pre-pregnancy figure

Hi ladies,

Thank you for taking the time to read my post. Our sons, Nolan and Noble will be 5 months old next week and I still look like I did early in the pregnancy. When did your figure return? or did it? I am afraid I am always going to cry when I see myself in a mirror. I gained 44 pounds with the pregnancy. I am at my pre-pregancy weight. I keep on thinking that my stomach will go back to the way it was. Since I had a c-section I am doubtful anything will help.

Sorry, for the long post.

Thanks,

Shelley

 

Hi ladies,

Thank you for taking the time to read my post. Our sons, Nolan and Noble will be 5 months old next week and I still look like I did early in the pregnancy. When did your figure return? or did it? I am afraid I am always going to cry when I see myself in a mirror. I gained 44 pounds with the pregnancy. I am at my pre-pregancy weight. I keep on thinking that my stomach will go back to the way it was. Since I had a c-section I am doubtful anything will help.

Sorry, for the long post.

Thanks,

Shelley

 

I have given up on mine. I don't think it's from the c/s, I think it's just that carrying twins stretched my stomach to the point where it can't ever go back (without a tummy tuck, which I'm not willing to do). I got back to my pre-pregnancy weight when the twins were around 9 months old, but my stomach is still 1-2 sizes bigger than it used to be. It is a real pain, but I'm learning to live with it.

There is a book called Lose Your Mummy Tummy which a lot of people seem to really like. It's mostly ab exercises, but very specific ones -- she says most of the regular ones (situps and crunches) will actually make the problem worse. I did it for a few weeks and then lost my motivation, but you might want to check it out. HTH!

 

Even though my daughters were born very early (30 weeks) I still managed to gain 60lbs! I was very thin to begin with, so it was a shocker to see myself in a mirror afterwards! I was back in my pre-pregnancy jeans by 6 weeks after delivery, but I still have a belly. I dont think I will ever lose it. I stretched alot and the only way I am going to get rid of it is a tummy tuck, and I dont think I want one. I am trying to learn to live with it but its hard. Unfornuately I cant do any exercises to try to get rid of it b/c of medical issues so it's either deal with it or get surgery.

 

Sweetie it took you how many months to gain your weight? It will take at least that to lose it so don't get down! With each of my kids the weight loss was soooo painfully slow until they got mobile and then it fell right off...especially with the twins! They are into everything lately so not only have I lost my baby weight, but I've also lost 18 pounds on top of that! Believe me, chasing two babies will definitely help. Even if you don't lose every single bit of it that's ok, too! Look what you have to show for it At least that's what I keep telling myself when I wanna cry about the stretchmarks Hang in there!

 

Mine have returned after 7 month. I've gained 75 pounds with the girls and lost more than that. I've been breastfeeding for 6 mont and moving A LOT! Up and down stairs all day - diapers, wipes, bibs, babies clothing - I kept everything upstairs, and made tens of trips up and down every day. Plus a lot of walking with the stroller - in the malls, around the community, almost every day we've been making a 3-4-5 hour trip. Besides that I wasn't really eating. By their seventh mont I looked better than ever. I hope not to gain this much with this pregnancy. My girls are 12 month now.
Here's me before and after
http://www.dropshots.com/photos/140950/20060101/b_125708.jpg
http://www.dropshots.com/photos/140950/20061028/b_162259.jpg

 

Still working on my mine, although it seems like I am going more towards what I looked like pregnant than what I looked like before I think it takes a long time. Sometimes it doesn't come back either.

 

Congrats to all of you who have lost weight! What a great accomplishment. There is a great dvd for your tummy called Calenetics. My daughter is really into fitness and says that core secrets is a great dvd too! She likes to use the ball and says you can really feel the pull on your abs using it. It's time for me to jump in and do this too! Good Luck to us all ~Mary~

 

Great tips. I will check out that book and dvd. I also got back to my pre-pregnancy weight but i still have that muffin top belly (where the skin hangs down from the top of your pants...gross!)

 

HI,

I happen to suffer from diastasis recti (separation of the abdominal muscles). Upon researching this, I found out that any exercise that did not isolate the split and (cinch it back together) before doing crunches etc would just exacerbate the issue and make the bulge bigger.

I got a exercise video that acknowledges this phenomenon and tells you how to excerise iwth it to minimize the issue. Be Fit Mom is the name of the video (I think by Helene byrne)

I too have lost all my preggo weight but I am 1 size bigger and my belly sticks out like I'm pregnant. I will say that as of 6 months (my boys are 6 mo today) it has substantially shrunk, but most of has happened over each month post partum and I feel much more presentable in the last month.

As for the "jowels of the dog" tummy -- oh well, I don't know if I will ever fix that.

Good luck,

Teri D

video: Be Fit Mom

 

For those who are interested in doing something without buying the book, the concept behind Lose Your Mummy Tummy is this: sit up straight or lie on your back and tighten your stomach (my OB described the feeling well -- try to pull your belly button back towards your spine). You can either do reps of full tighten and release, or tighten and then do little pulses of tightening just a bit more.

I developed diastasis recti during the pregancy and have been doing these exercises whenever I think of it (sitting watching tv or whatever) -- my separation is now completely gone.

Kim

 

I didn't get anywhere near where I was pre-pregnancy but I did gain a lot of weight during my twin pregnancy. I had just finished a 4 month backpacking trip a couple weeks before becoming pregnant and weighed 118. When pregnant, I gained about 75 lbs because I ate constantly to help the girls with their TTTS issues. About 6 months after birth, I was down to 138 without excercise and two years of excercise never budged that number, it just added muscle. I've always been a person that sticks at a weight no matter what I do so that is probably my new normal.