Why is it Hard to Lose Weight After a C-Section? After a c-section, your body needs time to heal. You may experience pain, discomfort, and fatigue, which can make it challenging to exercise and eat healthy. Additionally, hormonal changes can affect your metabolism, making it harder to lose weight.
You should plan to return to your pre-pregnancy weight by 6 to 12 months after delivery. Most women lose half of their baby weight by 6 weeks after childbirth (postpartum). The rest most often comes off over the next several months.
Most women lose around 13 pounds (6 kg) right after childbirth, which includes the baby's weight, as well as the weight of the amniotic fluid and placenta. When it comes to fat loss, with a healthy diet and regular exercise, you may lose about 1 pound (0.5 kg) a week.
Giving birth via C-section is considered a major surgery, so you will definitely need at least six weeks if not longer to recover. 2 "It's recommended to wait the full six weeks after Cesarean delivery to resume any lifting more than 15-20 pounds," says Dr. Koidahl. "This is to let the incision fully heal."
A healthy diet and exercise routine can help you lose any pregnancy weight gain, but unfortunately, it will not address this pouch which is often referred to as a c-shelf or c-section pouch.
Postpartum weight gain can happen for a number of reasons, from the fact that you're fatigued or don't have time for a regular excercise routine, or because of an underlying health condition that requires attention, such as postpartum thyroiditis, diabetes, or PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome).
Your postpartum belly won't instantly go back to how it was before you were pregnant – it's a process that can take months or even years, while some bellies may take on a different shape permanently. Some moms may experience a bulge caused by diastasis recti, a separation of the abdominal muscles during pregnancy.
Reducing belly fat after C-section requires a combination of exercise, healthy diet, and lifestyle changes. Studies have shown that these strategies can be effective in reducing overall body fat, including belly fat.
Also, the body loses major quantities of blood during a Caesarean Delivery. During this process, you will gain lots of fat and accumulate a large quantity of fat in the abdomen area.
While this laxity is common among all pregnant women, those who have had a c-section delivery are likely to be left with a noticeable hanging belly following the birth. This is because a c-section scar creates an effect akin to a tight band being placed at the bottom of the abdomen.
One such recent study reports that children born via cesarean are 15 percent more likely to become obese, and the increased risk is independent of the mother's weight.
A C-section pouch is actually caused by scar tissue left behind by your C-section scar. In some cases, the way your body recovers after surgery can cause excess fat to find itself in your lower belly area.
C-Sections and CoolSculpting
Some women are able to reduce or even eliminate this pouch through diet and exercise; others may not be so fortunate. The good news is that CoolSculpting is able to reduce this pouch in most cases substantially.
The best way of getting rid of stomach overhang is a surgical procedure known as abdominoplasty at our London clinic, which will remove it completely. This procedure tightens the stomach muscles and removes excess skin and fatty tissues from the middle and lower abdominal region.
Postpartum Hormone Imbalances Make Weight Loss Difficult
In fact, it can take quite a while for your hormones to return to normal levels. For many women, it takes three to six months to get their estrogen and progesterone back on track, depending on whether they're breastfeeding or not.
According to top plastic surgeon Dr. Steven Teitelbaum, M.D., the C-section pooch does not necessarily indicate that the scar itself is bad. Rather, the C-section pooch develops because the scar is stuck to the muscle, creating an indentation and sometimes a little overhang of tissue above.
As your body heals and the pain decreases when you move around, you can slowly try bending (between weeks 4 and 6). First, bend slowly up to a few inches and stand back up. When you straighten up, you will Stretch yourself to get up.
You should avoid planks, crunches, sit-ups, twisting movements, and push-ups in the first twelve weeks after starting to exercise again. It is vital that you only start exercising once your core has healed from the surgery.
In general, most obstetricians will recommend a scheduled C-section if your baby is estimated to weigh at least 5,000 grams (or 11 pounds) if you are not a diabetic.
Losing belly fat after birthing a child is not an easy feat. It is much harder if you have had a cesarean section. You will need to be patient with your body because pregnancy and childbearing have already put you through a lot.
Long-Term Effects of C-Sections
Children born by C-section also suffer increased rates of diseases, including asthma, type I diabetes, allergies, obesity, as well as reduced overall cognitive functioning and lower academic performance.