Home Getting back to pre-preg body...

[gailrmv]

How long did it take you? Does the extra skin really ever go away? Any tips? (other than to start saving for a tummy tuck??)

I''m 5 months post partum and doing well except for the stomach area, which is a mess!

 

[qtiekiki]

When I got pregnant again at 9 months pp, I still had extra skin in my stomach area. I don''t know if there''s really anything that can be done to help it.

 

[vespergirl]

Start saving for the tummy tuck At 7 months pp, I had lost all 35 pounds of baby weight, but couldn''t fit back into my size 6 jeans because they were too tight around the waist (and my jeans had always gaped at the waist before - I am an hourglass shape). 9 months pp, I lost an extra 5 pounds, and could finally fit into the old jeans.

Your weight totally redistributes, and everyone I know (even people like me who lost all the baby weight, or more) gained at least 1 inch in the waist that never went away. I''m pregnant with our second baby now, but I told DH that for my 35th birthday in 2 years I want a "mommy lift" (tummy tuck, lipo and breast lift)

 

[DiamanteBlu]

Bodies do get back into shape. I had DD at 34 and I have only had one. It took probably about 9 mos to a year for my shape to get back to where it was. I have numerous friends who have had lots of kids [5 - 11 and yes, they live in Utah] and their bodies still looks like a teenager's. So, having kids - even lots of them - does not necessarily imply body issues. I'm 55 now, am still a size 4ish and my waist still ranges between 25" and 27" depending on my water retention. Give it time, stay in shape [gym regularly] and eat reasonably and you should be fine.

BTW, there are products out there that will tighten your skin [working on the elastin and collagen]. I am testing a new one out there now - just got it yesterday. As soon as I figure out how to get my hands on more I think I'll try it on the body parts that are beginning to sag in addition to using it on my face and neck. LOL!

 

[Jas12]

It took me 9 months till i felt i was truly ''pre-preggo'' body and for me that meant abdominal definition and weight back to what it was before i got pregnant.

I was nursing for 16 mos but now that i have weaned & i am not burning as many calories i''ve put on a few lbs and my belly feels a bit bigger and pants are a bit tighter. So for me, i know my tummy size is a weight thing, not a stretched skin thing. My good friend however, has a 2 year old and is now almost 10 lbs below her pre-pregnancy weight but she still has a small pouch belly that was not around before kids. For her, i think it is stretched out skin that will remain like that. She also got stretch marks ( i did not), so i think genetics/skin tone etc. play a big part in how your tummy recovers.

 

[D&T]

First Child- bounced right back into my old skin with a few pounds less. second child--- ummm I am the same weight pre first child, but I have a little extra flabby skin in my tummy

guess I just need to start working out more.

I guess I am not as resilient as my first, wonder if it''s all downhill from here

 

[Dreamer_D]

I have no advice. I am 6 months pp and BFing and still have 10 lbs to go.

This week I started recording my calories (worked in the past to lose lbs) and I will begin an excercise program shortly. Here''s hoping!

 

[sbde]

tandog, i started a thread about this before my baby was born because at 8 mths preggo it seemed impossible that the weight would ever go away. it was interesting to hear everyone's stories. here's a link to the thread:

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/losing-the-poundage-post-baby.101017/

basically for me the weight was gone at about 3.5 mos but the little pooch still remains. i really do blame myself though because i've been bad about exercise or really "trying" to make it go away. i really should start though because i would love to have it gone before getting preggo again.

 

[Mara]

did any of you bind yourselves?

one of my friends was telling me that her mom swears by binding yourself after birth (almost immediately. it's with a combo of a corset and stretchy materials) and it apparently is not comfortable at all (CORSET???) but my friend did it and she was back to a flat stomach within a few months. i found it interesting and mildly appalling hahaha. she was saying to me the other day 'you're going to bind yourself right?' and i was like 'what are you talking about?!'

i always figure 'the stars do it' so it must be physically possible, i just think normal women without personal trainers spending 6 hours a day with them take a LOT longer!!!

 

[sbde]

yeps mara, i used the belly bandit to bind myself for 6 wks post partum. more details are in the post i''ve linked to in my last reply to tandog.

i feel like it definitely helped shrink me down quickly and made me feel more like myself since i could wear it under my nursing tanks. i still have a tiny pooch though so it didn''t completely flatten my belly out, but i do recommend it and will do it again with the next baby.

