I am currently 27 and 3 months and 1 week post c-section. I have 2 children a 5 year old and now a 3 month old. My son was a c-section and needless to say I, like other women have had struggles with my new body and scarring. Our bodies not only change but they permanently stay unusual in our eyes. And we have to find it within us somewhere to accept it. Before my 5 year old I was very active running every day. So I guess you can say I was in very much in shape. During my first pregnancy I was also active. I was working all the way until I popped and even during my pregnancy I ran up until I was 4 months and took yoga classes. My pre-weight was 110 and at the end of my pregnancy I was 142. I delivered her vaginally with no complications. And short after 2 weeks in having her I was eager to hit the track and start running again. my eagerness caused me to hemorrhage for a 1 month. So I forced myself to stay put for a month. Once I healed and followed doctors orders I hit the track. about 4 months later I was 110 again and my body was prob in the best shape ever, even before my daughter was born. Hard work paid off then. Opting to grace my husband with a son I got pregnant at 26 (having kept in mind that my 1st pregnancy was smooth sailing). After just 3 months into pregnancy, i gained a few pounds and fast. My starting weight was 118. By my 4th month I was 125 and feeling very sick. I was always sleepy and tired and very noxious daily. This pregnancy was definitely different. Needless to say I was not able to work out during this pregnancy. About my 7th month and 8th month of pregnancy I was finally able to walk on the treadmill 3 times a week with much back ache though. My son of course at 37 weeks was footling breech and they had scheduled me to do what they call a version. Where they manually try to turn the baby while in your womb from the outside. This procedure lasted 35 minutes and was very painful for me. After a failed attempt to turn him the doc felt I should go home and we would schedule a c-section. Until the PA found me to be 4 cm dilated. With my son’s foot lodged into my pelvis bone the doctor felt best i had a c-section that day since i was so far dilated. As we got everything prepared to have a baby, another doctor took the shift and felt he could be successful in turning the baby manually to save me having to be cut open. Although I felt like we should just go as planned the doctor was more convincing then I was. So we tried once more for this version. During this process the doctor caused my son to go in distress (meaning having bowel movements in the womb) which then called for an emergency c-section rather then scheduled. The OR was not prepared for a c-section. The nurses had not set up for this and the doctor and nurses were yelling at each other. My husband was called in late into the OR as he was walking in my son was being yanked out. He wasn’t breathing at first but he was revived and his leg was unfortunately broken. I was heart broken but i am so blessed to have him here and thankful that he is ok now. The result of my c-section is my beautiful son who endured alot his first seconds of life. With all that happened my recovery from all this was definitely a hard and long one. the pain was nothing like Ive experienced. But because of how eager I am to be fit, I had in my mind that I was going to start working out 2 weeks pp. Well that didnt happen as planned. My pain lasted longer then 2 weeks. So I wanted to wait another week. I had read all this internet stories about women who had ran as little as 3 weeks pp. So I thought I would be one of them. Well my caring husband would not let me and forbid me from working out before 6 weeks. So having no choice other then waiting I looked daily at my scar and breast that began to slowly sag. The more I looked at my scar the more depressed I got. I applied mederma cream and gel faithfully in hopes that in just 6 weeks the scar would go away. Ladies, it doesn’t work like that. After my 6 week pp I hit the gym thinking I could jog cause I was in shape prior. Nope! It hurt like hell to jog. So for about 1month I kept it at walk and gradually turned it into a jog by Feb. (if you use a trimming belt to suppress your incision area, it helps alot) By the end of Feb. I was able to run again. And by March 1st I was able to run at my peak and without my trimming belt. Im having regular workout sessions as before and I feel great. Until I undress. I know I should see my scar as a trophy scar but I dont. My trophy is my son being here and thats the best trophy out there. My scar is just a new flaw that I have. I got a few stretch marks but they disappear in about a year. (as they did with my daughter) My breast are very run down and I plan on getting them re-done. My husband is very supportive and tries so hard to reassure me that it doesnt mean anything to him and he doesn’t care a bout a stupid scar because he loves me and he is deeply attracted to me. But some ladies will agree that in the society we live in to day. What and how you look is often judge before your personality. Which is very sad. But this is my body and its just something Im not and will never get use to seeing. My ending pregnancy weight at 37 weeks was 152. I am now 3 months and 1 week post c-section and weighing 117. I have 7 more pounds to lose but this time around its been harder then before. For those trying to lose weight after a csection. Follow doctors orders and listen to your body. The after effects like the scarring and the stretch marks are something us women have to deal with that no one will ever understand how it could make us feel. Whether its a lot of stretch marks or 1 stretch mark or horrible incision or sagging breast or prune belly. We have to find ways to accept our bodies… and that is what im trying to do No ones said it would be easy and I am learning that as I go. I know some people have worse and some have it lightly but this is me and what I can stand. And it just doesnt sit well with me.
