Women with children, give me hope?

rubixcyoob
rubixcyoob Posts: 395
edited September 29 in Health and Weight Loss
So, after children the tummy area tends to go saggy and the more weight you lose the skin does seem to become looser. Can anyone with children tell me that they have managed to lose the weight but tone up the stomach enough to not have to resort to surgery?

Or am I doomed to be saggy forever or go under the knife? :(
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Replies

  • KatiePeca
    KatiePeca Posts: 314 Member
    My sister in law has had four children and she has an amazing body, not an iota of fat or loose skin anywere on her. I've had four children too, but here I am desperately trying to lose a ton of weight, so I guess it just depends on how much effort you but into it and part of it will be genetics too.

    Katie
  • Steph_Marie29
    Steph_Marie29 Posts: 75
    Some people can and some people can't. I was heavy before I got pregnant.
  • rubixcyoob
    rubixcyoob Posts: 395
    Thanks, I am loosing a lot of weight and it can be seen when I'm standing up, but when I sit down you can definitely see the loose skin and I just feel disgusting :(

    I'm hoping the 30day shred will help tighten my stomach, along with lotions and potions. I'm also doing pilates, swimming and the gym along with this. I just wish it weren't so loose.
  • momof8munchkins
    momof8munchkins Posts: 1,167 Member
    it takes about 2 years for things to firm up and go back to normal
  • JAG1224
    JAG1224 Posts: 191 Member
    I'm working on mine.. and through time it does get better! Just keep working out and eat healthy and you'll see results. I have many friends who have children that have great bodies. It is possible. If they can do it, we can too! Best wishes!
  • Mairgheal
    Mairgheal Posts: 385 Member
    Wen I stand up and suck my tummy in, it's not bad at all, pretty damn good even, if I may say so myself.
    But when I do a plank, or push-ups, this flap of loose skin is hanging down. Don't think I'll ever get rid of that. Then again, who ever is going to see me in that pose anyway?
  • JStarnes
    JStarnes Posts: 5,576 Member
    Genetics. I was dealt a crappy stomach skin gene, mine will never look the way it did pre-kids. BUT, some people snap right back and look like theyve never had children...my SIL is one of them and I kinda hate her for it. lol
  • nurse_carolyn
    nurse_carolyn Posts: 348
    you are young, that will work in your favour.........diet and exercise
  • wendyannie1976
    wendyannie1976 Posts: 205 Member
    I only put on 2 stone max when I was carrying including baby and water and she was born at 7lb 6oz and I'm a flat toned stomach again ok I had an 8 pack before I had her and only at a 4 pack now but no saggy skin on my tummy, I've known lots of people to actually be skinner after they have had kiddies then before, all depends on how much weight you carried before, during and how much you then lose and over what length of time oh and your age too
  • atsteele
    atsteele Posts: 1,358 Member
    I had 5 C-sections. My stomache was a mess. So I opted for a tummy tuck.
  • smoccardine
    smoccardine Posts: 3
    Pilates has really helped me tone up all of those post-baby-sagging areas on my body, especially the tummy and thighs. There is hope!
  • nachisdoll
    nachisdoll Posts: 192 Member
    Lots of toning exercises!
  • pixlamarque
    pixlamarque Posts: 312 Member
    I agree, it's all individual. My best friend was very small before her kids and she is about a size 6 now, but she still has a floppy belly even though she works out. And then I know other people with more kids and a flat stomach. I think a lot depends on your skin type (thinner or thicker). Whether or not your skin is great again, toned muscle underneath is still a good thing.
  • Ultima_Morpha
    Ultima_Morpha Posts: 892 Member
    Unfortunately, skin elasticity is largely guided by genetics. It certainly IS possible for it to bounce back, but not everyone does. But, like stretch marks, there is not much you can do about it. I'm right there with you...I'll always be battling the looser skin.
  • zml_mom
    zml_mom Posts: 270 Member
    i gained 110 between my 2 kids (22 months old and 8 months old) and have lost 88 since my youngest. and my belly is so gross
    I hate it, but I know that the chances of it going away on it's own are pretty small. I have another 20-30 lbs to go and once I am done I will focus on tightening but if it doesn't work then I will be having a tummy tuck in a few years, since I am having a breast reduction in a few months I am not doing a tummy tuck until I am fully healed from that

    but if you find a way to get rid of it let me know

    i have done all of jullian michaels dvd's and there aren't enough ab stuff in them to help I don't think