 

[atroop711]

BAWWAAAAABBWAAAAAA LOLOLOLOLLOLOLOL

ok sorry that I had to laugh but after 3 kids...last time I saw my old tummy was the summer of 1999 (before I got pg). My tummy is just horrible...not going anywhere and I'm hoping for a tummy tuck in the future

I'm 9mo post part. now and I still have the last 10 lbs to take off but my tummy is another case

BTW I told my husband for my 50th bday (9yrs away) I want a tummy tuck and a breast reduction

You know what...I've noticed the women who had good muscle tone before pregnancy snapped back after birth. I always had a pouch so my tummy muscles were always weak

 

[Jas12]

Mara--i think the binding is interesting too. I might try it for my second if just simply for the smoothing effect it may have under clothing. It doesn''t hurt to try.
I do have a cousin who tried it after her second, but did not use it after her first. And her belly is *less* flat after kid # 2 using the band, than it was after #1. I suspect that''ll happen to me too and that leads me to believe that the shrinking really has nothing to do with the band. Some women have an almost flat belly right after the uterus shrinks completely (6 weeks or so) and some just never do and never will.
Isn''t mother nature kind to us ?!

 

[curlygirl]

After baby #1, I bounced back pretty quickly. Lost all the pregnancy weight really fast and got most of my ab definition back too.

After baby #2, I did "bind" myself using Brooke Burke''s thing and while I''m not convinced that it really did anything, it psychologically made me feel like it was helping! I''m now almost 11 months post partum and am under my pre-preg weight from baby #1 (YAY ME!!!

) but my stomach is not the same and my hips are slightly wider. I can fit into all of my regular clothes without a problem but fitted tops don''t really flatter my belly! Granted, I haven''t had much time to get to the gym with an infant, toddler and full time job, nor do I really watch what I eat and I''m also 38 so my metabolism has naturally slowed down. Also, I believe genetics play a huge role--my family tends to carry their weight in the midsection so clearly I''m in that group as well but I think with diet and effort, it can be resolved. I just don''t really care that much anymore!

 

[Mara]

I know Jas...I was like you do all this work, carry and blossom and birth and then you have to fight to get your body back. How is THAT fair? hehee.

I agree genetics has something to do with it. My Mom was slim as a whip after me (25), but after the 2nd one at age 32 her hips spread and she could not lose the weight. My hips have ALREADY spread a bit within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy so I think that is just my genetic blessing. I don''t know if they will return but at this point I am assuming not.

I think I will try some of the binding techniques but my friend did a CORSET along with the binding materials....now THAT sounds downright tortorous.

 

[mrssalvo]

I think it''s genetics. I went back to my pre-preggo weight and size very quickly after having all 3 of my kids. I really didn''t do anything but I did work out pretty intense while preggo. I taught spinning 4 days a week up until 4 weeks before I delivered my first. I taught 3 spin classes a week and taught water aerobics when preggo with my second. I walked/hiked and did the elliptical when pregnant with Jake. I nursed all 3 kids which does help the your uterus shrink back down quicker and nursing burns a ton of calories so it helps. But, my body did shift and change after having babies and I don''t think any amount of workouts can back it go back to exactly the way it was before and my belly although pretty flat still has a bit of the extra skin. my sister only has one kid but she is 5'' 9" and 120 lbs and her body looks exactly has it did pre-baby. no extra skin on her tummy at all. she got the better belly genetics....

 

[Sabine]

Mara, I used a post partum girdle, and I think it REALLY helped. I''m not sure how much it helped my stomach go down, but it definitely helped me getting around after the c-section and to feel normal in clothes. On days when my incision was a little sore, I just wore my belly band from during pregnancy.

I too have a pouch of saggy skin, and although I''m still newly post partum, I have a feeling it won''t be going anywhere. And I''m not all that gung-ho about trying to get ab definition because my skin is soooo covered with stretch marks that I''ll never be showing it in public again anyway.

 

[NYCsparkle]

after my son was born i dropped my preggo weight and then some by 4 months........my daughter is now 8 weeks old and i still have about 15 pounds to go

...by 2 months with my son i was within 3 pounds of pre pregnancy weight by doing nothing......mother nature is a cruel bioootch...she makes it easy to lose weight the 1st time and so you think it''ll be easy again---

no chance of that happening....oh and i had no stretch marks with my son and with my daughter i do---i gained the same amount of weight with each of my kids...wtf!!!

my friend did binding and it helped her manage pain after a c section, but it didn''t do squat for her jelly belly---her words

 

[Burk]

I think I''m going to do the wrap thing this time. Worth a shot I guess. I was pretty fortunate with T that I lost the weight pretty quickly (3 months or so) and was able to wear all my pre-preggo clothes by about 10 weeks. I was back to pre-preggo body (abs/stomach included) by 7 months. I am worried I won''t be so lucky this time so I''m willing to try anything!!!

