Hi All,

I have a 16 months old son. My son was nearly 4.5kg when he born. During my pregnancy my belly used to touch my tighs and the reason doctor told me was "Your skin is so soft that it stretches too much as your baby is too heavy".... Whatever may be....

Now my problem is, even after 16 months, my belly still looks like I'm 5 or 6 months pregnant now. Huh... I hate this..... My weight is reduced and back to my normal weight (i.e before my pregnancy). But my lower abdomen is still hanging and shakes left and right like anything even if I walk fast.... then no need of telling how it will look if I run

If searched in net, I know I get a lot of stuffs like "flat stomach, sexy stomach, super stomach, that and this....." and all stupid ideas. But what I want is the real advice and tricks to reduce my belly, from friends of this forum, who really did or atleast seen some one did and got benifited.

With hope, I'm waiting my dears......

Sit ups is my advice

Goodluck, i know how you feel, i have had 2 children, and ggggrrrrrrr when i had, had 1 of them i also had the tummy problems

Hi Myth

I've just pm'd you an article you might find interesting. I had the same problem after the birth of my son and of my daughter - it isn't easy to deal with but there are solutions. You might also want to talk to your doctor or midwife, they can also recommend good exercises. I've added a link below to the article.

http://pregnancyandbaby.com/pregnancy/baby/After-baby--Dealing-with-a-flabby-belly-269.htm

It isn't just toning stomach muscles, some people are left with a flap of skin that no amount of excercise will shift; thus the apronectomy was born.

Sutter, thanks for the advice.

Starbug, thanks for the info and I'm going through it right now
I'm new to Switzerland. Yet to find a family doctor for advices.

Zug bound, you are right. More than muscles, I can say it is a flap skin in my lower abdomen, which gives the ugly appearance.

Myth, I really hate this but you can really only work on muscle. It's really difficult to firm up skin once it has been stretched so much and won't retract naturally. You can do all the exercises you want and use the most expensive creams but sometimes a tummy tuck is the only way to have your stomach back to where it was.

Of course, before anything so drastic I would certainly try everything else and also try to live with it as a token of my beautiful baby!

Yes, It sounds nice in words, but to deal with that everyday, even with all the love you have for your baby, will not bring you back your pride and self-esteem about your shape.

And I think, to be able to give all your energy, your love and your care to a child, you have to be mentaly in shape. And if your apparence makes you sad, you can't completely focus on those things....

I hope you will find a solution. I have no idea how will be my stomach after the birth. I pray very hard it will come back. I have strong muscles and my skin didn't get any stretch marks. If I have the same problem after trying sports and exercices, I will definitely think to do a surgery. But this is me...

At the end of the day, the way you feel makes a lot of difference in YOUR life but also in the life of the ones who loves you and wants to see you happy!

Nil

I certainly agree with Zug bound – on this Thread we are talking about two different things. The belly skin and muscles HAVE to stretch as the baby grows. However, the amount of 'extra' skin, even before the birth, varies. For most of us, after the birth, the skin reduces again, the muscles become stronger and the stomach becomes, more or less, flat again. For a few unfortunates, the stretch of skin was extreme, and it doesn't reduce enough afterwards.
Also in the net (thanks for the correct name for the op, Zug bound) there are several articles which also say that in this case, strengthening the muscles is good, but doesn't do the trick. If you could consider the idea of an operation to reduce/solve the problem, you could look under these. NHS PPS Health Cambridge Private Hospital

If thy pot belly offend thee, cut it off!

My best friend had her stomach muscles separated too much with her second baby that was over 4kg. She is tiny, under 50kgs.

Her stomach is still popped out with the belly button pushed out a little a year later. She has seen 2 different doctors that recommend surgery to put the muscles back together. This is in the UK.

My sister in law got the full tummy tuck and lipo done after she was done with having kids. Having tripplets leaves way too much extra skin.

Actually, that is an important consideration. Are you planning on having more kids Myth?

Birthing sounds brutal!

It's not that bad and all worth it in the end. That's the price we pay for kids. I don't think this was much of an issue a hundred years ago but we've become so vein! (Myself included, of course!)

I put on more weight in a couple of years after moving to London than I did from pregnancy. I blame the beer

That can easily happen! I put on a lot of weight when pregnant, about 40 lbs. It was a real pain trying to get rid of it. But it's an endless battle for most of us, isn't it?

Of course, there are plenty of women with stretch marks and hanging bellies without having had children. At least we have that excuse.

don't you love the 'low-waisted' style of jeans - my husband and I have this joke - we walk along and go 'she's had a baby, no she hasn't, oh yes,,, oh no'.

I saw a documentary about Africa - said that they consider droopy breasts signs of fertility, and perky breasts are either infertile or immature (adolescents)... I just consider mine the 'battle scars' of birthing three children!

Btw, my mum had a tummy tuck when she decided no more kids - tubes tied and tummy tuck all in one operation! - she'd had three c-sections, so they took all her scarring away and left her with a flat tummy and only a little scar under the bikini-line...of course, after that she had to keep trim or else fluctuating weight plus age would undo all that work!

The muffin tops always look lovely in those low-waisted jeans.

I saw that documentary as well! It's amazing how we perceive beauty so differently in different cultures.

It must have been tough for your mom. But good for her for doing it to make her feel better!

Yes Lynn88.... planning to have one more.... but not now, once when my son starts going to school, which will take another 2 years

Tough to think of having two kids before one goes to school or becomes little matured to understand, as managing my one kid itself is breaking my ribs now

Royal salute to all mothers managing more than one kid at a time in home

I know how you feel! When mine was little (he's 11 on Monday) I couldn't even imagine having another one. There was no sleep in our house for the first two years. Even after that he was a handful so we didn't even think about having another one. Now, when things are a lot easier, I wish I would have had another one right after. Yeah, it would have been really tough but now there would be two to keep each other occupied. It's a tough call but you have to do what's right.

In any case, if you're even considering any type of surgery, please wait until you've finished having kids.

Ok, the only way you get rid of the post baby belly is hard exercise and diet I'm affraid! You'll need to exercise at least 3 times a week ie jogging, power walking... you need to sweat and get your heart rate up for at least 30 - 45 mins. Also muscle work too, at least twice a week. When I say diet, it's more about healthy eating and reduce your daily required calorie intake by about 15%. It will take time but slow weight lose is easier to maintain. Don't do quick fixes!