C-Section Pictures

MommaSpunk

I had c-sections in 2006, 2007, and 2009. My youngest son will be 5 in February, and I'm down 109lbs. total since March-ish 2009. I don't have my highest weight in this picture, but over the years the pooch is finally starting to go away. I'm not perfect, but I don't think I want a tuck either. I'm finding that lifting heavy is really, really helping me combined with cardio. I wore a bikini for the first time in my adult life this summer, and I had no issues wearing it despite my stretch marks and little pooch. The most recent pic in my animal print was taken about 2 weeks ago.

Pics from over the years:

inspiring

tiggerhammon

What does having a c section have to do with being 100 lbs overweight? C section=/= fat. You're more likely to not have a flat belly after losing weight from skin stretching from being obese rather than an incision below your bikini line.

WOW

You're more likely to not have a flat belly WHEN A PERSON USED TO LIVE INSIDE OF IT. The C-section is a unique situation because they move or in some cases even cut through abdominal muscle. In addition, if someone has a long healing time that is time they cannot be exercising. Also, there is scar tissue, which is less elastic. In all pregnancies, the abdominal muscles stretch a lot and can also separate. When you are fat, skin stretches, but with pregnancy it's the actual muscle that stretches.

(My son's almost 2... sooo not pleased with how my stomach looks. It's so much worse than just being overweight. It just hangs and ugh but at least the stretch marks are faded a bit. Doing lots of ab exercises to try and shrink the waistline but I don't know if the skin will ever snap back. And I didn't have a C-section so I didn't have to deal with that extra).

Exactly. You may have a mommy pouch whether you had a C section or not. I had 2 very large babies that stretched skin to the limits and have extra skin from belly button down that even 30 years later, lots of exercise and no extra weight refuses to budge. My neighbor had 2 C sections and within 6 weeks is bikini ready again. Just the luck of draw on genetics a lot of the time.

I agree, Csection or not most women that have had a baby experience the pooch.
However, if the C section leaves behind evidence of damage like mine did, it is harder to get that pooch to go away, the scar leaves an indent just under the pooch for everything to hang over. Don't look so good naked cause you have the pooch looking like it's hanging over tight fitting pants even if you aren't wearing pants. The muscle did not bounce back. It was harder than **** to get even some muscle built back up. The scar, even 7.5 years later, still looks terrible. There is no elasticity there so the skin surrounding it will never bounce back. I think eventually I can have good looking stomach again, minus the stretchmarks, but that scar ain't never gonna look pretty.
Sorry, TMI I know.

tiggerhammon

I might as well ask here since this thread is about c sections. Have any of you that are doing lots of different crunches finding the muscles are very sore where your scar is? I mean my upper abs are sore, but in a I had a good workout kind of way. My lower abs hurt when I move certain ways and it feels like when I was healing after surgery. Not quite as painful, but different than normal muscle burn.

Yes! Worse, if I overdo it, or twisting/pulling just the wrong way it really hurts.
About a year after my daughter was born I tried doing some workouts and it hurt so bad I went to see my doc. He said I has torn the tissue under the scar. I actually did this twice and, now, it hurts pretty good every time I overdo it.

LessthanKris

This is after 2 c-sections. Now I don't have any better before photo's then this, this is my first every stomach photo (the top photos)



The last 2 photo's are my most recent photo's. The pooch is going away and it can go away, but you need to do more then just lose weight, you need more then just cardio, you need to add strength training in.

I keep seeing you pop up on all these threads and you are seriously my inspiration. I am 5'1 and have had two csections (3 and 1 year old). I was wondering if the pooch would really ever go away no matter how much weight I lost. Glad to see it can happen :O)

TheFitHooker

This is after 2 c-sections. Now I don't have any better before photo's then this, this is my first every stomach photo (the top photos)



The last 2 photo's are my most recent photo's. The pooch is going away and it can go away, but you need to do more then just lose weight, you need more then just cardio, you need to add strength training in.

I keep seeing you pop up on all these threads and you are seriously my inspiration. I am 5'1 and have had two csections (3 and 1 year old). I was wondering if the pooch would really ever go away no matter how much weight I lost. Glad to see it can happen :O)

Thank you, it's possible but it's hard work, I believe the diet bit of it is probably a leading help on that area along with exercise. I took another one a few days ago because I noticed how flat it felt and it took me by surprise.

Care76

Yes! Worse, if I overdo it, or twisting/pulling just the wrong way it really hurts.
About a year after my daughter was born I tried doing some workouts and it hurt so bad I went to see my doc. He said I has torn the tissue under the scar. I actually did this twice and, now, it hurts pretty good every time I overdo it.

Thanks for letting me know I am not alone! I feel like such a wimp. I hurt at my csection scar (but it is better now) and I killed my knees by doing 30ds.

Care76

This is after 2 c-sections. Now I don't have any better before photo's then this, this is my first every stomach photo (the top photos)



The last 2 photo's are my most recent photo's. The pooch is going away and it can go away, but you need to do more then just lose weight, you need more then just cardio, you need to add strength training in.

I keep seeing you pop up on all these threads and you are seriously my inspiration. I am 5'1 and have had two csections (3 and 1 year old). I was wondering if the pooch would really ever go away no matter how much weight I lost. Glad to see it can happen :O)

Thank you, it's possible but it's hard work, I believe the diet bit of it is probably a leading help on that area along with exercise. I took another one a few days ago because I noticed how flat it felt and it took me by surprise.

You are awesome! Way to go!

