Cesarean belly?!

[chubby mummy]

With my daughter...after 20hrs labour I had to have cesarean and now I have this terrible belly! I have always had a flabby belly even after doing up to 200 stomach crunches a day on top of a fitness routine and diet.

Is it true that your stomach doesn't recover as well after a cesarean as it would if you had a natural birth?

And any suggestions from anyone out there as to how to get rid of it?

[summerbod]

Hi
I have the same problem, but I have had 2 c-sections and it is so much worse the 2nd time. I have been going to the gym and doing 50 mins of cardio plus an abs class 3 times a week to try and flatten my tummy. Working quite closely with on of the trainers, things are very slowly shifting, have lost a few cms off my waist, but only 2 kgs in 2 months. So this is my time to get serious and loose it.

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[Littlegirl]

yeah i cant get rid of the saggy belly either, i think i may always have a slightly bigger belly than before now.

[Shalimar]

I'm not sure yet as my belly has been big since the day I had junior . I'm sure there is one lurking down there waiting to rear itself.

[shark]

Doing crunches will only tone the abdominal muscles, not get rid of the fat, so you might find you need to actually lose some fat as well. Plus if you have lots of saggy skin, unfortunately no amount of exercise will fix this! The other thing to check out is whether your muscles have come apart during pregnancy, which they apparently can do if you got very big quickly or carried your baby really out front iykwim. I've been told to see a physio about it, but I don't know whether she'll actually be able to do anything about it. Um sorry that doesn't sound very encouraging! I'm the same, had my baby 3 wks ago and still look preggy I guess all we can do is do our best and if it never gets back to pre kid shape we'll just have to feel happy to look more mature and womanly

[CUZZY26]

Hi there,
I can't say I have a cesarean belly but I was 90kgs before I have gotten down to 50kgs. I had a flabby belly and arms. I consistently dieted and exercised pretty much every moment I could and I made it to a very toned and lean fitness freak. No flabby bits and a flat tummy. I learned that leg and arm weigts work. Leg weights work on the legs and surprisingly the tummy. Every time you lift your legs you use your lower abs which are pretty hard to target unless you do more than 10000 steps a day. It worked for me and I hope this advice may help you achieve you goals too.

After my Pregnancy I have 20kgs to lose. So if you have progress let us know.

[Littlegirl]

I've also inherited claw like stretch marks going from the top of my stomach down to the lower part of my belly. Looks like a tiger has absolutley mauled me! No more bikinis for me if i ever reach my goal weight! I'm not so much worried about the stretch marks and flabby belly as much as i am about losing the weight first. I'm sure these celebrities out there get tummy tucks and laser surgery after birth!

[*CandyGirl*]

I'm sure these celebrities out there get tummy tucks and laser surgery after birth!

I think so too, how can it be possible to look after a baby and lose weight so quickly, its not possible

[globetrotter]

Hi girls!

I've just had my 3rd baby, and while the first two were natural deliveries, this last one happened to be an emergency Cesarean. After my second baby I managed to get back in shape with Accent XL treatments. They're good for fat loss, cellulite and skin tightening as well.

The Cesarean gave my belly a funny shape (only I don't really feel like laughing ), so now that baby dear is 3 months old, I'll start the treatments again. I found a salon in Sydney that has the Accent XL (*link removed by moderator*), but they've got them in Melbourne and Brisbane as well.

Best of luck to everyone. I'll let you know if I get the same fabulous results as last time .

[MrsO]

I have had 3 caesarians and totally agree with the flabby belly statement I find that my belly hangs over my scar too - so no bikini for me either but I would settle for looking good in a one piece

[Nunu]

im the same.. only i didnt have a Csection....

at six months i didnt even look pregnant.. you could still see my hip bones from a good distance, but this was due to severe morning sickness, and even more severe stress.. as soon as i got home with my mum.. and ate her food, i grew to be huge, my stomach muscles seperated... and now i have started the long tedious journey of trying to rid myself of my belly.. four months after the birth i look bigger than i did at 7 months in pregnancy... but i notice it has been getting better with the more exercise i do...
I think one of the things that help is HARDCORE work outs.... like cardio and resistence... a visit or two with a trainer might also help, my friend is a PT, so she gives me some tips. also google helps me. lol
Overseas they actually use a thin piece of material to tie the stomach, they tie it tight, really tight... and apparently it helps the stomach pull itself back in.. im not sure about this idea, my friend did it, and i saw how tight she had to have it and even i could feel the pain.... i think i will just stick to my big granny knickers

i really like the idea of a tummy tuck....

[Sienna]

I had full term twin by c-section and I was left with very separate muscles and lots of grandma skin- the more weight I lost, the more the skin looked wrinkly and sad, like a 90yr olds skin just in that area. I don't think the c-sec was all to blame, that skin was stretched WAY beyond its capacity. I went on the waiting list and had a fully medicare covered tummy tuck. It took 1 yr on the waiting list but it was worth the wait. I can't say that I'm 100% happy with my new tummy, but it's a HUGE improvement. I have a large scar from hip to hip but at least I have a flat belly. The biggest bonus was the muscle repair. I have core strength again! I could stick 4 fingers inbetween the separated muscles before, and now they are as tightly knitted as they were pre-babies.

[fgamz89]

This is also something that has crossed my mind, I honestly just want to target my belly area after two caesareans and I too became soooo big with my pregnancies.. Especially the skin, I have terrible stretchmarks... I will see how my belly looks at my goal weight and if I have saggy skin I have considered a tummy tuck and possible breast implants..

I am hopeful with some of the comments on here and hope in time I have no problems with the mid area.. But only time can tell.. I'll have to keep you updated..

[Blitz]

A lot will depend on good genetics, your age and how long you've stretched your skin for.
Unfortunately, no amount of targeted exercise or moisturising products will make much difference.

As for the tummy tuck...
When I had my belly hernia repaired my surgeon kindly slashed some of the loose belly skin off (I had a soccer ball's worth).
It wasn't plastic surgery (his words not mine) - and he certainly was right about that!
It wasn't so much a tummy tuck...more like a slash and rip!
I ended up with a massive scar from one hip to the other; saddle bags of loose skin on the hips - and no belly button!
After 6 months you could still see the scar easily and the distinctly different colours of the skin regions.
My stomach was very weak even after a year - so much so that swimming was uncomfortable.
But now after nearly 3 years, the scar is barely visible (even close up), the skin regions are identical and swimming is comfortable.

Kim