I have included photos:
1 photo of me before i got pregnant with my daughter
1 during my pregnancy with her
1 after the 1st pregnancy weight loss
1 before my pregnancy with my son
2 during my sons pregnancy
3 of my c section scar
1 of my cankles :)
3 of my body now
1 of my son and his trauma
1 of my scar at 3months 1week
You look BEAUTIFUL! I would not worry in the least about that :-)
The birth story sounds quite traumatic though, and I can imagine there being some struggles dealing with that. You are truly blessed though, and I wish you healing in your heart.
BEAUTIFUL shape of a mother!! your gorgeous. and your poor son!! hes precious tho! congrats!
ummm….u look good, your scar is fine, it dont look bad at all, i had a baby a year ago and have a gross overhang of fat now, im stuck with it…be happy your belly is flat!
Wow you went through a lot! I used pure vitamin E oil on my scar and it seemed to help–but I started at 3 weeks PP. At any rate your scar looks pretty good. They DO fade a lot, I promise. My most recent post was here: https://theshapeofamother.com/blog/one-year-after-a-cesarean-update-colleen/, and if you look at the previous posts you can see my scar really did get lighter.
I couldn’t even THINK about working out at 2 weeks postpartum–it hurt if I even stood up for too long, lol! I think you look fantastic. You had a very large pregnancy belly and your PP tummy doesn’t sag at all! You are beautiful :)
Your body looks perfect to me. Who cares about a little scar? No body is perfect, but you really should be glad you’ve got it as good as you do. Two wonderful babies, and a loving husband, and still a hot body! I’m sure lots of women would happily trade bodies
I think you have a beautiful body. It is motherly and real. However, I am sure many would not even imagine you have had babies!
I am so sorry to read about how traumatic the birth of your son was. That’s no way to start a life. Althoug I am happy that you are all happy and healthy :)
Hey girl, my scar did the same exact thing. My grandfather is from Mexico…I blame my hispanic roots because the doctor said, African, Latin and Asians tend to scar liek this…It’s called kiloids…It’s in your skin. My brother also has this problem but has been in many different accidents and has left his body from ankle to chin scarred like this. I put vitamin E on my scar and it made the color turn from purple to light pink…It will fade and sink in more with time…You can even go to the doctor for a cream to help it shrink. I know my scar is so thick you can see it through my bikini…I just don’t really care…and you shouldn’t worry so much about it because you look great! Look up kiloids and it might tell you things you can do to bring the scar down…and also, I know pictures don’t show just how brutal the scars look…They are much bigger and raise off the skin more in person. I feel ya on that one! Beautiful little boy that picture of him breaks my heart…Hope all is well!
here is a link to my scar that I added to my story…it looks a lot better than this…but I am on my second baby and am going to have ANOTHER section…But they said they cut out the old scar and give you a new one…I wondered if it would make it bigger and raise it more and worry about the scar tissue on the inside with how it looks on the outside. Theshapeofamother.com/blog/i-did-it-9-months-pp-minus-60-pounds-anonymous/010810-anon-5/
Dont know if the link will work but I tried. :)
OKay I actually just read the story and I am going to just say YOU ARE WAAAAY TOO HARD ON YOURSELF! I gained 61 pounds, had to deal with preterm labor and ended up with a C-section…I lost all my weight by month 9 and that is impressive…I couldn’t even start working out till I was 4 months PP as it hurt too much. Be careful with yourself Csections are much different than vaginal births by far. You will have to deal with scar tissue which will be a problem in future pregnancies and can cause pain for the rest of your life. You look completely amazing and need to stop stressing…I REALLY WISH THESE POSTS THAT WOMEN WHO ARE PUSHING THEMSELVES TOO HARD WOULD GET POSTED FIRST SO THEY HAD OTHERS TO PERSUADE THEM TO TAKE IT SLOWER!!! Be careful!!! Also if you get breast implants you will have the same scarring on your breasts as you do on your pubic line from the Csection. I told my husband I will NEVER get them because I don’t want scars under my breasts like I have there and he said he doesn’t think I need them anyway…LISTEN TO YOUR HUSBAND he is right…If a man is not happy with you or your body HE WILL TELL YOU…In his own way and YOU WILL KNOW….Be thankful for what you have and remember if you did not have that scar things could have turned very badly for your child very quickly…That scar is a trophy and you should be very thankful you can carry it. beauty is truly skin deep…Love yourself you’re beautiful!
