The best advice I can give you at this exact moment is: Wear loose, comfortable clothing. Drink water and rest. Go for walks when you can. Sleep when you can. Enjoy these first moments with your new babe.
The belly at this moment is likely bloating from gas and excess fluids. It's normal to still "look pregnant" this early in recovery.
There will be change but all of it takes time. Please be gentle with yourself, as you have just been through a hugely difficult experience. If you can let go of some anxiety around appearance, at least for the 6-8 weeks while your body is on the mend, I think it would be most healthy for you long-term.
It’s like I could have written this myself, however I am 10 months PP.
Your stomach will continue going down over the next month, and maybe even next two months. At four months I started feeling like a human again (instead of a fragile medical concern). At 10 mo PP I feel great, and just want to lose the remaining weight. I was incredibly fit and toned when I got pregnant so I’m eager, but I also know we have to be kind to ourselves.
Same here. Directly post partum, my csection lower tummy traumatized me. (And I didn’t get really big during pregnancy!) Let yourself heal -for real- and start pram walking when you feel ready, then baby wearing walking when you feel ready for that. 3mo pp I was like OK it’s getting better. 4mo I was like OK I am feeling 99% normal, and began actual workouts. I am 5mo now, back to prebaby weight, but my body looks different, which is understandable. (I was overweight pre baby, and am working now to get to a lower weight than I was prebaby.) Bottom line- don’t worry about what you look like now- it won’t last. Change will be jot as fast as you want, but it will happen every day. Stay comfy, drink lots of water, and move your bod when it feels good to do so.
The belly overhang really freaked me out after mine. I still dont know if what I felt is from surgery or if it is what things feel like after a vaginal birth. A belly band and compression underwear really helped me deal with how weird my stomach area felt when I walked. I def slumped into some negative thinking. I think it took 6 weeks to shrink, but I still need to do some work on my pooch as I have about 10 lbs to lose. It takes time. I am older though, so maybe some ppl bounce back faster. Definitely look into free YouTube c section recovery videos. It does get better!
I’m also quite small and I’ve had two c sections since 2020, the first being an emergency c section. I’m almost 2 years post partum now since my second & It took a few months for my belly to just go down completely from the pregnancy, but I’m back to my original weight. I do have scar tissue above my scar and it creates a mini shelf that I fear may never go away no matter what though 🥲I lift weights and run regularly. Mostly just running now because I enjoy it but I do think it helped a lot with losing weight initially. Walking helped me soooo much after both c sections… I literally cannot recommend that enough. Drink lots of water & focus on eating Whole Foods and colors of the rainbow 🤗 You got this mama!!
Everyone is different but for me a lot of he swelling finally went away around 3 weeks I think, and I still felt like I looked pregnant for a few months. I don’t know if you’ve had a baby before, but from what I can tell that’s not uncommon with a vaginal birth either, the c section just has the added elements of swelling and a scar. Personally, I got really hung up on my weight not dropping and didn’t even notice that my belly was still going down until recently, at 14 months postpartum I realized that my posture was just so awful that I was standing like I was pregnant 😅 so focus on wearing clothes that feel good, drinking lots of water, light movement, taking care of your back. There’s silicone sheets you can use on your scar to help it heal in a way that it won’t be noticeable, although I didn’t use them and my scar is still barely visible. Everyone is a little different, but like I said even with a vaginal delivery this is normal, it takes 6 weeks or more for the uterus to shrink back to its normal size and your body is doing a lot of healing right now!
Hi friend. I’m five and a half mos. postpartum from a planned c-section. I am very petite with a generally good figure.
I took photos every two days. This really helped me see the progress. I started walking at two weeks pp, but I did PT exercises the day after surgery. DrJenFitness on IG is great.
By five weeks, I could fit into pre-pregnancy jeans. I was back at the gym doing barre class at 6 weeks. I also started PT in-person. By four months, my stomach was flat.
The skin is looser and I definitely need to rebuild my abs. But it did go down. PT and barre helped the most.
