Belly After A Caesarean, Please Help

lucywantstoloseit

Hey everyone.

I'm 19 years old and a single mum to my baby boy Oliver, 16 months. When I had Oliver I had to have an emergency c section and ever since I have had this very unsightly belly overhang. I am overweight, at 168lbs and only 5ft2 but I am working on losing that. I have been researching any way to lose this overhang and wondering if I can get rid of it with a healthy diet and exercising. The general response seems to be no, and that surgery is the only option. I really cannot afford this ant to be honest I'd much rather banish the bulge with good old fashioned hard work!

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE tell me that these people are wrong and that you CAN get rid of this naturally? If anyone has in their own experience done it and has before/after pictures act or can just give me some advice. I'd greatly appreciate it. Sorry for the tmi but like I said I have a 16 month old baby and I haven't been with anyone since he was conceived as my stomach gets me down so much. Please help!!!

xxx

jamesandteagansmommy

I dont think that has anything to do with you having a c-section. This happens a lot when any woman gets pregnant! When i was pregnant with my son...I was 150lbs...When i HAD him i was 230lbs!!!!!! I got down to like 190 and was so annoyed because i had that pouch not to mention stretch marks past my belly button. Well i had surgery...and let me tell you....IT IS NOT WORTH IT!!!!!! You CAN work off your belly at the bottom!!!! You wanna target your Lower Abs. So you wanna do Lower Ab Exercises. You can google some and get some ideas! You can even do them at home....They even have them on-demand ( im not even sure if you have this or where you live lol) Its a lot of work to get rid of it......but your belly wasn't placed there overnight.....So you cant expect to get rid of it THAT fast. You can do this though

tigersword

You can't spot reduce. You can reduce fat all over, but you can't target one particular area. As for loose skin? That takes time. Can take a few years. Strength training might help a little, but mostly it's just time and patience.

4sherry

I had 2 cesareans and Pilates did wonders for my belly. Losing weight will help immensely. Good luck !!

catshark209

I had my son in 2001 and I was never overweight. Pre-pregnancy was 116, and a few months after giving birth I was 118. I yo yoed back and forth over the next years, ending up at 150 then back down to 115 when he was 3. I held steady at a skinny fat 125lbs but all the back and forth fluctuation and giving birth gave me a saggy belly.
Mine is basically under my belly button. Its like a ridge almost. I can't explain it but I've reduced my waist from 34 to 25 doing bodyrock. Check out bodyrock.tv. I also eat as clean as I can. I don't make much money, but I've managed to get my food intake to fresh unprocessed foods. I still have a bit of the sag there but not anything like before.

bjshooter

I think its individual, I have seen peoples pics on here who have amazing flat tummies after numerous c-sections and big babies. I have lost most of my weight from almost 14 stone - 9stone 10ish and my belly looks worse now I will not give in yet though, I am hoping this final 14lb helps somewhat.

EmsyLou77

I have had 2 emergency c sections, one 5 years ago and the second 15 mths ago. I now have a slight bulge just above the scar but no overhang. I did it all with exericse DVDs. My top DVD recommendations for stomach flattening are "10 minute solutions pilates perfect body" and "Charlie Brooks before and after". (You also need to do cardio - the Charlie Brooks one has some good cardio stuff in as well as the pilates bit at the end containing stomach exercises.) Any Jillian Michaels DVD would also be great for general fitness/toning/weightloss. Good luck!

Mom_To_5

I have had 3 of my 4 kids by c-section and i don't have that, well i do a bit now, cuz i just gained back some weight, but when i lost it before i had a nice flat stomach, and i am WAY older than you, so you should have no problem getting rid of it with weight loss, time and exercise.

Good Luck to you, if you have any more questions feel free to add me and ask away!!

busyPK

I think you'll just have to focus on cardio and a healthy diet right now. I've had 2 c-sections w/in the last 2 years and because of the stretched skin I have the "overhang" as well. Try not to focus on it as you can't spot reduce one part of your body, instead just start cardio and I'm sure it will look better over time.

jlc1243

I think I know the "bump" you are talking about. I have it just right above my incision line, and I think, unfortunately, it's there to stay.

FitForLife81

Just keep working at it! Like other people have said it really isnt the c-section per se but the pregnancy. I have had two c-sections and have gotten rid of the stomach over hang you just have to keep doing the cardio and now I have added in weights!!!