 

[Sha]

Date: 8/21/2009 11:22:28 AM
Author: mrssalvo
I think it''s genetics. I went back to my pre-preggo weight and size very quickly after having all 3 of my kids. I really didn''t do anything but I did work out pretty intense while preggo. I taught spinning 4 days a week up until 4 weeks before I delivered my first. I taught 3 spin classes a week and taught water aerobics when preggo with my second. I walked/hiked and did the elliptical when pregnant with Jake. I nursed all 3 kids which does help the your uterus shrink back down quicker and nursing burns a ton of calories so it helps. But, my body did shift and change after having babies and I don''t think any amount of workouts can back it go back to exactly the way it was before and my belly although pretty flat still has a bit of the extra skin. my sister only has one kid but she is 5'' 9'' and 120 lbs and her body looks exactly has it did pre-baby. no extra skin on her tummy at all. she got the better belly genetics....

I''m 6 months preggo and have been going to they gym twice a week. So far the exercise has helped a lot in keeping me toned and helping me manage my weight gain. I hope the exercise also helps my post-baby body shrink back to normal more quickly.

Is there anything else that you can do while pregnant to help manage abdominal distention, though?

 

[vespergirl]

Date: 8/21/2009 12:35:13 AM
Author: Mara

did any of you bind yourselves?

one of my friends was telling me that her mom swears by binding yourself after birth (almost immediately. it''s with a combo of a corset and stretchy materials) and it apparently is not comfortable at all (CORSET???) but my friend did it and she was back to a flat stomach within a few months. i found it interesting and mildly appalling hahaha. she was saying to me the other day ''you''re going to bind yourself right?'' and i was like ''what are you talking about?!''

i always figure ''the stars do it'' so it must be physically possible, i just think normal women without personal trainers spending 6 hours a day with them take a LOT longer!!!

I didn''t do it for my first, but I will definitely use one of those things for my second. I''ve heard that they are effective. Like I posted before, diet & exercise got my old weight back, but I still kept an extra inch or two on my waist (skin?). Maybe the belly bandit will help eliminate that after baby number 2.

 

[partgypsy]

first of all 5 months is not enough time. Maybe to lose the weight, but give yourself more time with the rest. I bounced back pretty good after my first. After my second, I still remember going shopping for clothes around 6 months post partum and from the sight of my stomach in the mirror almost felt like crying in the dressing room.
It''s almost 3 years. Though my weight hasn''t changed I feel my stomach looks a little better. However there is this degree of "looseness" that doesn''t seem to be going away. There were some coworkers who were talking about plastic surgery and I said if I could do 1 thing (which I won''t) would be to lipo my stomach pooch away, and they both informed me that was skin and I would need a tummy tuck

Despite all that I bought a bikini this year. It''s funny when I was younger I never wore bikinis because I was very self-conscious. Now I''m over 40, 2 kids, feel like if I want to wear a bikini D*mmit going to wear one.

 

[vizsla]

Date: 8/21/2009 11:22:31 AM
Author: Sabine
Mara, I used a post partum girdle, and I think it REALLY helped. I''m not sure how much it helped my stomach go down, but it definitely helped me getting around after the c-section and to feel normal in clothes. On days when my incision was a little sore, I just wore my belly band from during pregnancy.


I too have a pouch of saggy skin, and although I''m still newly post partum, I have a feeling it won''t be going anywhere. And I''m not all that gung-ho about trying to get ab definition because my skin is soooo covered with stretch marks that I''ll never be showing it in public again anyway.

aside from the brook burke and belly bandit - what are some other brands/binding techniques?
my sister laughed at me when i mentioned that i was thinking about trying this... but i think, if only-mentally, i wouldn''t mind trying it

 

[mrssalvo]

Date: 8/21/2009 12:44:52 PM
Author: Sha


Is there anything else that you can do while pregnant to help manage abdominal distention, though?

sha-there really isn''t. you obviously aren''t supposed to be doing anything to isolate your abdominal muscles and your belly will grow as it was designed to and that it actually needs to for there to be enough room for the baby. I gained 40 lbs with each of my babies. I exercised, ate pretty well etc. and my body still put on the weight it needed to. sounds like you are on the right track and I really do believe that exercising during pregnancy makes for an easier delivery and recovery too.

 

[Mara]

viz... how about you try the corset method and then report back, ok?

i am intrigued but it sounds medieval. i wonder if there is some 'about how to' on how to bind yourself with a corset. where does one get one?