0somuchbetter0

After reading this thread I should be thankful to my OB for severing all of my nerves when she did my c-section...both times! I don't feel any pain. In fact, I feel nothing from about 2 inches below my belly button down to my scar. It's been almost 7 years now and I don't think it will ever come back. As for having a flat stomach, I've never had one, even before I had babies, even before I got fat. I still have 60 lbs to lose before I can even think about that.

TheFitHooker

After reading this thread I should be thankful to my OB for severing all of my nerves when she did my c-section...both times! I don't feel any pain. In fact, I feel nothing from about 2 inches below my belly button down to my scar. It's been almost 7 years now and I don't think it will ever come back. As for having a flat stomach, I've never had one, even before I had babies, even before I got fat. I still have 60 lbs to lose before I can even think about that.

I've never had one either, so this is all knew to me, and was told after my first one, that I would never get one. MFP gave me hope, I've seen many threads like this one and use to think "Yeah right, I'll never be in that group." But then after the weight fell off, I figured I'd give it my all to prove everyone wrong. It's still not flat, not as flat as I want it, but I'm not done.

I also have no feeling where my scar is, but can feel my abs when working that all out.

0somuchbetter0

After reading this thread I should be thankful to my OB for severing all of my nerves when she did my c-section...both times! I don't feel any pain. In fact, I feel nothing from about 2 inches below my belly button down to my scar. It's been almost 7 years now and I don't think it will ever come back. As for having a flat stomach, I've never had one, even before I had babies, even before I got fat. I still have 60 lbs to lose before I can even think about that.

I've never had one either, so this is all knew to me, and was told after my first one, that I would never get one. MFP gave me hope, I've seen many threads like this one and use to think "Yeah right, I'll never be in that group." But then after the weight fell off, I figured I'd give it my all to prove everyone wrong. It's still not flat, not as flat as I want it, but I'm not done.

I also have no feeling where my scar is, but can feel my abs when working that all out.

Your post is inspiring and motivating...thanks!

Also congrats on the amazing weight loss.

skadoosh33

If you had flat abs before and worked out during pregnancy it comes back quickly. This is why you shouldn't "eat for two" when the fetus only requires 200 more calories than your maintenance. My wife and I have a 13 week old. She exercised and ran 5k until 32 weeks then light exercise until delivery @ 39.5 weeks. Had a cesarean due to breech. She recovered without pain meds, left hospital in 44hrs and our first hike was 5 days later with baby in Ergo. Surgery weight 141lbs, two weeks after 119lbs @5'6". Size 3, nice abs and 18% body fat. We are training for the Rock-n-roll half marathon that is in 17 days. Your body responds better to surgery if you are healthy and in shape.

Oh_Allie

This threads a little old, but it's really nice to see that I really can get rid of this little pooch. I had a terrible c-section (11.5 pound, 25 inch long baby), popped my staples, was horribly infected, had to do wound packing, etc., for 3 weeks and I have what I call a speed bump over around the incision spot. I figured I'd probably never get rid of that because of the way I healed, but now I'm re-thinking it.

Thanks!

tiggerhammon

This threads a little old, but it's really nice to see that I really can get rid of this little pooch. I had a terrible c-section (11.5 pound, 25 inch long baby), popped my staples, was horribly infected, had to do wound packing, etc., for 3 weeks and I have what I call a speed bump over around the incision spot. I figured I'd probably never get rid of that because of the way I healed, but now I'm re-thinking it.

Thanks!

And I thought my 9lb, 24.5 inch baby was huge.

lmmenard78

You are truely and inspiration. I'm trying really hard to get rid of my belly pouch after having my 2 son via c-section. Thank you for posting this and letting us all know that it is possible

This is after 2 c-sections. Now I don't have any better before photo's then this, this is my first every stomach photo (the top photos)



The last 2 photo's are my most recent photo's. The pooch is going away and it can go away, but you need to do more then just lose weight, you need more then just cardio, you need to add strength training in.

I keep seeing you pop up on all these threads and you are seriously my inspiration. I am 5'1 and have had two csections (3 and 1 year old). I was wondering if the pooch would really ever go away no matter how much weight I lost. Glad to see it can happen :O)

Thank you, it's possible but it's hard work, I believe the diet bit of it is probably a leading help on that area along with exercise. I took another one a few days ago because I noticed how flat it felt and it took me by surprise.

You are awesome! Way to go!

rosemary98

bump...because I am going to try to post pics.

mortuseon

I had 2 c-sections and 3 VBACs. My last c-section was 4 years ago. This was taken a few days ago. I lift heavy and it helps.

forgive me for being so frank, but you have a fantastic booty.

rosemary98

okay...i am MFP inept. I have posted my c-section photos on my profile. I had my baby 18 months ago. I haven't started exercising yet. actually, i start today...so kep that in mind when viewing. thanks.

KimINfortheWin

I too have a vertical c-section. A lovely 40+stitch from belly button to pelvis as they yanked my kiddo out quickly enough to save him. It's not even a straight scar but rather this wavy thing! I would love to see if there's anyone with that vertical scaring that has after-pictures.

I just figure that as my happy goal, I'd get a tummy tuck or some kind of cosmetic surgery to fix it once I'm done.

arabianhorselover

You look really good for not exercising!

okay...i am MFP inept. I have posted my c-section photos on my profile. I had my baby 18 months ago. I haven't started exercising yet. actually, i start today...so kep that in mind when viewing. thanks.

rosemary98

thank you.