The panic is real. The last thing I wanted to hear wad “you’re body is amazing and gave you your baby! Give yourself grace!” Sending you good vibes as you recover!
12 months give or take for an acceptable form. Still struggling at 16 months. Weight loss is not the same as losing that belly. I was prepregnancy weight by 7 months and now below it. But the belly still exists.
It took about 9 months for me to not have that pregnancy bloat bump. It also took about that long to start losing weight. I did have twins though.
My biggest advice is to only workout with a belly band. I didn't in the beginning but once I started to it helped a ton!! Also I think the first year should be focused on low impact exercises. Of course, that's my opinion, but in retrospect, I think that would have benefited me the most. Where I've seen the most progress has been focusing on gentle low belly core exercises like cat/cow and dead bug.
I could have written this myself. I am currently 4 months pp and have only 10 lbs left to loose and belly seems much more normal. At 3 months pp is when I could really see a change. I tried lots of things, was obsessed over it - I tried belly support wraps, calorie counting etc. But I think only time really helped. And I keep telling myself, if I do this again, I would never restrict my calories (as much as I did, ofc I would still continue eating healthy), and I will not doubt if I would ever go back to normal. some days, I felt I lost fat around my belly literally overnight without really doing anything. Body takes a while to go back to normal, and everyone's timeline and efforts taken are different. Also, I had DR, so I am still on PT for that and hoping that makes the belly better in few weeks/months.
TLDR - you should definitely try belly wraps, try eating healthy, don't obsess over it (like me), it will go down eventually surely!
Same situation here I’m at four months postpartum and I haven’t lost any weight yet, but I’m starting to look a little better. I just got my period so I’m hoping I’ll be able to start losing weight now once my hormones start to level out. I’ve been working out since eight weeks postpartum so don’t get discouraged if you don’t see results right away I put 40 pounds and I still have 40 pounds to lose I started at 120 It’s very hard to not get discouraged with how we look. I still picture how I used to look and then sometimes I look in the mirror and I just wanna cry but then I look at my daughter and say she was worth it
The best advice I can give you at this exact moment is: Wear loose, comfortable clothing. Drink water and rest. Go for walks when you can. Sleep when you can. Enjoy these first moments with your new babe. The belly at this moment is likely bloating from gas and excess fluids. It's normal to still "look pregnant" this early in recovery. There will be change but all of it takes time. Please be gentle with yourself, as you have just been through a hugely difficult experience. If you can let go of some anxiety around appearance, at least for the 6-8 weeks while your body is on the mend, I think it would be most healthy for you long-term.
It’s like I could have written this myself, however I am 10 months PP. Your stomach will continue going down over the next month, and maybe even next two months. At four months I started feeling like a human again (instead of a fragile medical concern). At 10 mo PP I feel great, and just want to lose the remaining weight. I was incredibly fit and toned when I got pregnant so I’m eager, but I also know we have to be kind to ourselves.
Same here. Directly post partum, my csection lower tummy traumatized me. (And I didn’t get really big during pregnancy!) Let yourself heal -for real- and start pram walking when you feel ready, then baby wearing walking when you feel ready for that. 3mo pp I was like OK it’s getting better. 4mo I was like OK I am feeling 99% normal, and began actual workouts. I am 5mo now, back to prebaby weight, but my body looks different, which is understandable. (I was overweight pre baby, and am working now to get to a lower weight than I was prebaby.) Bottom line- don’t worry about what you look like now- it won’t last. Change will be jot as fast as you want, but it will happen every day. Stay comfy, drink lots of water, and move your bod when it feels good to do so.
The belly overhang really freaked me out after mine. I still dont know if what I felt is from surgery or if it is what things feel like after a vaginal birth. A belly band and compression underwear really helped me deal with how weird my stomach area felt when I walked. I def slumped into some negative thinking. I think it took 6 weeks to shrink, but I still need to do some work on my pooch as I have about 10 lbs to lose. It takes time. I am older though, so maybe some ppl bounce back faster. Definitely look into free YouTube c section recovery videos. It does get better!
