When I was pregnant with my second baby, everyone thought I was having twins, I was so big. It’s just that I have a short torso and am skinny so there was nowhere for the baby to go but out….. way out. Hence the extra skin. Or elephant skin as my older sister affectionately calls it (she has it too). I wasn’t nearly as large with my first pregnancy and only got a few stretch marks with that baby. (First baby was 7 pounds at birth and right on time, second was 9 pounds and 2 weeks early!!!) But I’m wondering if anyone else has had experience with this much extra skin and knows anything about whether it will go away or not or if there’s anything that will help minimize it??? I don’t mind it so much because I never particularly liked to show my belly in public before I had stretch marks and then elephant skin but it is a little annoying and I’m just wondering if it will be hanging around (literally) for the rest of my life. Thanks for the cool website and showcase for my hard earned flab! LOL
You may also choose to include:
~Your Age: 28
~Number of pregnancies and births: 2 and 2
~The age of your children, or how far postpartum you are: Kids are almost 3 and almost 1.
My stomach looks so similar! My son is now 9.5 months, and I’ve noticed a huge improvement over the past few months, but I also lost about 37 pounds. I think the skin is here to stay, but by building muscle underneath you can improve the appearance a lot. I’m hoping for a tummy tuck next year.
My theory is, that as long as I look good in clothes then I’m happy! I’ve also heard that ‘dry skin brushing’ can help tighten up the skin (google it).
But you look awesome and so skinny!!
Aww you poor thing. mine looked like that soon after I had my son. But i was chubbier so it sorta “filled out” with fat lol. Its ok though, its because your small and that happens. Its a hard thing to do, but its not unfixable and its very fixable with a lot of sit ups and patience.
You are very skinny and you do look very good! As far as the extra skin, there’s nothing that can make it go away (if it doesn’t shrink back on its own within a few weeks postpartum) aside from surgery.
Congratulations on your births! A nine pounder would be hard to have! (I’m also short. My DD was 7 lbs 11 oz and was very hard to carry for me.)
Your extra skin will tighten up slightly over time, but the only sure way to get rid of it is a tummy tuck if you’re into doing that. Also, doing ab workouts will help tighten the skin some.
Mine is still hanging around…have you found that it’s worse in the mornings after laying down all night? It’s like I can pick it up and swing it around!! Like you I’m naturally thin and have a short torso…My daughter is 17 months old (I had a 10lb boy for my first pregnancy and my daughter was my “tiny” baby at just over 8lbs)…and the skin is still there. I was told it would only go away with a tummy tuck…
I’m glad you’ve embraced your skin! I absolutely detest mine and wish I could find it in me to stop being so vain!
I almost thought this was posted by a friend of mine until I noticed your age. She has two kids about the same age and her belly looks exactly like yours. It’s a lot more common than you think!
I noticed that some of the people who commented on this post were talking as if this is a really bad thing. I thought this web site was meant to be about celebrating mothers and their bodies!?
You don’t need “fixing”, you’re great the way you are :)
I had some extra skin when I had my second baby. After working out and using creams with A vitamine my belly looked much better. I think it’s OK to do something to look better if it makes you happy, and it’s also OK to be proud of yourself just the way you are!
Over time (years) it will get a little better. I can’t tell you it will ever go back to normal though. I’m in the same situation. I had a 10 pound baby two weeks early!
“Poor thing” my booty! You are beautiful! I know it’s hard embracing your new body but it’s YOUR body and it has birthed you two wonderful children. What could be more beautiful than that? “Poor thing” comments should be saved for the women who desperately want children of their own but their bodies can’t give them babies. Let’s choose our words wisely and like an above post says, celebrate mothers and their bodies!!
wow – glad someone else looks like me! im only 5’1.5 and dead slim too, and my tummy is exactly the same!! i have been searching for ways to try to get rid of a bit of skin, with no success, but although i get a bit down about it sometimes, i just look at my two gorgeous girls and think ‘hey, if i have to have a tummy like this to have these two girls, i would do it over and over again’. i was never a short top or bikini lover anyway, i just get a bit wierd with my fiance with it sometimes
After my twins my belly looked exactly the same. I hated it, so I started eating and gained about 20lbs. All the extra weight went straight to my stomach and now (instead of an elephant stomach) I look like I am about 4 months prego (which I hate more). I’m trying to loose weight b/c I actually miss my elephant stomach. At least it could be hidden easily under clothes. Also, I finally talked to my husband about my insecurities and he actully said he liked the way I looked before and he wouldn’t even entertain the idea of a tummy tuck. So believe it or not I envy your stomach and cant wait to get mines back.
I, like you, am a shorty at 5’2.. I gave birth to twins 18 months ago 6lb7 oz and 6lb 14oz.. My tummy is alot like your is only I have a hernia to top it off.. Tummytuck is the only way to fix it, No amount of situps/crunches or whatever is going to make it go away (no matter what anyone says)… I think that the “twinskin” or “Elephant skin” is a mark of your babies, I understand the insecurities about it, but be glad you don’t look 5 months pregnant on top of it all… I WILL be getting a tummy tuck when I can find a way to pay for it, but I think that if my tummy was flat like yours is, it wouldn’t be a big issue for me.. I think you look great :)
i too – like you and shannon have the twinskin – from 2 huge babies (10pounds 4yrs ago & 12pounds 4 mths ago) and super loose skin on a thin shortish frame…and i too like shannon have an umbilical hernia (bellybotton never went back in and sticks out like a lump) will post pics soon as i dont recall seeing any here and its really common for big stretches.
i think you look amazing my belly is still puffy so the wrinkliness is not as severe, but i am aiming for your belly! but i am only 4 mths pp. so we will see, my midwife told me keyhole surgery would be the only solution to the hernia if in a year or so it hasnt gone in by itself. but i would have to be sure i didnt want any more kids..not the easiest of decisions i must say.
Hi,
I have a message for elvira who posted above- i have an umbilical hernia (and diastasis recti as well from a 9 pounder) and my hernia surgeon (who hasn’t operated yet) told me that it is often better to get the hernia repaired BEFORE having other children, as the hernia will get worse and the damage will be more severe if you go through another pregnancy without fixing it- just thought you might be interested. PS I am looking forward to seeing your post about the hernia because it is very common and not a lot of people know about it!
Aha! Finally found it! I couldn’t seem to find anyone on this site who had the same skin problem I do. But here you are! I see this was posted about a year ago. Is your skin the same? I’m curious because I currently have a similar belly. I just had one, and he was a nine pounder! Everyone asked if I was having twins!
It’s great your post is titled “elephant belly” because that was my first thought upon seeing my own belly after birth. I said via phone to my sister who lives across the country, “it looks like elephant skin.”
I think your belly is cute.
I’m starting to appreciate my own as well, now 10mos. post partum. I have always been shor and skinny (5’1 about 110lbs). I gained a whopping 70lbs during pregnancy and my baby boy weighed 10lb 2oz! He was delivered by c-section which has been difficult for me to accept as I tried so hard for a natural birth.
Also I have a navel tattoo and you can imagine how that looks with my elephant skin. But I’ve lost almost all the weight, am exercising regularly, and having fun (most importantly).
I feel like my tummy is looking better everyday. Personally, I don’t believe anyone who says the only way to improve loose skin is surgery. I have noticed positive changes in my skin tone from regular exercise. I do gentle forms of ab strenghening exercises (such as leg lifts, modified plank, etc., no sit ups) because I also have diastasis recti and cardio which for me is a lot of walking and dancing.