Can your stomach shrink back after kids?

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Lady_Chilli
Lady_Chilli Posts: 161 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
As it says in the title really. I'm more on about people who have suffered from stretch marks where Mother Nature wasn't so kind. My stomach at the moment has a bit of a muffin top shall we say and I suffered really bad stretch marks with my 3 children.
I just wondered and I know it will never be the same as it was but can you actually get a flat stomach or will you always be left with excess hanging skin?
Are there exercises I could concentrate on to really help that area? Many thanks in advance :)

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  • thatgirl125
    thatgirl125 Posts: 294 Member
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    bump, I have the same problem./ question.
  • Le_Joy
    Le_Joy Posts: 593 Member
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    It really depends on the person. Some people have very elasticy skin and look almost the same pretty quickly after having a baby and some struggle with it. I know a few women who have 3 or more children and their tummy looks normal a few months after birth. So it is possible but there are lots of factors. I don't have very elastic skin at all it likes to stay stretched out so I know genetics do play some role in it...
  • adjones5
    adjones5 Posts: 938 Member
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    My mom had six kids, all within 10 years. She gained and lost 300 lbs in ten years! She used to stretch marks but over time they have faded (they are still there but you have to look closely) and after she had all of her children she was able to get a flat stomach again. She has gained a little bit of weight as she has gotten older but she was able to get back into great shape after having kids.
  • LiviLou2011
    LiviLou2011 Posts: 437 Member
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    Of course the stretch marks wont go away, but they will fade, and my stomach is sort of like ur explaining..i think that yes it will go back to be flat if your do firming exercises but it may still be wrinkled wear the stretch marks are..but im not even worried about my stretch marks as long as im thin!! ...i guess it depends on how exactly your stomach is because my mom got stretch marks also and her stomach is super flat.
  • KariePerez
    KariePerez Posts: 172
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    Hell to tha no lol jk But mine didn't mine didn't go back ok i take that back after the first 1 it did but after that it was all down hill lol
  • Lady_Chilli
    Lady_Chilli Posts: 161 Member
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    The stretch marks don't bother me, I'm used to them and know they wont be going anywhere now, its just whether you can achieve a flat stomach or because the skins stretched it won't go back flat? If that makes sense?
    I understand about elasticity but my stomachs a bit bumpy if you look from the side, I dont know whether its muscle damage i.e seperation and if so could it still be achieved?
  • twinmama1987
    twinmama1987 Posts: 566 Member
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    I had twins 2 years ago. I have excess skin ... and a hernia.

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  • cansmith80
    cansmith80 Posts: 67
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    I gained 60 lbs with each of my two pregnancies. After my second child, I had horrific stretch marks. They did fade. However, when I lost the baby weight plus more, I still had saggy skin that would not go away. It discouraged me from working out, because I thought, what's the point. My stomach looked disgusting no matter if I weighed 200 lbs or 145 lbs. I saved a little money and had plastic surgery. I had an abdominoplasty and breast augmentation. I will NEVER regret that decision. It cost me dearly, but it has given me so much more confidence. I will be a year post-op on January 14th. I do have scars, but scars beat the heck out of saggy skin and stretch marks in my opinion. I am extremely happy with my results.
  • KourtneyP83
    KourtneyP83 Posts: 319
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    I love both of my kids, but I truly hate the stretch marks. My oldest is 9 and some of them are still pink from him. I know they fade over time...but good grief how long? Anyone have any remedies to make them fade any faster?
  • lwoods34
    lwoods34 Posts: 302 Member
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    If you dont exercise your ab muscles after having a baby, it will take much longer to get your tummy back into the shape it was prior to pregnancy. I only have 1 child (15 months) and for me, I was very active before, during and after pregnancy so my abs got right back into shape after I had my son but I also had to do some work. Instead of doing crunches I did side plank ab raises and plank holds for 30-60 seconds. I also had both prenatal and post natal workout videos that I used that focused on getting your body back after having a baby..so that really helped too.

    Genetics definitely is a factor but is also depends on how in shape your abs were before pregnancy and also if you have diastasis recti (separation of the abs). It can be done but it takes more than just crunches to get your stomach back.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,663 Member
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    Depends on your genetics and how much you gained. IMO, many females gain too much when pregnant and totally affects how much their skin gets stretched. The more gained the harder it will be to have the skin retract.


    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • Yanicka1
    Yanicka1 Posts: 4,564 Member
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    M stomach after giving birth tto 6 kids. ....all singleton. I have strechmarks and too much skin on my belly but I believe in doing your best with what you got. :)

    6443643851_b54111feda_m.jpg
    Photo by yanicka, on Flickr
  • Di3012
    Di3012 Posts: 2,250 Member
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    As it says in the title really. I'm more on about people who have suffered from stretch marks where Mother Nature wasn't so kind. My stomach at the moment has a bit of a muffin top shall we say and I suffered really bad stretch marks with my 3 children.
    I just wondered and I know it will never be the same as it was but can you actually get a flat stomach or will you always be left with excess hanging skin?
    Are there exercises I could concentrate on to really help that area? Many thanks in advance :)

    I can only speak from my own experience, however, I have had two kids and both times my stomach went back to how it was before (although it did take a few months, but it did get there).

    Regarding stretch marks, I have some on my legs and one on my stomach. They say they never disappear, but I can honestly say, with time, they do fade. The ones on the backs of my legs are not really visible now, unless I look through a magnifying glass lol.
  • busterbluth
    busterbluth Posts: 115 Member
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    Mine did; like the above poster said I have a little loose skin (unnoticeable unless I pull on it). I was pretty fit/had a strong core before I got pregnant. . .I'm not sure how much that matters.

    I didn't have any stretchmarks other than on the sides of my boobs, which have faded.
  • busterbluth
    busterbluth Posts: 115 Member
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    Holy crikey, twinmamma. Everyone said I looked like I was pregnant with twins (I had a pretty big baby--I'm 5'1" and had a 9 lb baby) but you must have been REALLY uncomfortable.
  • hsmithway
    hsmithway Posts: 191
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    My stomach seemed to spring back without too much trouble (other than some lingering, but now pale, stretch marks), but my hips and ribcage expanded so when I got back down to my pre-pregnancy weight, I still couldn't wear the same clothes.
  • 2fit4fat
    2fit4fat Posts: 559 Member
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    I had twins Oct 2005 and another little girl aug 2006... I was able to get my stomach flat but stretchmarks were still there ( I feel like my body is one big stretch mark!!)
    I hope I'm still able to do it this time since I weigh 20 lbs more right now than I did at 40 weeks with the twins. I had a hernia but it's gone now lucky I didn't need surgery. It was gross!! Lol

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