C section overhang

[Sux2buthen]

It's been five years so I'm not expecting it to change without surgery but this belly is interfering with me living my life now.
I need to lose weight and I've started working on that but I'm looking for ideas for comfort during the day to day.
For instance I'm sitting now and I can feel this hideous fatness smothering part of my lower body and I hate it
Will some kind of binder hold it up or pull it in or anything so I can at least not look pregnant all the time 😞😞
Can't afford a tummy tuck and I'm so low (not just because of this) that I'm not having great success with weight loss yet.
That's if weight loss even helps.
So is there a binder or control underwear clothes or anything that helps please?
Or any other stuff that helps?

Do you have diastasis recti (separated abs)?

Only slight. About 1-2 cm I believe they said.

The overhang goes all the way to my hips I feel revolting. (I'm not speaking about other people just myself)
I've also gained weight over time and now I'm trying hard to reverse that

I've also gained weight and have a horrific overhang OP, and no particular separation as far as I can tell. Watching with interest for a miracle cure!

It definitely feels worse and wider. I've had a few tough years but life is currently back on track and I care more now so I'm keen to try and sort this out

What kind of clothes are you wearing? A pair of shaping jeans might with a bodysuit might help pull it up enough to not feel it all the time.

A c section overhang is very unforgiving and it's still noticeable even if you're not carrying much excess weight on your belly. Sadly it's the effect of scar tissue and belly fat having to sit on top of it rather than be evenly spread over the abdomen.
I think the only way you can improve it is to try dropping a bit of weight. It won't get rid of it but it will reduce the appearance. Also stomach holding in pants are your friends!
I used to get hung up over mine but I'm not too bothered now. I'm a dress size bigger and I'll never wear a bodycon again but I got two lovely kids out of it.

I'm afraid I don't have any answers for you but just wanted you to know your not alone. I have also gained weight and have a huge overhang post c section. I'm trying to just accept it as part of me and story. That being said, if I could wave a magic wand I would definitely get rid of it!

I find these the best underwear for this. They do help smooth it out (reasonably). They are comfortable enough to wear every day. I like the firmer feeling for support and find that it holds it up a bit so it overhangs less. Other one by Spanx are not as good - they may well be great for other purposes but these are my fav for every day. I bought one to start and gradually got more and more so I now wear them every day.

www.next.co.uk/style/st867471/a32773#a32773

What exercises have you tried. I’ve been doing strength exercises on YouTube, so completely free. Also you have to combine with diet, but I can’t see mine anymore.

There are workouts on YouTube specifically for this, they do help but it will never disappear fully.

Thankyou for these suggestions I'm going to try them all

I have the same thing, and don't have any helpful suggests for now, but just wanted to cheer you on on your weight loss journey.

My overhang has become much much better as I've lost weight, to the point it's barely noticeable now in clothes (and I'm not "thin", at the very top end of the healthy BMI), so keep going!! It will make a big difference, and I know the impact on your confidence is huge.

Big control pants. Not sexy but very effective.

Thankyou, I'm definitely going to do my best to shift some timber now.
I get a lot of people glancing at my tummy and I can tell they're wondering if I'm pregnant (at least I'm thinking they are!)

I have had 4 c sections and I feel the exact same. It really gets me down as I feel like everything I wear is to suit around it. Everything I put on I find so unflattering and don’t feel nice in anything! I’m currently 11stone10 and 4ft11. My idea weight would be around 9 stone. I really want to try get down to this wait to see if it helps but my stomach looks like a saggy pancake 😭😂

Spanx really helps

And losing weight, which is so tough

I actually think mine was one cause of my weight gain. As everything settled down after I had my second and I realised how bad it was and how bad my stretch marks are there was an element of "oh well, fuck it, I'm never going to look good anyway" as I ate my way through a lockdown maternity leave which included a bereavement.

Thanks for the next Spanx suggestion.

If it's any consolation it seems to be a thing whatever weight you are. I'm a size 10 when not pregnant and I still have one...it's depressing I agree and I'm not sure there is anything you can do to completely get rid of it. Losing weight and exercise will help, but aggressive self acceptance is probably the only thing that will solve it!

I had this after my first C-section. So after my second c-section I was determined to see if there was anything at all I could do to prevent it getting worse. The thing that worked best for me was C-section scar massage and mobility. Please look up c-section scar massage and why it's beneficial. There are good videos to follow on YouTube.

Yes diet and exercise will help with diastis recti, but it won't help with scar adhesions sucking your skin in and sticking to scar tissue, which is where the over hang comes from. I started doing 5/10 minutes a day of these massages about 6 weeks after my second c-section. I did them for over a year. I don't have an overhang anymore. Just a little wrinkly skin around my belly button.
I obviously did exercise to work on my ab separation and was strict with diet. But I think it's the massage that had the biggest affect on the overhang. I am now using retin-A (retinol) to help with the wrinkly skin.

All the best to you, I hope you find something that works for you. And if your stomach is never quite the same again, I hope you still feel great about yourself and what your body has been able to bring in to the world.

100% agree with scar massage

Would scar massage help even four years on do you know or have I missed the boat?

Honestly, I think it is most beneficial if you are doing the scar massaging within 6 months of your C-section. After two years, it's more difficult to see results. But I have friends that have started doing it years later and it has still helped reduce the overhang and break up scar tissue. Depends how sensitive your scar is, but you start with light skin manipulation and gentle scar pulling, then gradually increase to deeper tissue massage around the scar and on the scar. It can be a bit tender and uncomfortable sometimes (I used to be squeamish) but it gets easier and easier. I have no numbness or stinging in my scar area at all now. Consistency is key, doing it everyday for at least a year. Still can't believe midwives don't recommend scar mobility massage to women who have C-sections. Really awful that women are given no information or help with it in this country

Thankyou all so much. I don't expect a flat tummy or anything but I'm physically uncomfortable all the time now I can feel it. And it's all the way to my hips, I will do absolutely everything suggested