    I am hopefully starting insanity on the 1st and I heard that helps
  • TessaL221
    TessaL221 Posts: 106 Member
    I will be one of those "never- the-same" people... I have bad stomach gene and you should see the stretch marks... the worst is that most of it happened with the first of my 4 children. On top of that, I do have the c-section flap of skin on the bottom, but if you lose slow like you are supposed to and tone as you go, it does shrink with time. I have recently been debating skin firming creams, but know that the cocoa butter did nothing for the stretch marks with pregnancy, so perhaps skin firming cream won't either... grrr. Maybe I'll just slather Preparation H all over my belly and wrap in saran wrap for a few nights!
  • Tuckerboy39
    Tuckerboy39 Posts: 2 Member
    Sometimes, it's just genetics. Just keep eating healthy and exercise regularly and be a good healthy role model for your children!
  • bjohs
    bjohs Posts: 1,225 Member
    I think it really comes down to genetics and how you carried your pregnancies. I'm a mother of two, but I have been blessed in the skin area. I didn't get stretch marks and I don't have any sagging or loose skin. Both of my children were under 7 lbs too. With cardio, strength training and a clean diet... you will lose any remaining belly fat. I would reassess the skin situation at that time because it is really hard to tell what our stomachs look like until the belly fat is gone. Good luck!
  • kapeluza
    kapeluza Posts: 3,434 Member
    Try wearing a girdle from morning to night and take it off at night time. This is what I plan to do. I had a c-section and have a big belly :( so I need extra support in that area. I am going to buy a girdle today St dullards and start wearing it under my work clothes. I really hope this plus exercise helps!
  • erzille
    erzille Posts: 524 Member
    I am working on it! I have hope..not giving up yet!
  • tashajayne2011
    tashajayne2011 Posts: 288
    I had my first child when I was 19. Before I got pregnant I was 133lbs and I was 140lbs with not much change to my body shape just a few weeks after giving birth. I was very active throughout my pregnancy (I walked 4 miles to the maternity unit to be induced much to my parents horror, lol) and I guess it was because of this and my age that everything sprang back afterwards!

    2nd baby was different! I was 182lbs when I got pregnant and by my due date I was 231lbs - I have just realised that this is my weight now!! My daughter is 6yrs old (doh!) I cannot imagine that my body will shrink back but I intend to lose weight slowly, drink like a fish and do a lot of weight training to try and give my body its best chance.

    I have to say though - I used to be a lot more bothered by the thought of excess skin and boob sagging (and deflation!) but now I just want to be healthy and things like stretchmarks, well they are just a souvenir of being a mum!

    When I was sent the following 2 links it was kind of like a weight had been lifted. You imagine that everyone else looks great naked compared to you but EVERYONE is different..

    This one is a link to photos of normal natural breasts
    http://www.007b.com/breast_gallery.php

    This one is a link to women and some mens bodies in all shapes and sizes
    http://www.mybodygallery.com/
  • rubixcyoob
    rubixcyoob Posts: 395
    Yeah I had an EMCS because the doctors messed up, didn't realise my body cannot have a natural birth due to something not being arched enough to push and blah de blah, and my son was simply too big for it to handle, so I'm attriubting that to disgusting c-section overhang :(

    I also had a 10lbs 8oz baby, so put on over a stone/14lbs in pregnancy alone! (including water, placenta etc.) I was like a small walking whale by the time I was due, and going over certainly never helped either!

