[srmb60]

I've read a little about this here and a couple of aquaintances have mentioned this to me too .... assuming that c-section scarring will leave an extra lump that's impossible to move.
I assumed that it was a bit like good abs. That if I got my BF% down low enough, there would be no problem there either.
I've had three sections, one emergency, the other two planned. I do have an extra roll tho' not as big as it used to be.

Yesterday I came across an acticle that says something like this .... Was this a problem area before? Did you have any recovery problems? Did you heal in a timely manner? Have you been eating really clean for a while? Have you been exercising regularly? If you are very fit and your BF% is low and you still have a lump, it is scar tissue.

I found this both encouraging and discouraging at the same time

[diamond_girl]

I don't have a lump on the scar, just a pouch above it. Kinda like a little pot belly. I wonder if the mucsles I don't know, cannot strengthen as well. I HATE that pouch, HATE IT HATE IT HATE IT. And it starts right above the scar. ( I've had two one emergency, and one planned)

I need to start backup on my situps (I've had a falling out with situps for the past 5 days) but before I was doing them religously.

[srmb60]

I think that pouch is what she meant by lumps. I have above and below as if the surgeon kindly split my fat in two for me

BTW ... I hate sit-ups. I do almost anything rather than that!

My surgeon explained to me that they are more careful now (for me this was 23, 21 and 19 years ago) but at the time, they were becoming more aware of splitting muscle fibres rather than slicing through indiscriminately. This leaves the muscle stronger, in theory.
Now, I just went to look at an anatomical drawing of the musculature of the lower abdomen and I can't quite figure that out .... however. If I lay on my back and do a crunch, I can find all the muscles that are supposed to be there and they seem intact. They're just covered in fat.

You can always ask your doctor if there's any reason why your scarring might cause a problem.

[superchar42]

Being a tattoo nut, I know there's a lot of women that get pretty things tattooed over thier c-sections scars. A very popular one is a string of roses on a vine or something. It takes the attention away from the scar and puts it on the prettyness.

This only works though if you like tattoos. And don't plan on another baby.

[jillybean720]

superchar--I don't think the problem is that the scar is ugly, I think it's that it makes the fat more oddly distributed.

I have a big scar on my lower abdomen. I have never had a C-section, but when I had just turned 16, I had to have emergency surgery on a 10-inch ovarian cyst (a little bigger than a grapefruit ). Because it was so large and was tangled in my falopian tube (cut of the circulation to and killed my ovary), they couldn't do the surgery laproscopically like they normally do. Instead. I had a huge incision from just below my belly button almost all the way down to my crotch. I was already obese at the time, and the doctor warned me that because of all the scar tissue, it would be especially difficult for me to lose weight in that area, and the scar would probably always make my abdomen have a bit of a funny shape.

So my problem is just the opposite--it's a vertical scar instead of a horizontal one, but it still kinda splits the fat into 2 separate sections. My lower right ab flab is bigger than my lower left I'm pretty sure there's nothing much to be done about it--scar tissue develops differently than normal tissues. C'est la vie!

Now, if I have to have a C-section when I have kids, I'll have a big cross on my stomach

[lucky]

I've never hear the scar tissue theory but it seems plausible to me.

I am familiar with the seperation of abdominal muscles after pregancy in general and C-sections specifically. Sometimes those muscles grow back together, sometimes they don't. You can tell whether or not yours have by doing a crunch and pressing your fingers firmly on your lower abdomen. You will likely feel a ridge. Depending on the width (three or more fingers, I believe) you'll know whether or not yours returned to their proper place.

There are exercises that are helpful but there is an order in which you should strengthen the muscles. If you start doing basic crunches first, you can actually make the problem worse. I know that pilates is often suggested as the first measure and there are plenty of other routines out there. If you do a search for rectus diastacis you'll find all sorts of information.

I've delivered naturally but had a C-section when our twins were born. There was significantly more "damage" after the twins - bigger preganancy and a more invasive delivery. But, I've gotten great results from the ab workouts I do. I am of the opinion that I will always have a slight pudge from the "tucking" of the scar but nothing that will be noticable once I've reached my goal.

[aphil]

I have not had a c-section, but my mother has, and I have seen her scarring. If you have had decent sized children, (7lbs+) then part of the "pouch" when it is above or below the scar like a soft pot belly (even at goal and with abwork) is where your skin has been stretched. This will also never go back.

I had two very large babies, and in my lower abs I have the place where the skin has been stretched and didn't bounce back. The rest of my abs look pretty good, except for that one place where the skin has settled into the little pouch.

Scar tissue is firm feeling, and should be right around the incision area-if you are talking about the pouchy areas above and below-not AT the incision-then this is either body fat/underorked muscle, or if you are near or at goal and do plenty of cardio (for fat loss) and abwork (for muscle) then you are probably experiencing the extra skin.