I had a C-Section almost 3 yrs ago...?

Question

i heard c-sections cut through ure muscle and ure screwed if u want a flat stomache...i can deal with my other areas but my stomache is horrible...like a pouch or something...hangin skin too...ive seen worse but still i hate it..im too young to look like this...am i screwed???????????????????

it might sound crazy but could they just not have put my stuff back in properly?...ive got pics of them holding my "stuff" up....crazy i know but i wonder if it could happen

Answer 1

girl dont' panic.... you can always get a tummy tuck.... or just really hit the gym and target your abs... good luck...

Answer 2

Whether your muscle was actually cut depends on the type C-section you had. If it was an emergency done to save the baby, and the incision runs from your bellybutton downwards, then yes the muscles were cut. If it was done under ordinary conditions, and you have whats known as a bikini cut- sort of a smile across the lower pelvis- the muscles were drawn apart and not cut at all. Either way, exercises will retone the muscles.
The pooch of skin you see is likely also from the stretching of the skin that happened when your were pregnant. If you have lots of stretch marks, it may be your "suit" got stretched a bit much. It is not possible to retone skin, it will only snap back so much, and never completely regain the pre-pregnancy fit. Most moms retain a tiny bit of pooch in the lower pelvic area.
If exercise to tighten and tone the underlying abdominal muscles doesn't give you the look you are after, the only other option is a tummy tuck. Since you had a c-section, they can use that old scar during the surgery, so you at least won't be left with another scar. In some cases a good plastic surgeon can even redo that scar and make it look nicer. That depends a lot on how well you heal as well. If you tend to overscar, or scar badly, another surgery in the same area can make things worse. Some surgeons are really reluctant to mess with overscarred areas, and will even refuse to do it if it's not medically required.
You are not screwed, but you are going to have to be a little more realistic about your body image now. You can tighten and tone the muscles of your stomach, regardless of how the surgery was done. If the muscle was cut, it will take a bit more, but is not impossible. The skin you won't know for certain until you tighten the stomach muscles up a bit. Even then, there will always be a bit of sag. You had a baby, and your body knows it. How much the mommy pooch bugs you is something for you to decide. A tummy tuck is the only thing to do with excess skin- and that's a situation for a plastic surgeon to evaluate. If you don't like that option, the only other choice is to accept the pooch as a maternal badge of honor. It could be worse, I did okay in the stretch marks department, but I permanently gained an inch through the hips. Lost ALL my favorite jeans and pants, forever. The hips don't shrink back no matter what you do. And there is no surgical tuck for it.
I learned all this in my nursing career- about the caeasarian and such, by the way. But nobody warned me about the hips, I found that out the hard way.
To answer your second question. Whenever somebody has abdominal surgery, things are put back in the right place- but probably not the "exact" spot. It's a very common thing for patients post-operatively to feel like things are not quite in the right spot. There's no explaination, since the internal organs themselves don't feel anything- they have no nerves to feel with. The sensation usually goes away within a few days, as they get up moving and things seem to settle back to wherever. The only thing you should be seeing in your pictures are possibly the uterus, which is brought slightly out of the body to enable delivery of the baby safely, and to be examined and sutured afterwards. Nothing else is brought outside of the body cavity, because nothing else needs to be. Afterwards, it is placed back where it belongs- though of course, you may still feel like things have been messed about, because in many ways they have been. But no, that's not the source of your pooch. It is still untoned muscle and stretched skin.

Answer 3

hi,
From personal experience (4 c-sections in 4 years) the pouch thing does somewhat go away. my youngest is now 17 and I did wear a bikini (they had them with tummy control) when she was about 3 years old. Sit-ups did not help, just try and suck in your gut (when your sitting around or washing dishes etc, start with 10 times twice a day and work your way up) it does strengthen the stomach muscles and is less painful. Loosing the baby weight helps too. I have a friend who had a c-section also and her pouch went away completely, I guess her skin was more elastic than mine as she did not have alot of stretch marks.

Just be sure to watch out for zippers as you may not have alot of feeling in your "pouch" but it does come back. My oldest who is now 20 still loves my "rufflies" as she calls them, she says its just part of being her mommy.

Answer 4

How are your muscles? Try to get your muscles back by exercising and see if it resolves the problem. If not you might have to have cosmetic surgery to cut of the extra skin. Knowing a lot of women who had a c-section ......,they had no problems after they exercised and are again flat.

Answer 5

there's nothing you can do for the hanging skin except save up for a tummy tuck...you could be 98 pounds and the skin will still be loose and saggy...if you're planning on having more kids than don't worry about it..but when you're having your last child...plan to have the tummy tuck right after you give birth while you're cut open already to save money

Answer 6

Of course it cuts through muscle... it cuts you basically in half, your guts are opened and your uterus is opened up like a giant tomato.
You're going to have a scar and lumpiness... but you can still be flat.
Take genetic disposition into consideration and start doing crunches. Or Pilates.

Answer 7

exercising or toning of the stomach muscles usually helps. If you feel uncomfortable, try plastic surgery.

Answer 8

Or... just accept that you now have a "mommy pooch", and consider how blessed you are!