You look gorgeous! And I’m sorry your son’s birth was so traumatic, he’s adorable by the way. I noticed you have your belly button pierced, did you have issues with that during pregnancy? Just curious cause I’ve always wanted to have that done but thought I should wait until I’m done having babies first.
Girl, you look amazing! I am over 10 months pp with son #2 (both c-sections) and still have about 5-6 pounds to go. I think in time your scar will just become something that you will think is a beautiful part of you. My hubby says that mine look like a tattoo…and he really likes it! ;) It takes a while to get used to, but now I hardly even notice mine. You’re right your baby is your trophy, and your scar is just the means to your miracle. Blessings!
It may sound effed up, but your scar is very pretty :) I’m a big believer that scars tell a story, and you have a great story and strength behind that scar (take it from someone who has almost 100 scars covering her body).
I was also jogging less than 2 weeks PP. Not a good idea. I think that may have contributed to my instines herniating into my uterus :( not fun. It’s so hard to wait, to see yourself in the mirror every day and feel jittery to get back into the swing of running… but yes, it is better to wait six weeks. (boo).
I wanted to let you know…When you go to the dermitoligist for the cream they give you a sheet that looks like a clear film to cover the scar and allow the cream to soak on the scar over night. I used vitamin E tabs and poked holes in them and badaged them up overnight. I learned this from when my brother was a kid and he cut open his throat. He ended up with a thick kiliod scar under his throat about 4 inches long. Kids would always make fun of him so my mom decided to take him in. The cream drastically reduced the scar and made it shrink down closer to the skin and caused it to turn a lighter pink instead of purple. So it DOES actually help reduce some of it and I think laser surgery is also an option…But vitamin E helped mine a little bit by changing the color and reducing the size. My scar does make me feel less sexy and I hate when my husband sees it and I ask him not to touch it or anything…So I really understand your frustration with this one. Hope you find something that helps you.
wow! you look so beautiful! my stomach still has that weird saggy thing right above myc section scar lol. (it was an emergency c section, darn it)you are lucky to have no extra skin and no stretch marks after having your babies! in america, we think we are ruined after having children. on the contrary, in most other countries they would think we are amazing for being able to create life. i have struggled with an eating disorder for many years, but when i look at my healthy baby i try to think of how it was worth it!!! your are beautiful and your scar is neat and clean compared to others!!!
Scars are beautiful. They truly are what make us human… show our vunerability.
Thanks for sharing your story! You look wonderful!
Your body looks to be recovering very very well. It’s worth remembering that you will likely hold weight differently after babies. I weigh 20 pounds more, eat healthy, stay active and wear the same jeans. I’m not sure why I can wear at 165 the jeans I wore pre baby at 145, but it is fine by me! But I also find I can’t seem to get below 165. Again, fine by me. It puts me a little in the overweight category but I’m healthy.
At 18 months pp I looked at my scar recently and realized it’s gotten very light. I don’t live or hate it, but I feel sorry for it. Csection scars take a lot of guff- but that skin was as responsible for protecting our precious babies as the rest of us. Then it gave itself up for saving them. I let mine have it’s dignity and I baby it. It feels weak still, it’s uncomfortable when my son or dogs stand on it and I throw them off in terror. It has done more than I could have asked of it and I think I’ll protect it all my life.
I think you’ll continue to improve, physically and emotionally. 7 pounds is very little ways to go :)