 

[Black Jade]

First thing is, you do need some time after childbirth to regain your figure. I didn''t know this. Five, six months later I was wondering what was wrong with me that I wasn''t exactly the same as before, but I think up to a year is reasonable--and if you have several kids spaced close together you can add some time to that.

Second, I don''t think you ever get exactly the same body back. I don''t mean that you never have a good figure again or even a great figure, but it''s not the same. Strange things happen--different things to different people. In my case, my feet grew 1/2 size with each child and never went back. I also acquired stretch marks that just did not go away (I tended to not gain any pregnancy weight until month #7, when I popped out all at once, which meant, lots of stretch marks, use of cocoa butter and whatever else didn''t matter). Some people don''t get stretch marks, though. Some of my friends have acquired varicose veins, for instance, which I didn''t get. some people get permanently more hippy (I WISH) and some have a permanent bosom boost. On the other hand, I have one friend who lost bust size after pregnancy, permanently--so who can tell? Another strange thing that happened to me is that after my third child, my hairline changed. I didn''t go bald or anything. But I used to have a noticeable widow''s peak and now it''s barely there. I''ve heard other women tell my that their curly hair went straight, or that their straight hair went curly. Hormones are obviously peculiar things!

Third, while you don''t get the same figure back (sorry if I''m stepping on any toes here), if you still weigh 50 or 60 lbs more than you did and your kids are like, ten years old, this is NOT because you once had a child or some children. I don''t have anything against women being larger--I think our society is hard on larger people and that there are a lot of full-figured, yet pretty women out there who are hard on themselves. I''m just saying that after a certain point, being bigger can''t be said to be the result of having had children. I know mothers of really large families, in the culture I live in, many of them who have had between 6 to 9 children, sometimes spaced very close together, who wear size 2 or size 4 dresses and have 27 inch waistlines--not right after they had the children, no, but a year or so afterwards. If you''d like to be slender after having a child (and maybe other things are more important to you, which is also fine), eating healthily (I don''t think it''s coincidental that the women I know with large numbers of children all cook dinner every day and barely ever eat out or bring fast food in, or snacks) and getting exercise is very important. Often having a baby means you can''t get to the gym as easily. But pushing the stroller around the block and taking a walk with the toddlers every day is good exercise. Taking a swim also is, or riding a bike as a family. All of this is a good example for the kid too.

Nursing also really peels weight off, and I jsut read where they did some study that shows nursing a baby helps prevent breast cancer even in women with really bad family histories of breast cancer.

I''m over 50 years old, 5 ft. 4, 134 lbs, measurements 37-29-34 1/2 which is not the same as before I had any children, measurement then 36-27-35 at about same weight. I was up to 202 lbs 6 mos after I had my second child (I have 3) and I was 30 then.

I''ve heard of the belly band, my cousins on my father''s side swear by it and they all have lovely figures. I never heard of it though until my last kid was like 5 years old. My mother never used it and she didn''t tell me--she assumed I would laugh and tell it was too old-country and old-fashioned. Maybe it would have helped with the stretch mark situation? anyway, cna''t hurt to try.

 

[gailrmv]

Thanks everyone for the replies. It was interesting to hear about each of your experiences! Sounds like it varies tremendously person to person. I''m nursing, exercising at least 5x a week, and eating healthily - like I said everything looks pretty much as before except the stomach (and I do have a few more lb to go). I''m glad to hear that it took some people much longer than 5 months, gives me hope that I can still make some more progress! My figure was not perfect before, which in a way I am grateful for now. I''m not trying to get back to "perfect". Just to where I was. It''s a lower bar! Mostly, I hope to be able to wear some of my old clothes this fall and winter. Shopping for new clothes is just not on my priority list right now!

Thanks again!

 

[Pandora II]

I think a lot comes down to genetics and individual metabolism.

I''m back down to my pre-preggo weight, all my normal clothes fit, my stomach is flat again, skin is looking less elephanty and feeling more like it should (child endlessly kicking it and standing on it from the outside seems to work wonders

) - the only differences are that my boobs are bigger (yay!) and I still have the linea nigra. I was lucky and didn''t get stretch marks despite gaining over 70lbs...

I never exercise and I don''t diet, but I''ve always burnt calories very fast - plus I''m 5ft 10" so I can spread any weight out

My mother was exactly the same - until child no.4 after which things didn''t bounce back so well.

However, my ''nether regions'' are severely compromised at the moment and I''m not sure when they will return to normal!