# Post-Partum belly skin--Yikes!!!



## AnditheBee (Oct 3, 2003)

Okay, I'm 5.5 weeks post-partum, and it's bad enough that I have the old pp tummy bulge that just acts like it isn't going to anywhere anytime soon...but I noticed the other night that when I lay on my back, and my belly sinks "into" my abdomen, that the skin gets brown and wrinkly--I mean _really_ wrinkly. It seriously looks like elephant skin!!














I hadn't even noticed how dry my belly skin was until this--I hadn't been putting anything on it, and obviously I should have been.

So what can I do? Is this the result of the network of stretch marks that formed a halo around my belly-button? Or what? What can I do to rehabilitate my skin? It really doesn't look like it will ever be normal again! Argh! Any suggestions whatsoever will be appreciated!


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## orangefoot (Oct 8, 2004)

Don't despair, pp belly is like another bit of your body you didn't know you had isn't it?

You could massage it with a vit E oil like wheatgerm or something that you like the smell of. Can you still feel a gap between your muscles? Is that were your skin is sinking into? If you lie down with your knees bent and lift your shoulders a bit that will help them work again.

Maybe you could have a few minutes just to pay attention to your belly everyday and wonder at the amazing job it has done and hopefully over the weeks you will see it change again.


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## 2+twins (Apr 20, 2004)

I just wanted to offer sympathy! I'm 4 weeks pp and going through the same kind of thing. My belly looks just awful. I've given birth twice before but I don't remember it looking so bad. Of course, this time I was carrying twins and I got really huge. My skin is totally loose and wrinkly from the stretch marks. My ab muscles are very separated. And my belly button looks like an elephant's trunk to me (there's like a flap at the top of it that hangs over - very ugly). I hope things get better for both of us soon!


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## nonconformnmom (May 24, 2005)

Ummm, I'm 17 months post partum and I still have the crepey belly skin. I think it's beautiful.







My dd loves to knead it like bread dough while she's nursing.







Oh, as for stretch marks causing it, I had very few/ almost no stretch marks so I don't think it is related. I am sure it is simply from the skin being stretched out sooooo much for so long. It eventually gets the elasticity back but it takes a couple years.


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## AnditheBee (Oct 3, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *orangefoot*
Don't despair, pp belly is like another bit of your body you didn't know you had isn't it?

You could massage it with a vit E oil like wheatgerm or something that you like the smell of. Can you still feel a gap between your muscles? Is that were your skin is sinking into?

No--I don't think my muscles are separated. The entire bulge flattens out when I lay on my back. It's not fat--I have lost nearly all my baby weight--it's just where my insides haven't gone back to where they're supposed to be, and when I lay on my back, they "fall" into my abdomen. I guess when the muscles tighten up, things will pull back in, right? (It wasn't this difficult the first time! Argh!) I have been doing head lifts, but since i had a c-section, that's the extent of the exercise I can try for now. I'm going to start pilates this summer...but that won't help the elephant skin! Bleah!

I will try vitE oil, though, thanks!


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## Persephone (Apr 8, 2004)

I've got it too. Good to know it DOES eventually get better. I'm 3 months pp, and it's still just like it was immediately pp. I'm ok with stretch marks, but this is something that's a lil harder to assimilate. I knew something akin to this was going to happen, but it's still hard. I'm also working on getting back in shape. I feel like my whole body is on reboot since the birth. Everything is different. I have to start from square one. But it's cool, it's like getting a second chance with my body.


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