How to Get a Sagging Belly After Birth

Saggy belly which occurs after birth is one of the issues that worry the mothers-to-be the most throughout pregnancy. The biggest change to happen in the body of the mother-to-be during pregnancy happens in the abdominal area. As the pregnancy weeks go by and the baby grows, the expectant mother’s belly continues to grow. Although the expectant mother’s belly relieves with the birth of the baby, a certain amount of time is needed for it to fully go back to its former state. More than half of the expectant mother’s abdominal muscles stretch during pregnancy. The presence of a baby puts too much load on the expectant mother’s abdominal muscles. And that might cause deformations in the abdominal muscles. Many expectant mothers take precautions to prevent such deformations to form and give the necessary amount of time for their body to recover during the recovery period to follow the birth.

Post-Pregnancy Tummy Tuck

The deformations that occur in the abdominal area after birth are a significant issue of complaint for many women. The fat cells in the body increase until puberty and numerically in pregnancy. This protective instinct steps in to ensure that the baby is protected and nourished, though it might become a serious problem for the expectant mothers after birth.

Among the most frequently encountered problems in the abdominal area after pregnancy are; sagging in the belly, weakness in the abdominal wall, stretch marks and regional oil depositions. Gaining and losing excessive weight in pregnancy, geriatric pregnancy, familial and genetic predisposition, twins and large babies increase the risk of sagging, stretch marks and bulging in the belly. Due to the looseness that occurs in the abdominal muscles, these muscles might separate during pregnancy and the belly might bulge afterward. The method that is used the most to correct this issue is tummy tuck surgeries.

What is a Tummy Tuck Surgery?

The most effective solution against the stretchmarks, sagging and oil depositions that occur in the expectant mother’s abdomen after birth is tummy tuck surgery, aka, abdominoplasty. With the abdominoplasty, the sagging in the abdominal skin is removed, including the skin with the stretch marks on it. The diastasis recti is also repaired during the abdominoplasty which is done under general anesthesia. This operation allows for a tighter and fitter abdomen. If there is fat deposition on the patient’s abdominal side and back regions in addition to all these problems, a liposuction procedure might also be needed. It is made sure that the incision to be made during the operation is on the c-section incision, within the bikini or underwear.

In cases where there is little sagging in the belly and the underbelly region is limited, there is a more limited surgical intervention with a mini tummy tuck operation. The excess fat and skin on the person’s abdominal area are also removed during a tummy tuck. A tucking procedure is often applied for the ligaments in the abdominal area. Thus, the remaining skin will look much better. However, although the stretch marks and excess skin in the abdominal area below the navel can be eliminate, the stretch marks in the other regions cannot be corrected with abdominoplasty. A tummy tuck is usually combined with liposuction. That is because the liposuction procedure which helps remove the resistant excessive fat deposition under the skin cannot eliminate the excess skin.

Things to Watch Out for After a Tummy Tuck

Because the abdominal area is extremely sensitive, it is considered normal to have pain and sensitivity in the region after the operation. It is recommended that the patient wears a compression bandage for several weeks in order to decrease the swelling and support the tightened skin. The recovery period after the tummy tuck plastic surgery is about 6 months. The bruising, swelling and pain that might be seen after the operation gets better on their own within an average of 1 to 3 weeks when the incisions heal, and the body adopts to its new shape. The patient should avoid lifting heavy things for 4 to 6 weeks, and make sure to avoid exhausting exercise. Otherwise, unwanted situations like unnecessary fluid retention in the area of application might be encountered. 

What is Diastasis Recti?

Diastasis recti refers to the separation that occurs in the abdominal muscles. It is the partial or complete separation in the rectus abdominis muscles which join in the middle line of the abdomen. The most important factor in the occurrence of diastasis recti is pregnancy. The uterus stretches the muscles in the mother’s abdomen in order to adopt to the growing baby during pregnancy. Especially with twin pregnancies or multiple pregnancies, and babies that are larger than normal, the muscles go further away from the ideal anatomic integrity with the effect of the increasing intraabdominal pressure. The muscles that overstretch separate from the middle line and take the shape of parentheses. And the increase of the number of pregnancies increases the risk of the right and left abdominal muscles and the formation of diastasis recti.

The most frequent symptom of diastasis recti is a bulge in the stomach especially when the abdominal muscles tense up or are pressed on. The excess bulge; the abdomen gets bloated even with a little amount of food or water intake. The diastasis recti that happens in the abdominal muscles due to birth is repaired during the tummy tuck surgery. The muscles which are separated toward both sides from the middle line of the abdomen are sturdily sown together by being stretched in the middle line, ensuring recovery. Thus, serious deformities and hernias that might occur in the future can also be prevented. The abdomen is made to look flatter and aesthetic.