too much these days, and doesn't seem to bother my now DH either, so I'm not going to go back to the GP. It's just life. My DCs have beautiful bodies instead :)

QueenCardigan · 14/05/2015 16:51

Crepey skin and a bit of an overhang here too. I have 3 dc and carried each one slightly differently so there's stretch marks and stretched skin all over. Considering I had split muscles it's now relatively flat but it always looks saggy however much core work I do not much. I wear a bikini if I'm abroad as it's too hot and life's too short to worry about what people think.

Duckdeamon · 14/05/2015 17:58

Recommend the "mutu" system exercise programme (for mothers, focuses on core stability and strength of the whole body). By Wendy Powell.

Duckdeamon · 14/05/2015 17:59

It is also designed for "diastasis recti", lots of Pilates and general workout DVDs can make things worse, eg sit ups and crunches.

WindMeUpAndLetMeGo · 14/05/2015 18:12

Jelly belly and split muscles here too, never thought I would need to tuck my belly in my knickers. Been told sit ups a big no no and only surgery will repair it, so unless I win the lotto I have to live with it (thank god for Bridget Jones pants).

yallahabibi · 14/05/2015 18:21

I enquired about a tummy tuck for mine ruined by too many heavy babies all born by CS .The consultant said "It will be about the same pain experience of a CS with a approximately double the recovery time"
My hand was already on the door handle .....

CactusAnnie · 14/05/2015 19:35

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
Wrinkledtum · 14/05/2015 20:04

I'm too scared to have a tummy tuck plus my DH is too lazy to basically do everything in a 6 week recovery period.
Have bought some Nip and Fab tummy cream to see if that does anything- even a little improvement would be good!

OP posts:
TulipBluebell · 14/05/2015 22:49

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

alittleegglayonaleaf · 14/05/2015 23:03

Do you never get your stomach back after a cesarean? I had one 3 weeks ago and thought it was just taking slightly longer to go back than first time around

piggychops · 14/05/2015 23:10

I can recommend Piyo by Beachbody. All low impact concentrating on core strength . Am on week 6 and can see a six pack through the flab. My waist is far more defined.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page