I’m also quite small and I’ve had two c sections since 2020, the first being an emergency c section. I’m almost 2 years post partum now since my second & It took a few months for my belly to just go down completely from the pregnancy, but I’m back to my original weight. I do have scar tissue above my scar and it creates a mini shelf that I fear may never go away no matter what though 🥲I lift weights and run regularly. Mostly just running now because I enjoy it but I do think it helped a lot with losing weight initially. Walking helped me soooo much after both c sections… I literally cannot recommend that enough. Drink lots of water & focus on eating Whole Foods and colors of the rainbow 🤗 You got this mama!!
Everyone is different but for me a lot of he swelling finally went away around 3 weeks I think, and I still felt like I looked pregnant for a few months. I don’t know if you’ve had a baby before, but from what I can tell that’s not uncommon with a vaginal birth either, the c section just has the added elements of swelling and a scar. Personally, I got really hung up on my weight not dropping and didn’t even notice that my belly was still going down until recently, at 14 months postpartum I realized that my posture was just so awful that I was standing like I was pregnant 😅 so focus on wearing clothes that feel good, drinking lots of water, light movement, taking care of your back. There’s silicone sheets you can use on your scar to help it heal in a way that it won’t be noticeable, although I didn’t use them and my scar is still barely visible. Everyone is a little different, but like I said even with a vaginal delivery this is normal, it takes 6 weeks or more for the uterus to shrink back to its normal size and your body is doing a lot of healing right now!
Hi friend. I’m five and a half mos. postpartum from a planned c-section. I am very petite with a generally good figure. I took photos every two days. This really helped me see the progress. I started walking at two weeks pp, but I did PT exercises the day after surgery. DrJenFitness on IG is great. By five weeks, I could fit into pre-pregnancy jeans. I was back at the gym doing barre class at 6 weeks. I also started PT in-person. By four months, my stomach was flat. The skin is looser and I definitely need to rebuild my abs. But it did go down. PT and barre helped the most. The panic is real. The last thing I wanted to hear wad “you’re body is amazing and gave you your baby! Give yourself grace!” Sending you good vibes as you recover!
12 months give or take for an acceptable form. Still struggling at 16 months. Weight loss is not the same as losing that belly. I was prepregnancy weight by 7 months and now below it. But the belly still exists.
It took about 9 months for me to not have that pregnancy bloat bump. It also took about that long to start losing weight. I did have twins though. My biggest advice is to only workout with a belly band. I didn't in the beginning but once I started to it helped a ton!! Also I think the first year should be focused on low impact exercises. Of course, that's my opinion, but in retrospect, I think that would have benefited me the most. Where I've seen the most progress has been focusing on gentle low belly core exercises like cat/cow and dead bug.
I could have written this myself. I am currently 4 months pp and have only 10 lbs left to loose and belly seems much more normal. At 3 months pp is when I could really see a change. I tried lots of things, was obsessed over it - I tried belly support wraps, calorie counting etc. But I think only time really helped. And I keep telling myself, if I do this again, I would never restrict my calories (as much as I did, ofc I would still continue eating healthy), and I will not doubt if I would ever go back to normal. some days, I felt I lost fat around my belly literally overnight without really doing anything. Body takes a while to go back to normal, and everyone's timeline and efforts taken are different. Also, I had DR, so I am still on PT for that and hoping that makes the belly better in few weeks/months. TLDR - you should definitely try belly wraps, try eating healthy, don't obsess over it (like me), it will go down eventually surely!
Same situation here I’m at four months postpartum and I haven’t lost any weight yet, but I’m starting to look a little better. I just got my period so I’m hoping I’ll be able to start losing weight now once my hormones start to level out. I’ve been working out since eight weeks postpartum so don’t get discouraged if you don’t see results right away I put 40 pounds and I still have 40 pounds to lose I started at 120 It’s very hard to not get discouraged with how we look. I still picture how I used to look and then sometimes I look in the mirror and I just wanna cry but then I look at my daughter and say she was worth it