    When I stand up you can definitely feel muscle, not too fat on top either, but the skin on top is just really saggy and I have no idea how to firm it back up enough to see the fruits of my labour. I feel like no matter how small I get I'm still going to have this gross overhang!
  • lily1972
    lily1972 Posts: 375 Member
    When I complained about my "love handles" after having my fifth child, a nutrition specialist advised me to up my protein (lean protein, every meal), up my fiber and steer away from wheat, pasta (no more than twice a week) and potatoes... but have a cheat day on weekends to make the skin stick... I had serious doubts it could actually work for *me*, but it did!!! I'm currently working on the six-pack I've never had but always dreamed of! Woo hoo!!

    But... it also depends on your skin's elasticity.:ohwell: Be patient and firm up those underlaying muscles to offer a firm surface for your skin.
    Good luck! :flowerforyou:
  • tashajayne2011
    tashajayne2011 Posts: 288
    I once heard that it can take 2 years or more for your skin to go back! I didnt realise it took such a long time.
  • mommyoftwins05
    mommyoftwins05 Posts: 645 Member
    Great question.. I am not sure.. My tummy is droopy too.. I had four kids .. one set of twins and 3 csections.. so I think I'm doomed I hope not. Good Luck! I hope it tightens up for ya
  • kittyhorn
    kittyhorn Posts: 112 Member
    How long has it been since you had your LO? My son is nearly 19mth old and it took until about this spring/summer for the skin to firm back up again. I'm back at the same weight I was last year but comparing pictures from last year with this year, my tummy has definitely firmed back up again. I still have weight to lose but I can actually pull off a bikini this year and not look possibly preggo...lol....it just takes some time for our bodies to bounce back sometimes.
  • rubixcyoob
    rubixcyoob Posts: 395
    Tashajayne, I think age plays a part too. I was 17 when I had my son and I'm still only 18. Although I know becoming a mother changes you from one shape to the next I think it's harder for me to accept because I'm young.

    I want to dress like an 18 year old when I go out (while my son is at his 'fathers' - a term I use loosely), if I go swimming I want to wear 18 year old outfits etc. I'm not quite ready to accept that my body is now a 'mothers' and not a 'teenagers', if that makes sense?
  • jmom1984
    jmom1984 Posts: 5
    Well, I've had two kids and lost almost all of the weight. The belly fat is coming off last of course :( but I am nearing a place where I think I will be comfortable staying. My skin is definately not what it was before babies, so I don't know how much advice I can give, but I can encourage! I'm sure you would agree with me that my kids are the greatest things that could ever happen to me, and worth every sacrifice. It has taken me some time (because I used to hate what was happening to my body!) but I am learning to look at myself with respect and gratitude. When I see stretch marks and belly skin that is NOT what it used to be, I let it remind me of the time I got to spend carrying my babies inside me. (We were creating new life, that is some accomplishment!) I let it remind me of how grateful I am that I was able to get pregnant, and have healthy pregnancies and healthy babies, because that is not a reality for some women. And when I see my breasts that look so very pathetic (because they were only an A to begin with!), drooping just like that belly skin, I choose to remember the countless hours I spent nursing my babies and what an awesome experience that was, bonding with them, giving them all the nutrition they needed to grow and be strong and healthy. That was such a blessing and an honor! And I wouldn't trade these boobs of my for the most gorgeous celebrity ones if it would mean missing that time of breastfeeding. Some days, I am right there with you, looking in the mirror, remembering what I used to look like and missing it terribly. But then I choose to see what I have now that I didn't then, this amazing little family, and it is all worth it! Love the skin you're in, girl! It tells a story of where you have been and all you have done. You were designed to have babies, and you are even more beautiful now, after reaching that potential, than any flat-stomached teenager out there! <3
  • tashajayne2011
    tashajayne2011 Posts: 288
    Absolutely! At your age you stand a massively better chance of your skin shrinking back. Just keep hydrated, keep toning and cut back the carbs I guess. :)
  • MarybethAltizer
    MarybethAltizer Posts: 226 Member
    You should try microderm abrasion on your tummy. My husband and i sell it so that's what I am doing, and it is working really well. It scrubs off the dead skin which makes the new layer come back on more quickly than just letting the natural process happen. I don't know if you have stretch marks or not, but it is working very well for me in this area. Good luck, you are young so don't fret too much!
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