Belly pooch

Hi ladies.

I'm about 6.5 months PP now, and I'm curious if any of you have lost all the swollenness in your belly yet. I feel like my lower belly is still quite swollen and puffier than before and wondering how long I should expect it to take for that puffiness to fully subside.

Replies

  • chickybuns
    chickybuns Posts: 1,037 Member
    At 8.5 months pp mine is getting better but I still have a long way to go!! Last time I measured after a month I had lost everywhere except my belly, so stubborn. So I have started doing more core stuff, no I'm hoping when I measure soon it will have decreased some. I'm also hoping bf is contributing to that some and when I stop that will help, but who knows. Just keep working on it!
  • momRN2B
    momRN2B Posts: 247 Member
    i found that exercise especially strength training helped me get rid of my belly after having 2 kids and being overweight. Diet alone doesn't help.
    I am now pregnant but i continue to do my strength training workouts, so I hope my belly will dissappear faster this time around.
  • DragonSquatter
    DragonSquatter Posts: 957 Member
    At 8.5 months pp mine is getting better but I still have a long way to go!! Last time I measured after a month I had lost everywhere except my belly, so stubborn. So I have started doing more core stuff, no I'm hoping when I measure soon it will have decreased some. I'm also hoping bf is contributing to that some and when I stop that will help, but who knows. Just keep working on it!

    I'm just frustrated because despite the fact that I'm close to my pre-baby weight, I'm still two dress sizes larger because of the pooch mostly. My pants are huge around the thighs and butt, but fit the waist. So frustrating! I'll be patient though :)
    i found that exercise especially strength training helped me get rid of my belly after having 2 kids and being overweight. Diet alone doesn't help.
    I am now pregnant but i continue to do my strength training workouts, so I hope my belly will dissappear faster this time around.

    I need to get back into the gym. Thanks!
  • edowns88
    edowns88 Posts: 15
    I am 5 months post partum via c/section and measured last night my 'gut' and it's still as big as it was 2 weeks post partum! Though I have a good 10-15 lbs to lose yet, so I am hoping once that drops it might go away? THis is quite different from my first pregnancy as it went away quite quickly, along with all my weight..I guess this is what happens when you have two kids within two years both c/section.

    Anyway, I will try to be patient with you. :) Sorry to hijack your thread, just can totally relate to the frustration!
  • DragonSquatter
    DragonSquatter Posts: 957 Member
    I am 5 months post partum via c/section and measured last night my 'gut' and it's still as big as it was 2 weeks post partum! Though I have a good 10-15 lbs to lose yet, so I am hoping once that drops it might go away? THis is quite different from my first pregnancy as it went away quite quickly, along with all my weight..I guess this is what happens when you have two kids within two years both c/section.

    Anyway, I will try to be patient with you. :) Sorry to hijack your thread, just can totally relate to the frustration!

    No worries. I'm glad to see other women who "get" it. I had a c-section also, and my pooch hangs over my scar. I feel that it is rather ugly, though I adore my son.
  • edowns88
    edowns88 Posts: 15
    I can't figure out what mine is. Some days it seems like it is just plain swollen. Have you checked for diastisis? Sometimes that causes that lower ab portion to stick out farther too.

    I've really increased my weight training in hopes that helps.
  • Jillsie11
    Jillsie11 Posts: 249 Member
    I'm 9 months PP, and mine's still bigger than I want:( I checked though, and I have diastasis recti. Got a special video to help with it, and just haven't had the motivation:/ That could be it for you though!
  • chickybuns
    chickybuns Posts: 1,037 Member
    I have the same problem with pants, nothing fits me well, it's frustrating, but i still have 25lbs to pre-preggo weight.
  • daytolive
    daytolive Posts: 106 Member
    Unfortunately, c-sections have that effect on the belly. Most of my friends who have had cesarians(i have one friend who has had 3!!!) ,never really regained stomach muscles because they were cut. You're only 6 months PP,I'm sure at 1 year it will be much less. Also,I don't know if you are BF but that is what shrinks your uterus the fastest,which helps flatten your stomach. I am 11 months PP with my second baby and I too still have a little pooch. Battle scars of giving birth,i guess :wink:
  • Jenny_Rose77
    Jenny_Rose77 Posts: 418 Member
    I think this stuff must vary. I have a friend who had a natural delivery and went on to lose all her weight quickly, but still looked pregnant for about a year. And she was skinny. It was really weird.

    I had a C-section. I have 18 pounds to lose now, but ever since I dropped the initial water weight, I feel like I haven't had a belly per se. I am, however, I assure you, all-over chubby! I wonder if it's the all-over chub that prevents my pooch from being defined. :-)
  • LUreda
    LUreda Posts: 10 Member
    I still have quite a bit to go...but my belly is definitely flabby! I'm 6.5 mo PP. I have been trying to do more strength training & core work to strengthen the muscles so I can hold it in tighter...but, it hasn't gone away. I had belly fat pre-pregnancy...so, it's a problem area for me anyway. I think it will look a lot better at 1 year PP. But, it may never be the way it was...and, that's okay too. Pregnancy (and birth) just changes your body.
  • TheJamLady
    TheJamLady Posts: 21 Member
    I agree that with pregnancy your body often changes. After my first, my hips were permanently wider, even when I dropped below my pre-pregnancy weight. Now after my third birth it's taking longer to get rid of my tummy. Beachbody P90X ab ripper or Ten Minute Trainer Abs are great and I wish I could do them more often. Highly recommended.
  • You should check for recti diastasis. You'll need to modify your exercise if you have it (NO traditional crunches!). I have it and I've managed to get the gap between my muscles down to 1-2 finger widths. It was terrible after my first baby because I didn't know I had it. I'm 5 weeks out with #2 baby and it's already better this time around, so the correct exercise makes all the difference. That said, I don't have (and may never have) the flat stomach of my pre-preggo days!