I'm a fairly new mom. My son just turned 1 this past October. I'm back in shape my skin just a little loose. I had a C-section and I was wondering what were some things other moms out there were doing to help with their little knuck (tummy) without the cranny(s)-after pregnancy?

Hi Natasha! I am going to be honest with and your probably not going to like this. I had my son via c-section 3 years ago. There is nothing you can do to change the skin or the c-section belly! I lost the weight was in great shape and had no results. I think the only thing you can do is consider plastic surgery.

I agree with you .........
A tummy tuck can give you back that flat stomach with self-esteem.
One must be ready for the recovery time though. It takes a good 6-8 weeks to recover. If you are finished having children, consider treating yourself.
However, this is not for everyone. Some dont mind a little belly fat or hangover.

After 4 pregnancies, I WISH there was something that would get my tummy skin back to smooth and taut, but alas..I think surgery is the only answer. I am considering it....just because we are done having kids.

Wow I just joined this site today and was talking about this with my husband last night. I am due to get a breast recduction in 6 weeks and I have no doubt that a tummy tuck will follow. How depressing is that? I thought it would get better after a year but it is still the same.

I had a c-section almost seven months ago and I am coming to the conclusion that the little ponch is here to stay.
My fiance said that when we're done having babies, he'll treat me to a tummy tuck. The recovery time is the same as the c-section so it won't be so bad.
I think I want my boobs done too. Not bigger, just back to where they were. It's a little depressing being 26 years old and having your boobs rest on your stomach.:rotflmao:

I Had my son via c section too and I have been told by numerous sources that the tummy flabbyness never goes away on it's own. That's SO sad to me LOL

im 21 had my daughter at 19 and it was a c-section and im planning to have another kid c-section also.....so is everyone saying just beacuse you have a c-section your stomach isnt gonna be the same but for the women who do it natural there stomaches are good?????huh??

It's not entirely a C-section thing; when the topic's come up on pregnancy groups, there's often been one or two women with vaginal births who will say they have the same problem. But the C-section women with that problem outnumber the vaginal birth women at least 5 to 1.

ohh okay i see...i guess it just depends on how your body is evey girl is diferent some have amazing bodys after a baby and some have to work hard to get it so it all depends...

I want to disagree with everyone. Surgery is not the only option to losing your flabby belly. I will work on taking some updated pics today.. but, I went from 110 to 200 lbs. My youngest is turning ONE on February 2 and I have lost almost all of that weight but about 5-7 lbs.. and here is the deal, I did have a c-section. The "mothers apron" is close to being gone and I gained A LOT of weight.

You have to keep yourself on a strict diet. You have to want to lose that extra skin, you can. A loose screw can be tightened, why not your skin?

Walk, use the treadmill. Buy a cheap/used ab slider, ab roller. Read books about ab exercises, try them - I am not talking a few days, do them a month or two and you will notice a difference in your skin.

Crunches, sit ups. As you lose weight and focus on TONING certain parts of your body, your skin will shrink itself..

Surgery is NOT your only option. You mentally have to want to lose the skin in order to do it.. I have been, and I am VERY happy about that.

What mom should cover it all in the summer? Good luck!

You have to want to lose that extra skin, you can. A loose screw can be tightened, why not your skin?

You mentally have to want to lose the skin in order to do it..

I really, really, really want this loose screw to be tighter. Do you know how long I should concentrate on wanting it to be tight before it'll tighten up?

Some people do have very elastic skin, and I certainly wouldn't say surgery is necessary for everyone. (Heck, I wouldn't say it would be beneficial to most people.) But no matter how many screwdrivers I have, if the screw's stripped, or the hole I'm screwing it into has enlarged, it's not going to get tighter. Not everyone has very elastic skin, and you can't want your skin elastic.

I really, really, really want this loose screw to be tighter. Do you know how long I should concentrate on wanting it to be tight before it'll tighten up?

Some people do have very elastic skin, and I certainly wouldn't say surgery is necessary for everyone. (Heck, I wouldn't say it would be beneficial to most people.) But no matter how many screwdrivers I have, if the screw's stripped, or the hole I'm screwing it into has enlarged, it's not going to get tighter. Not everyone has very elastic skin, and you can't want your skin elastic.


No, that is not what I ment at all. A lot of people think they want to lose weight, they will tell themselves they will lose weight, they will try but they're not mentaly prepared for it. It's like getting ready for your first drivers test, "I want to pass, I will pass, I want to pass, I will pass"..

The more you focus on your diet and the things you eat, the more weight you lose. The more you focus on workouts and were you feel it in your body, the more inches you lose. You have to diet the right way and work out the right way. Your skin DOES shrink.. it is VERY hard to see the results, especially if you look in the mirror 5x a day.. My waist was.... large! I went from a size ONE to a size FIFTEEN in only nine months, I have lost 95% of my weight and you would *think* I would have just inches and inches of extra skin - I don't, because it shrank (and I work out, every single single single day!!). It is the same for every body out there, not all skin is the same, but everyone can do it... it's hard and a lot of work that some people are not mentally focused to do

people get so focused on "omg I need surgery" that they're not even noticing a difference... it can and may take YEARS to lose the extra, but you can.