MrsWibbly

I'm 41 and also have (or should I say had) a belly overhang from my pregnancy (I also had a c-section). I really thought nothing could help and I would be consigned to 'tucking it in' for the rest of my life, but last year I lost 20 lbs and did Jillian Michaels 30DS twice (only made it 22 days in first time and 21 second time) and I lost over half of my overhang! I still have 15/18lbs to go and I am hoping a couple more rounds of 30DS will reduce the overhang even further. It might take a while (probably more time for my older body than your younger one!) but keep going!

judy20in2011

I think its individual, I have seen peoples pics on here who have amazing flat tummies after numerous c-sections and big babies. I have lost most of my weight from almost 14 stone - 9stone 10ish and my belly looks worse now I will not give in yet though, I am hoping this final 14lb helps somewhat.

I totally agree. Think it's very individual. I've had two c-sections (10 years apart) and always had what I call my "purse"! The first time I weighed LESS after the baby than before I got pregnant. It's also important to remember they cut through muscle so depending on how that healed may also effect the structure of how it looks. You have youth on your side though. Just keep focusing on getting stronger and healthier, when the right person comes along you'll feel much more confident in sharing yourself. Enjoy your little one, it goes by quick!

sweetNsassy2584

You need to keep working at losing fat and it will slowly but surely come off. Maybe not completely but its possible. I had a C-section and my belly keeps looking better and better. No amount of ab exercises are going to give you results unless you lose that fat first. So eat clean and exercise

kardowling

I have it too. Even when I am very slim (118) it is still there- just loose skin. Had 3 c-sections. A tummy tuck would help, but there can be major scarring and historically I have not done well with surgery. If I lose weight and tone up...its as good as it gets. A small price to pay for 3 great kiddos

theoneandonlybrookie

I believe that everyone else is correct in saying that pregnancy can cause a person's belly to stick out a bit more than it did before children. However, having a c-section (as opposed to a vaginal delivery) often results in a pocket of extra skin below the incision area. And, in my case and maybe yours, one set of my ab muscles weren't put back together correctly which caused a bit of a pooch.

I actually went to physical therapy after my twins because of my ab muscles. The physical therapist taught me a few exercises that helped bring my ab muscles back together.

Don't lose hope though! I have lost my weight and am in now in maintenance. My stomach is flat and my ab muscles are visible *except* around the c-section incision. There is a pocket of skin there and a little bump that I cannot lose unless I get a tummy tuck (which for me personally isn't worth it.) However, my stomach looks pretty flat in clothing and I can even wear a bikini with confidence.

bear_nakey

My belly is a total nightmare after 3 kids (1 natural, 2 c-section) plus surgery from a tubal. Since I have been losing weight, it is looking much better though. I say, drop the extra pounds, and re-evaluate when you get to your goal. Also, strength training will definitely help!! Good luck!

TubbsMcGee

My old boss has had SEVEN kids both naturally and via caesarean.
I was dying to know how her stomach looked so toned, I even once asked her if they were all her adoptive kids.

Her secret? Running.
She explained that she had done endless sit ups with the first 3 kids and although she could feel her abs when she pressed down on her skin, she still had the overhang. A friend had told her that she needed more cardio to shed that extra layer of fat, and voila! She looks AMAZING at 45. I don't have kids yet, and the doctor has told me that because of my size I will need a caesarean. I plan on starting light cardio as soon as my incisions have healed.

Of course, everyone's body is different...but I hope this helps you out

atiffany1

ok so I don't usally talk about this, but since you brought it up. I have had to c-sections. my first was emergency, when we found out I can't have kids naturally, I barely had a scar and the skin was very smooth, and the scar very thin. Then I had my daughter wich was a planned c-section, they went over the same scar which made the scar thicker, and made it look kind of indented is the only word I can think of to discribe it.. this caused ( even when I hadn't gained the 18 pounds to make it worse) along the scar line a bump, I call it a bump because when I was 122 lbs the was no over hang the was just a pouch only along the scar and it was only about an inch wide. When I started gaining weight it got worse. I have been doing a lot of cardio and eating super healthy, which has cut down on a lot of belly fat. I had done some research to find out how to get rid of the little pouch when I get down to my goal weight and this is what I found... Pilates is the best way to get rid of lower midsection belly fat, mixed with cardio and a healthy diet.

tigersword

Nothing like necrobumping a post that's over a year old to post some spam. Enjoy your suspension/ban.

BrownEyeAngel

Strengthen your core up, and with a healthy diet and exercise you will tone your mid section up. It is just going to take time and hard work! Keep #PushingPlay and you will see results!

AmandaReimer1

Everyone is different, most people may not, some will. You do have age on your side. I started 30 day shred along with zumba in Janurary and I have noticed a difference as I'm losing weight. I don't think my pooch will ever completely go away, but you had a child, and someone will love you for that.
What you can do is eat well, lose weight and do cardio and strength training. It will help minimize it at least.