Post-partum c-section

I'm 5 days post-partum and am shocked at how big and soft my belly is. Is this swelling? Or is this my distended uterus? I've lost about 20 lbs of the almost 40 I gained with the pregnacy...I swear I've got at least 10 pounds of fluid still in my ankles, legs, privates and belly.

I guess I'm just shocked by how pregnant I still look. I've heard stories about women leaving the hospital in their pre-pregnancy clothes....yet it looks like I'll be in maternity wear forever. I can't bear the thought of leaving the house like this because people will be asking when I'm due and I'll probably lose it.

Someone please tell me that I won't look like this forever....

 

:hug99: s! You won't look like that forever!!! Your uterus is still HUGE compared to it's normal size, and I am sure you are still retaining a ton of water from all of the fluids that they gave you and also just from the pregnancy. You will most likey start peeing it out soon, and it's also possible to have some wicked night sweats over the next couple of weeks!!

Congrats on your babies...welcome to FY!! :hug99:

 

If there is someone told you they left the hospital in their pre-pregnancy clothes, they were either lying or they gained an unhealthy amount of weight during pregnancy. Maybe they didn't mention the clothes were sweat pants that stretch a lot! EVERYONE leaves the hospital with a belly that tends to hang on for a while. How long will you look pregnant? that depends. I had a swollen-looking belly for only a few weeks(3-5?) after my first child, a single birth. I still have a belly, that I desperately try to hold in all the time, nearly a year after the twins. I am back to my pre-pregnancy weight (which was about 10lbs more than my "normal" weight) and was in just 3 weeks following the birth of the twins. However, the belly may never go away and I can say it is quite big and "floppy" when I let it all hang out. - could totally pass for 5 months pregnant. I also have about a 3 finger separation in my rectus muscles that probably won't go away without surgery, which prevents "the belly" from going away completely. I could probably do more to gain some strength in my abs, but I just have zero time for real exercise with 3 kids!

Back to your question, if you were in good shape prior to pregnancy and these are your only children so far, you have a better than average chance of looking back to normal in only a few months with work. Some people can do it in less time. If, like me, you have no time to work at it, you should give it around a year to completely heal. I was always told it takes 9 months to put it on,it should take 9 months to take it off. The fluid you are retaining will subside in couple of weeks unless there is a medical reason you might be hanging on to it like high blood pressure. I retained fluid in my extremities for a couple of weeks post-partum due to health issues. I lost a lot of it by 2 weeks post. Drink tons of water because it will help you flush your system. Keep your feet elevated when you are sitting or lying down and get as much rest as you can. At 5 days, 20lbs is a huge accomplishment and you should be proud! Give your body time to heal and go easy on yourself.

Congrats on the new babies!

Kelly

 

I left the hospital feeling "fluffier" after my c-section than I did after having a vaginal birth. You'll feel a lot better after the first two weeks, so just hang in there!

 

I still looked pregnant when I left the hospital and it took a few months to reduce!! By 6 months I started fitting into old clothes and now, at almost 10 months, I'm nearly back to normal. I lost all my preggo weight by 3 months - but I breastfeed.

Don't worry about it, enjoy your babies for now and theweight will come off.

Teri D

 

Congrats on your babies and welcome to FY!

I didn't read the other replies, so I don't know if I'm repeating here. First off, your uterus is still really huge! It's roughly the size of your fist when it's not in use so the fact that it swells up to something the size of a beach ball when your preggo says a lot. It will eventually return to it's normal size but a multiple pregnancy is pretty hard on it.

Second, if you are retaining fluid you need to drink a TON of water. If you drink enough fluid it will cause your body to release all the water it's retaining. I retained water for a good 2 weeks after the boys were born, I had thankles (that's 1 step worse than cankles!) but I sat down one day and drank and drank and drank until my pee was really clear. (sorry TMI) I got up and peed about 50 times that night but it didn't bother me since I was up for the babies anyway. When I woke up in the morning I had my ankles back!

You won't look like this forever, but I'm sorry to say that your body is changed forever. :hug99:

 

You won't look like that forever. I still had my big belly for about 2-3 weeks. I even had swelling in my feet still for about a month!!! Think about it, it took you 9 months to get to this point, it will not go away in one night.

 

One of the most important pieces of information I received during my pregnancy was in our breastfeeding multiples class when the nurse told us that'd we'd probably look 6 months pregnant with a singleton for at least a few weeks after giving birth to our twins. What you're seeing is perfectly normal. :hug99: Your uterus is still big and you've got lots of stretched skin. The general rule of thumb is 9 months up, 9 months down but, honestly, I wouldn't count on getting back into your prepregnancy clothes. Some people do it, and some don't so you'll just have to see how it turns out for you. Congratulations on your twins! :Clap: