It's been over 2 months since my wife gave birth and she looks 4 months pregnant? Can anyone HELP?!?

Question

It's been over 2 months since my wife gave birth to our second child and she still looks over 4 months pregant. She been in tears everynight about it. She's always been into fitness and in my opinion, she could have been an amatuer body builder. She now looks just like she did before she got pregnant, however, she has this big, hard "pot belly" in front that will not go away! Doe's anyboyd know what this could be? She already checked for seperation of the stomach muslces ( I can't remember the name ) and she doesn't have more than the "2 finger width between abs" requirement for that. Someone please help her. We can't afford any type of tummy tuck surgery and I want my high self-esteem wife back.

I adore my wife and I've been telling her everynight that she is beautiful. She is a wonderful mother and an amazing wife. It breaks my heart to feel that there is nothing I can do to help her physically. She has an appointment to see the Dr. on Monday.

Oh, and this is her 2nd C-section. Forgot to mention that.

Answer 1

Wow...I know how she feels. I was an aerobics instructor before I had TWINS 3 years ago. After they were born, everyone kept telling me, "Give it some time...you will get back down to normal." Finally, after 2 years I had gotten back down to my pre-pregnancy WEIGHT and some of my clothes....and then someone asked me if I was pregnant again!!!!! I had this "pouch" leftover and it made me look PREGNANT! I was so distraught....I put more weight back on.

My mental image of myself was distorted from what I actually looked like in life, that I never looked in mirrors anymore. I am serious about that. My husband had to look at my outfits every morning and tell me if they covered my belly enough. I was so depressed....and then within 2 months this past Spring, 4 more people asked if I was pregnant!!! I had enough.

I got a tummy tuck and hip liposuction in July, and I am SO HAPPY. My confidence is back, and the surgery so amazing at how it "remolds" your body. My plastic surgeon explained that my twin pregnancy and C-section had overstretched my skin and muscles kind of like an over-stretched rubber band...no exercise / diet I would do would get me back to my normal form. I NEEDED to remove the over-stretched skin.

Now, it is VERY EARLY for your wife to be considering a tummy tuck. But, after 2 C-sections, she has definitely loss some of her skin's elasticity, and she may have that thing that separates the muscles (I can't remember the name either.) You are taking the right steps....go to the doctor, give her emotional support, etc. If the doctor finds nothing medically wrong, and she is not suffering from some sort of "post-partum depression," maybe try Weight Watchers TOGETHER. You can also consider going to a plastic surgeon to get their opinion about the condition of her skin. If they determine that, like mine, it has lost all of it's elasticity, then maybe a tummy tuck is option. But give her some time to lose it "naturally" first. And yes - tummy tucks are not cheap, but my husband and I both realized that there is no price for regaining my self-esteem, and we found that we could FINANCE it through Capital One Health Care Finance, so don't let money stop you. We pay $180 a month, which is not bad at all.

Best wishes. I hope she can regain her self-esteem soon. I went 3 years before I really got mine back. It is tough, but you sound supportive, and that is important.

Answer 2

She needs to see her ob/gyn. It's not unusual to look 4 months pregnant 2 months after the birth but the belly is usually fairly soft. She may also benefit from some counseling or medication for the tearfulness. It sounds like she has extremely high expectations of herself and while being fit is admirable, beating herself up for not having a perfect body will only hurt her.

Answer 3

I'm sorry to disappoint you both but she may never get her stomach back without having a tummy tuck... Its a simple fact of life, pregnancy does horrible things to any beautiful woman's body, we just have to learn to live with it or we have cosmetic surgery... Personally, ive had 2 kids and I'm 21, after my 1st child's birth i looked better than i did before i was pregnant but with my 2nd i never got my body back despite hours upon hours of working out everyday... Because i can not afford surgery i just learned to live with it, but yes it does cause a woman's self esteem to drop dramatically... You just have to tell her that you think she is the most beautiful woman in the world everyday and make sure she knows how much you care about making her feel good about herself...

Answer 4

Has she talked to her doctor about it? It takes time to bounce back-her body has been through an awful lot. But having a hard pot belly doesn't sound normal-please consult a health care professional. Reassure her that she is still the most beautiful woman in the world to you and even more beautiful since she gave you a healthy baby.

Answer 5

Hmm, that concerns me. I can understand having some flab after that period of time, but the fact that it is hard...I would most definitely make an appointment to see the doctor. I think you are very kind for caring about her and wanting to help her to feel better. Keep reminding her of how beautiful she is...I am sure she needs to hear that right now, and get that girl to a doctor. Good luck to you...hope all turns out okay.

Answer 6

Your job is to reassure her that you love her and her new body- no matter what - and mean it.

She will have to do super cardio work three days a week for 50 minutes with free weights and two days of conditioning exercises two days a week. It will be very hard work and will take a bit of time, but it is possible to get rid of that pot. drop bread consumption during the week and drop all sugary drinks. Make sure she is eating yogurt and milk to boost her rate of burn. Drink 8 glasses of water daily. If she uses Pilates on the two days per week whe will be very pleased.

Answer 7

D@mn! She JUST had a baby!!! Her belly is going to be just a little stretched out for gosh sakes! Give it time, her belly will get back to normal over a few months. You can help her self-esteem by being supportive and not acting like her "pot belly" is such a big deal.

Answer 8

It's only been two months, give it time. Most women don't just lose the weight in a short period. The way my doctor had explained it to me was that, it takes, on average, 6 months to lose all the pregnancy weight. If after 6 months you still have some of the weight, that's no longer pregnancy weight.

Answer 9

yes, she probably did not breast feed. 2 months is not enough time to get the uterus back for some people. That is tramatic to a body, if you give it a few more months she should be pulled back into shape, of course she has seen her Dr for her post physical, right?

Answer 10

I takes a while befor the Uterus goes down I had a child so I can truly and honestly answer your question. Don't laugh okay, she needs to wear a girdle for a couple of months and it will go down gradually. Don't ask me how it just works.