Difference between c-section stomach and any other stomach?

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jemhh
jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
This is something I see posted fairly frequently--Do any other moms have a c-section belly? How do I get rid of it? Every time I see those posts, I wonder what is the significance of having had a c-section as far as losing weight and shrinking it goes? By that I mean, how is a c-section stomach any different than any other fat (or formerly fat) stomach? I've tried looking at pictures online and the only difference I see is when there was a vertical cut rather than a horizontal cut. Is that it?
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  • jvs125
    jvs125 Posts: 223 Member
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    I have had 2 C-sections and my stomach looks perfectly normal. However, my abdominal wall was very strong to begin with. They cut through your muscles when they do a C-section and it takes work to gain the strength back. For people who didn't do regular ab work prior to surgery, it can take a while and many have a "pooch" above the scar that they have trouble getting rid of.
  • crazyjerseygirl
    crazyjerseygirl Posts: 1,252 Member
    edited June 2015
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    Too fat to personally say, but I figure it's what @jvs125 said. They cut through muscle and sew it back up, so I'm guessing it's harder to get back into shape.

    ETA: I only hold this as a hypothesis. I don't know if there is a legit reason.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    I don't think there is one apart from the fact that the scar that is low down pulls the skin tight so that it is easy to get a pooch overhang if you have excess bodyfat ..kind of like a muffin top over too tight trousers I think
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    edited June 2015
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    The muscular recovery makes sense. I keep thinking just about the appearance aspect. I kept finding images like this one, which is pretty much what I see when I look in the mirror and I didn't have a c-section. But the muscle aspect makes sense.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
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    Thanks for asking this because I've always wondered that, too. I had a C-section 25 years ago and never noticed a difference from the way that area looked, other than the scar, but my situation was similar to jvs125. I was in good shape and a healthy weight both before and after so there was nothing to hang over and my muscle tone was already good.
  • shinisize
    shinisize Posts: 105 Member
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    rabbitjb wrote: »
    I don't think there is one apart from the fact that the scar that is low down pulls the skin tight so that it is easy to get a pooch overhang if you have excess bodyfat ..kind of like a muffin top over too tight trousers I think
    ^^^ This, plus the fact that the scar goes through all the layers of tissue, so everything is usually stuck together at that point right on through the abdominal wall. Some women don't have much of a problem because regular movement helps break down the scar tissue between the layers, but others have horrible pinching pain any time they move and it pulls on that scar tissue because the skin is tacked down in place. It really depends on how the woman heals/scars, and to a certain degree how low the scar is (mine is too low to make a pooch, but several of my friends have significantly higher scars).
  • NobodyPutsAmyInTheCorner
    NobodyPutsAmyInTheCorner Posts: 1,018 Member
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    tadgqck9nuck.jpg

    There you go. That's what I'm currently stuck with. I've still got a long way to go in terms of my stomach but mine has always hung over since having a section 10 years ago. My stomach muscles at the bottom are shot. No feeling there either. So there you go :)
  • PeachyPlum
    PeachyPlum Posts: 1,243 Member
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    Kind of threadjack, but related...

    I'm childless, but I have C-section hips. Meaning that if hubs and I do ever have a sprog, that's going to be its only option for egress.

    Based on what @jvs125 said, am I correct in understanding that having strong abdominal muscles in advance of the pregnancy is advantageous for recovery post-surgery? Like, I might want to do some extra core work with that in mind?


  • NobodyPutsAmyInTheCorner
    NobodyPutsAmyInTheCorner Posts: 1,018 Member
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    Sorry if my belly puts anyone off their dinner by the way. Just wanted to show you what it can look like.
  • PeachyPlum
    PeachyPlum Posts: 1,243 Member
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    NobodyPutsAmyInTheCorner wrote: »
    Sorry if my belly puts anyone off their dinner by the way. Just wanted to show you what it can look like.

    You're a Mom. You went through all that just for your kid. That's not ugly, that's love. :heart:
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    NobodyPutsAmyInTheCorner wrote: »
    Sorry if my belly puts anyone off their dinner by the way. Just wanted to show you what it can look like.

    No, don't apologize. That was actually really useful. I can see that the spot where your skin folds over is higher than where the fold starts on my body. Is the numbness bothersome or do you get used to it?
  • NobodyPutsAmyInTheCorner
    NobodyPutsAmyInTheCorner Posts: 1,018 Member
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    PeachyPlum wrote: »
    NobodyPutsAmyInTheCorner wrote: »
    Sorry if my belly puts anyone off their dinner by the way. Just wanted to show you what it can look like.