I know that now with the extra I have.. it may take me a few years.. but damn, I have lost a LOT of extra skin..

IT. CAN. HAPPEN!

my problem is not the skin its the stretch marks those will never go away so no matter what i do my tummy will be loose cause of them they are horrible huge things some almost an inch wide my 5 foot body was not made to carry and 8lb baby

I had a c-section almost seven months ago and I am coming to the conclusion that the little ponch is here to stay.
My fiance said that when we're done having babies, he'll treat me to a tummy tuck. The recovery time is the same as the c-section so it won't be so bad.
I think I want my boobs done too. Not bigger, just back to where they were. It's a little depressing being 26 years old and having your boobs rest on your stomach.:rotflmao:

Tell me about it!!!! I'm 22 and feeling the exact same. I didn't have a c section though. I definatly don't have the money for either surgery right now though... anybody have any good exercise routines or anything that they did that helped at all? I definatly am not in the same shape I used to be and it's severely depressing. I can't loose this last 20 lbs!!! Any ideas?? Diet ideas also welcome!!! I need that little boost behind me to get me motivated to work out and diet!!! It's sooo hard!! I never had to worry about weight before my daughter was born!!

I'm a fairly new mom. My son just turned 1 this past October. I'm back in shape my skin just a little loose. I had a C-section and I was wondering what were some things other moms out there were doing to help with their little knuck (tummy) without the cranny(s)-after pregnancy?



I'm sorry I dont have the best news. LOL But most times after a baby that loose skin stays - even with hard work! For me it really isnt a issue. I am pregnant with my thrid child and NONE of my loose skin if from my kiddos - as much as I would love to say it was! LOL Having gone from 380 to 160 I have no other option then surgery. So after we are SURE we are done having children I am having a "full body" lift. I wish I had somoe really good advice for you :( But - on the brighter side, I am sure your son is worth the little big of saggy skin on the belly area! I had a placental abruption and had to have a virtical cut with my daughter. I had over 60 staples. I look like I have a butt in the front from that with my loose skin! LOL something I WONT miss after my tummy tuck!

There are woman who have a good skin and others are not bless with that, unfortunately I was one that people who are not bless to have good skin, but if you are in good shape now you are bless, most woman cannot recover their shapes after fist born, I will suggest if you have money you can go for surgery or buy some bleaching cream that can lighten the scars.

Plastic surgery is NOT an option for me. Not only can I not justify paying for it, it's dangerous. People have had cosmetic surgery and died from it. So PERSONALLY for me working out is the only thing that I can do. If the loose skin doesn't "tighten" up I will have to learn to love my new and different body. This site had really helped. The Shape of a Mother (http://theshapeofamother.com/)

Hello,

I've read a lot myself recently about "loose skin" and I've personally learned that with enough body ratio work, you could probably eliminate it. when you lose fat but don't build enough muscle, the fat in certain areas isn't supported by the right ratio of muscle. start building more muscle. as women, we won't look bulky, so don't worry about that. I'm dealing with this myself now. after losing 100 lbs. I'm at a healthy 140 lbs. but still have some tummy fat/"loose skin" to get rid of. I've refocused lately on muscle building. more muscle = more calories burned and more fat burned, therefore "replacing" fat and boosting metabolism. when you have more muscle and burn more fat, your "loose skin" areas will be no more.

I had natural childbirth 2 times and I have the pouch. I am 140lbs and my goal is 130 (almost there.) I wish my tummy looked better, I just don't see 10lbs making that much difference there. Even if it does get flatter the wrinkles, stretchmarks, and "some" loose skin will remain. In my case surgery is probably the only option to make my tummy close to perfect. I probably will just live with it and chalk it up to SMALL PRICE TO PAY FOR HAVING TWO SWEET GIRLS, my husband doesn't mind either.:)

I had a c-section [my first baby] in February and about 2 weeks after I had him I braved the mirror and almost fainted, thats how bad my stomach looked. Seriously my belly looked like a deflated balloon that was hanging/sagging over my c-section scar. To see my scar I literally had to lift the skin of my belly up. Its been 4 months and I don't have to lift the skin up any more to see my c-section scar. I can see it in plain view. My "love handles" which were HUGE and also sagging with my belly have gone down soooooooo much, granted I still have love handles but they are little love handles now. My belly some what still looks like a deflated balloon but compared to 3.5months ago its looks like a lot smaller, tighter deflated balloon.

I still have about 30-40lbs I want to lose and than another 15 once I reach the 30lbs mark so I am confident that my belly will continue to shrink/get tighter as the weight comes off and I continue to exercise. It won't look exactly like it used to but seeing as how it looks sooo much better and im seeing results already im confident I can somewhat make it look as normal as possible lol.

I run 3-4 times a week and I SWEAR the running is what is making my belly shrink/tighten. I don't do ab exercises [not yet anyways] because you can't spot reduce. Its all about healthy eating and total body workouts! [i.e cardio!]

