My daughter was born 10 weeks ago by unexpected c-section. My lower abdomen,the area right above and below the incision, is still puffy. Is this just how it's going to be from now on or does that puffiness eventually go down?
I'm nowhere near my fighting weight / shape again but this area doesn't really tend to be the type that changes with diet and exercise.
I have been to my OB for my follow up and she said everything looked good and was healing properly.
Is this just life, aka: suck it up?
grapefruit / 4492 posts
So my lower abdomen nearly 3 years after the fact is basically normal below the incision... Buuuut the part above the incision is still a flap of skin
I don't know if I could have done something to prevent it, or if it's like stretch marks and comes down to genetic luck of the draw. 🤦♀️
ETA mine looked noticeably better by the time I went back to work at 12 weeks
grapefruit / 4144 posts
@Mediagirl:
Hi, hun! I have had 2 csections and preeclampsia with both. My swelling was horrid the first time around (I put on 70+ lbs of mostly fluid) and fairly bad the second (48 lbs starting at 110 lbs) but I had diastatis recti with my 2nd csection. I am a NASM-Certified personal trainer (and a prof) so I was MORTIFIED at how I looked post csection ... besides, it was an occupational hazzard 
and if you need any help or suggestions as you go, feel free to wall me. 
persimmon / 1132 posts
@mediagirl: Hey, I would probably say give it a few more months and get back to a weight and workout that you feel comfortable with before you know for sure. But I’ll also be honest that 26 months later I still have a big dent where the scar is (like a shelf above and below, nothing as minor as @Kaohinani. Thanks for sharing btw!)
I am at my pre-pregnancy weight and have been doing PT for 4 weeks for diastasis recti and some lumbar pain that I had before pregnancy. So while I am an ideal weight for my size (BMI-wise), the only thing left for me to do is completely re-tighten/strengthen my core and work on my body fat percentage. I was not motivated and rather depressed when my OB told me it was my new normal. (And, btw, it takes nothing away from the beauty of your birthing a baby to not like your scar and the aftermath of your once-flat tummy.) But finally I decided it was worth seeing a PT to help me get strong again in a safe way, see what can be done about the scar (massage! eek!) and I can already see some results. The jury is out until then before I figure out if this is new normal or not.
squash / 13199 posts
@mediagirl: I have had 3 csections and after the 2nd csection my belly wasnt quite the same. The puffyness does go down but the shape wqs never the same. I found out recently after my third that part of my problem was diastasis recti (ab separation) and I am currently doing a 30 day program to try to fix it
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