    You're a Mom. You went through all that just for your kid. That's not ugly, that's love. :heart:

    I'll be honest. I had a rough birth. Emergency section and was left with internal bleeding for 8 days before they realised. I was not well :lol: but he was worth it :)
  • jaga13
    jaga13 Posts: 1,149 Member
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    jemhh wrote: »
    This is something I see posted fairly frequently--Do any other moms have a c-section belly? How do I get rid of it? Every time I see those posts, I wonder what is the significance of having had a c-section as far as losing weight and shrinking it goes? By that I mean, how is a c-section stomach any different than any other fat (or formerly fat) stomach? I've tried looking at pictures online and the only difference I see is when there was a vertical cut rather than a horizontal cut. Is that it?

    I'm really confused by your vertical cut vs horizontal cut comment. The only mothers who have a cut at all are those who had a c-section. If you didn't have a c-section, there isn't any cut at all....did you mean something else?
  • MamaFunky
    MamaFunky Posts: 735 Member
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    I have had two c-sections. I was in good shape before pregnancy and also did not gain more than the recommended amount of weight each time. I lost weight pretty quickly after pregnancy, so my body was able to recover from the surgery pretty quick too.

    @peachyplum - I would just keep doing what your doing. Any extra core work would be great, but I also think being within a healthy weight range before , during (healthy weight for being pregnant) and after pregnancy can help.
  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
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    PeachyPlum wrote: »
    Kind of threadjack, but related...

    I'm childless, but I have C-section hips. Meaning that if hubs and I do ever have a sprog, that's going to be its only option for egress.

    Based on what @jvs125 said, am I correct in understanding that having strong abdominal muscles in advance of the pregnancy is advantageous for recovery post-surgery? Like, I might want to do some extra core work with that in mind?

    Sorry--doesn't mean a thing. There are little women with skinny hips who have kids naturally and easily, and then tall women with large hips (bone structure), like me, who had to have 3 c-sections starting at 30. It's a crap shoot dear. You don't know til you get there. I hope you will be lucky. Best. B)
  • jaga13
    jaga13 Posts: 1,149 Member
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    But any way, I agree with others...it doesn't make a difference with losing fat, but yes certainly having my stomach sliced open (twice) makes muscle repair challenging. The first time around, I couldn't even stand up straight for a couple days. The 2nd time I was up on my feet and doing much better faster, so perhaps I had tightened my muscles during the 3 years in between my 2 kids' birth?
  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,446 Member
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    NobodyPutsAmyInTheCorner wrote: »
    Sorry if my belly puts anyone off their dinner by the way. Just wanted to show you what it can look like.

    It was a generous thing to do. (Not at all off-putting.)
  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
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    As for the OP. As I mentioned above, with 3 C-sections, those muscles were cut 3 times. Is it harder to lose the belly after that? I think so. Not impossible though, but I felt the numbness and tingling for over 2 years--after every one, and the last at almost 40, well let's just say I'm happy with what I was able to do, and my scar is real low. B)
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    edited June 2015
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    jaga13 wrote: »
    jemhh wrote: »
    This is something I see posted fairly frequently--Do any other moms have a c-section belly? How do I get rid of it? Every time I see those posts, I wonder what is the significance of having had a c-section as far as losing weight and shrinking it goes? By that I mean, how is a c-section stomach any different than any other fat (or formerly fat) stomach? I've tried looking at pictures online and the only difference I see is when there was a vertical cut rather than a horizontal cut. Is that it?

    I'm really confused by your vertical cut vs horizontal cut comment. The only mothers who have a cut at all are those who had a c-section. If you didn't have a c-section, there isn't any cut at all....did you mean something else?

    I was looking at pictures of women who had c-sections and the only time I saw differences was when the women had vertical incisions as opposed to horizontal incisions. In other words, the stomachs of women who had horizontal incisions looked the same to me as the stomachs of women who had vaginal births (and some who have never had a child) while the stomach of those who had vertical incisions looked different from the stomachs of those who had vaginal births (and some who have never had a child.)
  • North44
    North44 Posts: 359 Member
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    PeachyPlum wrote: »
    Kind of threadjack, but related...

    I'm childless, but I have C-section hips. Meaning that if hubs and I do ever have a sprog, that's going to be its only option for egress.

    Based on what @jvs125 said, am I correct in understanding that having strong abdominal muscles in advance of the pregnancy is advantageous for recovery post-surgery? Like, I might want to do some extra core work with that in mind?


    How do you know you have csection hips? It's what's on the inside that counts. I have very narrow hips and had 4 children one of whom weighed 9lbs 11 oz naturally.

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