I also want to add that using coca butter everyday and vitamin e will help out a lot with tightening your skin. I did a vigorous workout routine last year where I worked out 6 days a week for 3hrs everyday. I rubbed my "loose areas' with coca butter every night before bed and every morning before work. Just after 3 months my skin was so much more tighter and toner and a lot healthier looking.

Right now I am taking a womens multivitamin and a fish oil vitamin everyday [good for your skin]. With some hard work and dedication you can shrink that loose skin! And when I say hard work I mean vigorous exercise. Walking is great [for anyone who is a walker] but it's going to take a looooooooooong time to see any kind of results by just walking. [at least with me anyways]

I agree with you Kasey... I just refuse to believe that this belly I have won't go away unless I get surgery. I've always had somewhat of a belly, but I thought it was cute. My post pregnancy belly is NOT cute.

I know it will take hard work, lots of aerobics (I plan on jogging also) and lots of muscle-toning exercise, but I just know its not impossible.

I do think that there is nothing wrong if you started sit-ups. You're correct in saying you can't spot reduce by doing sit-ups alone, but they will tone your muscles and give you better posture even if you can't visibly tell. But if you are burning fat and doing sit-ups, IMO the combination of the two would most likely get you bigger results on reducing your waistline.

No, there isn't anything wrong with doing ab exercises at all. With my workout routine im going to wait until I lose some of the "jelly" in my belly [haha that rhymes] before I start ab toning. I used to have a belly when I was a teenager and than when I lost 50lbs and started exercising [hard core] I got some really nice abs which I know I still have.... there somewhere under there lol.

My biggest thing is I REFUSE to have surgery to fix it. I had breast implants when I was 20 and the c-section were my only two "major" surgeries. I did revcover pretty quickly with both but I would hate to get my mid section cut open again. I am 23yrs old right, if I don't get a stomach that I am happy with by the time im 30 [with proper eating and exercising] than I will think about surgery lol... right now though... nah. I hate surgery and if I can avoid it im going to.

Yeah, I've had two c-sections. I'm only 22 so I've still got awhile to work on things. Before I got pregnant, I had really strong abs, so even after my first c-section... when I had lost half the baby weight my belly went down significantly. Then I gained it all back and got pregnant again. Thankfully I only gained 15 lbs. with my second baby so I didn't make it even harder on myself.

I agree though, even though I healed very well and pretty fast with my surgeries, I do NOT want to go through it again. Its way too hard with two kids to take care of!

i have found eating fiber rich foods helps a lot as well as breast feeding. i have started experimenting w ground turkey in place of hamburger. i am loosing 2-3 lbs a week.

i had my baby 2 1/2 weeks ago.. i have the flab. i hope it will eliminate itself at least a little bit still but i know ALL of it is for sure not gonna go away by itself...
surgery is no option to me either. i am young, and believe me, i dont wanna live with this kangaroo bag in front of me, but i dont wanna take my health to risk in having surgery. its dangerous, and i dont have the money either..

so the only option for me is working out.. when i'll hit my 6 weeks post partum i'll work out like never before...
right now im doing light exercises like going for short walks or biking on my hometrainer..
i also use cocoa butter as i heard it helps with stretch marks and loose skin.. who knows if it works, but its worth a try...

I have had 2 c-sections. My stomach is the same as it was, if not better than before children. I do not believe for a second that having a c-section will result in loose skin. I think it is a whole range of things.

It comes down to what you eat, the exercise you do and most definitely what you put into your body when you are pregnant. It depends what sacrfices you are prepared to put in to get the body that you want.

I find eating a mainly raw vege diet, with small amounts of protein and a few carbs makes a huge difference to your waist line.

I do 150 crunches every night and heaps of other ab work. It is worth every crunch.

I believe that it is possible to lose that loose skin post-baby, without surgery. Skin is a living organ; it doesn't "die" when it has been stretched out. Caring for your skin fully depends on what you nourish your body with, and on your muscle to fat ratio.

The problem most have with loose skin is that there still is a small fat layer behind it. No matter how much weight you've lost, it will be your body fat percentage (along with healthy foods) that determines if the skin tightens back up.

My daughter is about 9 months old now. My weight has dropped below my pre-pregnancy state, but my muscle mass greatly decreased. Up until about last month, my tummy appeared completely flat with muscle tone but loose skin still hung off when I would lean over. Since then, I put a focus on a strict and healthy diet and added weight lifting back to my routine. ... The "loose skin" is now almost gone, and I'm sure with more time it will be completely back to normal.

I'll keep anyone posted on my personal progress, if interested.

i didn't have a c-section, but i had 2 kids and after 6 months after having my second baby i am back down to what i was before i got pregnant the first time. it takes a lot of dieting mostly, you have to watch EVERYTHING you eat and not sit around and be lazy. i worked out a lot at the beginning but then i was traveling for the last few months and wasn't able to work out. but i got out and did things with my kids and didn't sit around all day. my stomach is mostly flat. just a bit of toning to do which i'll get started on when i get back home. but judging by how it's gone so far, i know i can get it back to what it was before no problem. so if you're motivated, don't let anyone tell you you can't do something. you have to keep a positive mind set and you can do anything you want. it's your body, if you want to be healthy then eat healthy and stay active and you're body will reward you in return.