The journey to motherhood comes with more than just a growing baby bump. From your expanding belly to your luscious locks, pregnancy changes your body in ways you couldn’t have imagined.
But while these changes are beautiful in their own right, they also lead to long-term alterations — like sagging skin and breast shape and size changes. Here are some of the body changes you should expect post-pregnancy.
Loose and Sagging Skin
During pregnancy, your body stretches and grows to accommodate your little one.
But what happens once your baby has arrived, and your belly starts to shrink back to its pre-pregnancy size? That’s when you might notice something you didn’t expect — sagging skin. This loose, hanging skin is actually the number 1 reason many women consider a tummy tuck post-pregnancy.
While your skin keeps on shrinking for up to two years after childbirth, what it can’t do is tuck itself back into place. Any lingering skin folds beyond those two years might just be there to stay — unless you decide to get a tummy tuck. It removes excess skin on your belly area, giving you a flat tummy that’s not just comfortable but also looks amazing in pre-pregnancy jeans.
Stretch Marks
Some moms dodge the stretch mark bullet, while others find themselves in a bit of a stretchy situation, adorned with these silvery souvenirs of motherhood.
As time passes, stretch marks, much like other mature scars, can lose their initial pigment and blend better with the skin around them. But for the stubborn ones, laser therapy on the upper belly stretch marks and tummy tuck for the lower abdomen will do the trick.
Weak Abdominal Muscles
Because of all the stretching, your post-pregnancy abdominal muscles might separate down the middle. Known as diastasis recti or muscle separation, this phenomenon usually happens during the second to third trimesters.
But separated abs aren’t just an appearance issue. They can lead to an unsightly belly bulge. While core exercises might help strengthen your abs, an abdominal muscle plication surgery (often paired with an abdominoplasty) will still work better.
Weight Gain
Weight gain during pregnancy is natural and perfectly okay. In fact, most moms put on around 10 to 20 kilos during their pregnancy. But shifting those kilos post-pregnancy can be quite the challenge.
A tummy tuck combined with some liposuction might just be the solution you’re looking for. But remember, a tummy tuck isn’t a magical weight loss surgery. It’s not a shortcut to skip the diet and exercise part. Instead, it should be combined with a healthy lifestyle to keep the pounds away.
C-Section Scars
If you’ve had a cesarean birth, you’ve likely got a c-section scar on your lower abdomen. The thing is, the doctor who performs that c-section isn’t exactly a cosmetic expert. Their main goal is to ensure you and your little one have a safe childbirth.
Experienced and double-board-certified plastic surgeons like Dr. Nick Masri can work some magic on those c-section scars during a tummy tuck and leave you with a beautifully flat tummy with inconspicuous scars.