C-Sectioned bellies

[amberg007]

Will the muffin top effect on my c-sectioned belly ever return to its once flat state??? My MIL had two cetions and says that hers stayed that way! I was mortified! Perhaps I am being superficial but I cant help it. I want my sexy back! does anyone else feel this way?

[Alcyone]

Hate to say it but probably not. I suppose anything's possible but I've never seen a c/s scar without an "upper lip."

[kimberjeb]

My mom had two C/S and has a perfectly flat stomach (and has had it since I can remember. I'm 27 and my sister is 23.

Mine...well, I can't tell yet, since I've got too much plain old fat

[2xy]

Mine never went away, and I'm not overweight.

Additionally, my scar is really high up. It's at least 1.5 inches from my hairline.

I did know one mama whose scar and tummy looked really good. Her tummy was flat and her scar was hidden in the hairline. Everyone else I know who has had a section still has the weird-tummy-look.

I think some of it has to do with how much your tummy stretches when you're pregnant. The woman I know whose tummy looks good was one of those women who gained a minimal amount of weight and her baby was not huge. Her pregnant belly was like a soccer ball. Mine was more like the Great Pumpkin.

[annettemarie]

Moving to birth and beyond

[Devaskyla]

From what I've heard, only if you have a tummy tuck. 7 years out, mine's sure not showing any signs of disappearing.

[Drummer's Wife]

yeah, no matter how much of my "tummy" I lost, it still looked funky because of the scar. Also, since stomach muscles are cut in half, it's harder to get firmness back. Add the droopy skin and I relaly think the only way to achieve a beautiful tummy is with cosmetic surgery.

My stomach looks so awful now 4 c-sections and a laparotomy earlier this year mean an ugly tummy.

[JessicaS]

I think that is really individual.

[kitkat5505]

My first one it mostly went away but there was still a tiny lip, luckily hidden by my pants so not noticeable at all. Hopefully this time it will go away that much too.

[BeccaBaby1]

As long as I maintain relatively low body fat percentage my scar and surrounding tissue is flat, if I get a little chub then yes it is the muffin top... some hope maybe?

[Amylcd]

Originally Posted by Drummer's Wife

yeah, no matter how much of my "tummy" I lost, it still looked funky because of the scar. Also, since stomach muscles are cut in half, it's harder to get firmness back. Add the droopy skin and I relaly think the only way to achieve a beautiful tummy is with cosmetic surgery.

My stomach looks so awful now 4 c-sections and a laparotomy earlier this year mean an ugly tummy.

I've had three csections and two laparotomies ... there is no hope for my belly

[ShwarmaQueen]

Yah, it's just wierd now. Not that I had a flat tummy before my c/s, but it's different and odd looking (4 years out).

[felix23]

It has been a month since my second c-section and my stomach is almost completly flat again. I think it just depends on the person.

[ErinsJuneBug]

.

[turtlewomyn]

I have heard that some people swear by the book "lose your mummy tummy" which gives exercises to help with the diastsis of the abdominal muscles. When you have a c-section they either cut the muscles, or they pull them apart (sometimes this happens during a pregnancy anyway). I think surgery might be the only solution to really get the flatness back.

DD is three and I have gained weight so mine is still there. I just had more surgery through the c-section scar (ruptured ectopic pregnancy with emergency surgery on Thanksgiving) so mine is even more messed up. Once I am good to exercise again post surgery I plan to follow that book (DH got it for me for Christmas, per my request) to see if it works. We are also doing some more healthful eating.

[lotus.blossom]

I had a c/s 2.5 years ago and my tummy is just fine. I did the Mummy Tummy book and worked out and watched what I ate and my scar has not affected the way my belly looks. Other then an inch long pucker.

This was my scar a few months post partum.
And you can see the pucker in my 23wk shot!

[Mrsboyko]

Although the actual scar tissue is thick and annoying, I never got the muffin top look. I think it is just genetics, or really good ab muscles prior to getting the scar.

[mtlmommy]

I never had a muffin top, and I didn't have toned abs to begin with or follow any special post-partum exercise plan (I also gained a fair bit of weight, 60 lbs). Also, I thought that during a c/s, they didn't cut through the ab muscles, just pushed them out of the way like curtains?

[Drummer's Wife]

Originally Posted by mtlmommy

Also, I thought that during a c/s, they didn't cut through the ab muscles, just pushed them out of the way like curtains?

generally, no the muscles are not cut. But in some c-sections, it's necessary. sorry for the mis-information in my previous response. I didn't mean to imply the stomach muscles were always cut into

What really messed up my tummy was the exploratory lap because they cut me from my sternum down to my pelvis. I had a semi-flat/firm tummy, even after the 4th c-section. Still a "pucker" because of the scar, but that's a given.

Even with just having the muscles separated, it takes a while for them to come back together (and sometimes they never do).

[wombatclay]

I'm voting with the "genetics" group I think. Have you visited the "Shape of a Mother" website? It's a collection of pictures of women who have given birth, and you can search the collection by keyword (including cesarean). It can be very healing to see so many different maternal bellies, breasts, thighs, arms, etc. They even have pictures of celebrity bellies that look the same as everyone elses.

I agree that the "Mummy Tummy" book is a huge help in closing any remaining diastasis (which most women have as a result of pregnancy, regardless of delivery method) and it does pull in the tummy a lot! After my c/s I used the exercises in that book and was fairly smooth tummied by a year pp. Same thing after dd2's VBAC birth... about a year of breastfeeding, nutritious eating, mummy tummy exercises, and regular walking and my belly was again smooth. Not a six pack by any means, but no muffin top either!