Over time, your postpartum belly will lessen on its own. However, there are ways you can improve your postpartum belly at home. Once your doctor says it's OK, try to add exercise to your daily routine. Start with walking and light body weight exercises.
Give Your Body Time
It can take anywhere from 6-8 weeks for your uterus to go back to its normal size. During pregnancy, all of the cells in your body swelled up to retain fluid. After giving birth, they start to release that extra fluid.
Fluid retention:
C-section moms will have even more fluid retention due to fluids given inter-operatively. C-section moms will also have some tummy area swelling from the work they do inside the abdominal area during surgery.
For some women, this scar tissue can't be removed with exercise or diet changes alone (which may mean surgery is the only way to completely eliminate a postpartum pouch). For others, following an exercise program and focusing on core exercises can be enough to flatten the appearance of this pouch.
The most common way to get rid of a C-section overhang is with an Abdominoplasty procedure, often known as a Tummy Tuck. A tummy tuck procedure with an expert MYA surgeon will remove excess skin or fat, unwanted scars, stretch marks and tighten the stomach muscles, to create the appearance of a flatter stomach.
The best way of getting rid of stomach overhang is a surgical procedure known as abdominoplasty at our London clinic, which will remove it completely. This procedure tightens the stomach muscles and removes excess skin and fatty tissues from the middle and lower abdominal region.
During pregnancy, the abdominal muscles stretch apart to accommodate the growing fetus. However, after birth, if these muscles do not go back to their original position and close the gap, the organs behind the muscles bulge out, causing the belly to sag. This is diastasis recti.
Returning to exercise
Try to build up gradually and stop if you have any pain. Once you have recovered from your c-section and no longer have any pain, it's usually safe to start low-impact exercises, such as swimming, pilates, yoga, gentle jogging and low resistance gym work.
It takes six to eight weeks for your uterus to return to its normal size, but for some moms, it may take much longer for their post-pregnancy belly to return to "normal." For other new moms, they may find that their bellies take on a permanently different new appearance.
It's time for exercise : It's the worldwide fact that exercise helps in burning the fat but you need to remember that you just had C-section delivery so do not jump into heavy exercise. Try small walk, do not jump into heavy exercise or brisk walk yet as due to C section your cut might be still delicate.
According to top plastic surgeon Dr. Steven Teitelbaum, M.D., the C-section pooch does not necessarily indicate that the scar itself is bad. Rather, the C-section pooch develops because the scar is stuck to the muscle, creating an indentation and sometimes a little overhang of tissue above.
Yes, You absolutely can get a flat stomach after a c-section. Your pooch can completely go away. However, it is important to start gently and with very carefully chosen exercises. In other words, first, focus on reconnecting with your body.
No muscles in the abdominal wall are actually cut. In fact the Obstetrician goes between the muscles. Some people are concerned about the pain relief during a caesarean. Less than 1% of caesarean sections are performed under a general anaesthetic in a private hospital.
We know that every patient has a different labor and delivery experience, but in general, it takes around six weeks to completely heal from your C-section.
A new study shows that a C-section can lead to complications should you find yourself back on the operation table later in life. Surgical complications cover a range of things that can go wrong during an operation. For example, damage to organs, infection, the need to re-operate, or bleeding during the operation.
Generally, if the muscles are going to heal on their own, they will within three months of birth. If you are several months postpartum, it's likely that your diastasis recti is here to stay. Some women have had success using targeted exercises to help the muscles move closer together.
Use support bands or clothing. Using a support band or clothing designed to support the abdominal area can help conceal an apron belly. It can also help prevent additional skin sagging and alleviate back problems from carrying extra weight in the front of the body. Keep the area clean and dry.
Working carefully, a plastic surgeon can remove unwanted scar tissue and cause the remaining scar tissue to appear less prominent, shrinking it down. Following the surgery, skin care procedures and other non-surgical treatments can help further reduce the prominence of a C-section scar.