To all the mommies, did your "loose skin" tighten up?

It depends.

Some women's skin tightens back up, and some women don't. Mine, unfortunately, is very loose, but still better than it used to be.

You have to give it a while. It can take years to tighten if it will.

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Um, mine definitely is getting better. I think a lot of it will go, you just need to reduce your fat down a lot first. I was 5'3" and 196 when my daughter was born (21months ago)., now I'm 129 and the skin is really tightening, it's just a lot loser than I'd have liked at this stage. Remember skin is 6months behind weight loss. So in 6 months your skin will be a lot tighter for this weight. If you lose more weight, it'll have to tighten further, but it's a slow process.

Depends on a lot of things--age, total weight gain, baby size, genetics, etc. I'm 42 and I've had four children. The youngest is eight and I've been working on getting into shape (off and on a bit, due to multiple family medical issues) for about two years. Four large pregnancies in nine years (two of my babies were over 9 lbs) kind of trashed my stomach muscles. I've still got a flabby belly but it's better than it was. I am hoping for further improvement.

In fairness, I think nursing made all the difference in the world as I had a friend who formula fed and ended up with a significant amount of loose skin, even though she returned to her previous weight/size.

100% formula-fed mommy that did not breastfeed a single time - with no loose skin and an almost flat tummy again. :drinker: It may help the uterus return to normal size more quickly in the beginning, but some women just can't bounce back completely post-birth, depending on weight/genetics/age/etc.

I had twins in April of 1997 and had gained 27 pounds with the multiple pregnancy. By June, I was back to a size two and my stomach was completely back to before the pregnancy. Back then I was eating a plants based diet and walked several miles of hilly terrain a day. In December of 2000, I had my second son and while it was a very difficult birth, I again lost the twelve pounds gained and returned to a flat stomach within twelve weeks time. In December 2006, I had my fourth child and lost the twenty two gained and my stomach again flattened to it's original state. Unfortunately, since then I have gained 40 pounds and am struggling to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight of 117. In fairness, I think nursing made all the difference in the world as I had a friend who formula fed and ended up with a significant amount of loose skin, even though she returned to her previous weight/size. If you look at my profile pictures, there is one taken of me in a bikini at 8 months pregnant with my last child. This photo shows how healthy my skin looked after several pregnancies. So please don't worry too much and allow your body to catch up with the marathon it just completed. Also, a personal trainer told me that while women think they have loose skin after delivering it is usually simply fat that has yet to be lost. If this is the case, walking and good diet should carry you the rest of the way. Good luck and enjoy your beautiful daughter!

Goodness, Girl! Reading your post regarding your minimal weight gains during pregnancy (I gained 60 and 45, and they were both single births), I had to read your bio...kudos to wanting to be your very best 50! Also, my goal...and will hit this in December! I weighed in at 116lbs this morning-and that is with a 2lb gain over vacation! I will say that my tri-ceps are what really need work...

As far as the belly-after 2 c-sections, mine is a lost cause. I did seek the opinion of a surgeon, but decided I'd feel silly dying on the table-for vanity's sake. My solution has been to increase the squats (which really DO help both belly and bum) cut back on the carbs, and wear Ralph Lauren dresses with great side ruching; they make your figure (flawless or not) look uber amazing!

I just had my first baby in May so I'm currently working on post baby weight loss and dealing with skin. I've heard that exfoliating the places with loose skin helps. I use a sugar scrub every day.

You were my exact height and weight when my son was born 15 months ago. How did you get down to 125? Any tips? Im currently at 169 now but I want to get in the 130's

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Um, mine definitely is getting better. I think a lot of it will go, you just need to reduce your fat down a lot first. I was 5'3" and 196 when my daughter was born (21months ago)., now I'm 129 and the skin is really tightening, it's just a lot loser than I'd have liked at this stage. Remember skin is 6months behind weight loss. So in 6 months your skin will be a lot tighter for this weight. If you lose more weight, it'll have to tighten further, but it's a slow process.

I was your exact height and weight when my son was born 15 months ago. I'm down to 169 now but want to be in the 130's. Any tips? How did you lose all that weight?

17 years later I still have some loose skin, but it's nothing to be ashamed of. Much like my grey hair, I earned it through hard work.

I agree with her. I have stretch marks and loose skin. It has tightened up but will never be the same, nor should it! We created life that's pretty damn awesome! Having a baby and losing weight is NOT easy give yourself a high five!

Mine did to a point, but the amount of elasticity in your skin and how much it snaps back is based on genetics, sorry.

You can absolutely minimize this, however. Lifting and eating well was the key to getting it as good as I could on my own. After I was done losing weight, I was left with a small "apron" on the very bottom of my belly. (I had to get to 16% BF, though, and it took time.) I had Diastasis recti and had to have my abdominal wall sewn back together, so the surgeon removed the extra skin while I was getting that done. No lipo, so it was pure loose skin without any excess fat under it, but it wouldn't have gone anywhere without surgery. (But it could be hidden, even in a bikini.)

Also, my surgeon said whenever he has a patient like me - with just a bit of a shelf left - it is always the same story. Lifting and diet gets the best results you can achieve without surgery. Best of luck!

"As far as the belly-after 2 c-sections, mine is a lost cause. I did seek the opinion of a surgeon, but decided I'd feel silly dying on the table-for vanity's sake. My solution has been to increase the squats (which really DO help both belly and bum) cut back on the carbs, and wear Ralph Lauren dresses with great side ruching; they make your figure (flawless or not) look uber amazing! wink "

1st of all I love your attitude! But a question about your concerns about the surgery. Did the surgeon tell you something that caused the concern? Is it a risky surgery? Asking because I know at my age and the amount of "flap" that would be the only way to get rid of it. Been thinking hard about a tummy tuck as a reward once goal weight is accomplished but your comment kinda scared me. :laugh:

I'm not "opposed" to surgery (I know some people are adamantly opposed to anything seemingly unnatural to get to a place where they are comfortable in their skin.)

I did not have easy c-sections (okay, second one was definitely not as hard-but then I popped myself open before I left the hospital, and took some time to completely heal.)

I've pondered surgery for a number of years (spent countless hours online researching, visited Portland's top surgeon, etc) and was told I would be a candidate for a mini tummy tuck. Several things made me hold off... First, my hubby has been more than loving and accepting of my "new" post-baby body, and tells me that when he sees my tummy-he sees our children. (Big, awwww...) also, I am more than a little afraid of being totally "out" during surgery (heart problems have been the number 1 killer of women in my family), and reading horror stories of women who have died on the table (while having cosmetic surgery) has inspired me to forgo surgery, work to get healthy and fit as I can, and be around to raise my kidlets (which, as you can see in my profile pic, done!)

Lastly, and while I haven't seen this for myself, one of the moms at school told me her friend had a tummy tuck. Looked great. And when she put on weight, it didn't go to her belly-but rather created weird bulges in other areas on her body. What's up with that?



Read pro's and cons online (people post their stories, pictures), talk to people that you know have had it done...and I would definitely seek out the best dr in the field in your area.