Bloated Abdomen Months After C Section

9 Replies
Aliya - December 2

i had a c-section (planned, baby was breech) 7 months ago. i find that i'm very bloated by the end of the day. in the morning my abdomen is not so bad, but gradually i get more and more bloated, clothes feel tighter and i look 6 months pregnant by the evening. it's not painful, just looks weird and makes my clothes feel uncomfortable. is this common? is there anything you can do about it - ie to ease bloating? what is it due to? is it water retention or just gassiness?

 

djh - December 2

Have you found it to be related to regular sized meals, breads, milk...etc? I got IBS sometime after my last c-section and I now cannot eat regular size meals and must eat 6 very small ones intstead, also I DEFINITLY can't drink carbonated soda, diet or not anymore. I instantly bloat up and stay that way the rest of the day or night depending. I think you may have developed IBS or you may have an adhesion that is attached to your bowel somewhere, causing it to kink up after a day of eating and drinking fluids. Bring this up with you Primary Care Physician. Not all IBS is constipation or diarrhea, sometimes it is a bloating thing that makes you feel so miserable it is unbelievable. I also switched to Lactaid brand milk (no lactose) and don't eat too much bread as the yeast bloats too. Hope this helps some.

 

nicole - December 17

i had a c section five months ago( two normal deliveries before and abdomen went back flat.) my abs were starting to get to normal and this last month my abdomen has bloated alot and all the things you have said are the same. i go to gym three days a week the rest of my body is normal, it makes no sense to me i need some answers i am sure its not ibs. any answers?

 

djh - December 17

If it's not IBS, Nicole, it can be a bit of scarring from your c/s that has kinked a small portion of your bowel. It would allow pa__sage of feces, but at a slower rate and thus slower movement internally. This would give the bacteria in your intestines more time to digest stuff and form more gas. This gas, unfortunately, isn't always the type you can go and privately get rid of, sometimes it just stays in your very bloated stomach!

 

nicole - December 27

djh. that doesn't apply to me there is nothing wrong with my bowels they work perfect plus i am not ga__sy. is there anything else you can think of that is not bowel related. i am going to see my gp this week what do you think i should ask him. also i tried the food advise you suggested and no diference. "aliya" did you find out anything?

 

djh - December 27

Nicole, good idea, there are other things that can cause bloated abdomens and it sounds like expert medical advice is in order. Was your baby really big? Maybe in the morning your stomach muscles are tighter after sleep and when your stomach is empty and as the day wears on they get "tired" of being taunt and relax because they were so stretched by carrying a large baby? My sister-in-law is really short and had an 8.8 pound baby...she was huge before delivery and I noticed she seems to appear very bloated at times. She says even with crunches and workouts this still happens to her. She is scheduled for an abdominal tightening surgery next month and the doctor is confident it will help. Nicole, this is not meant to be a scary question, but an information gathering question...is there any history of polycystic ovarian problems in your family or ovarian cancer? Please don't be afraid, I do not think it is that, but that would be a question you could ask your doctor. So my advice for your question list would be: are the muscles weakened by your last pregnancy, could it be polycystic ovarian symdrome or should you be checked for other issues that cause abdominal bloating. Good luck and please let us know how you are getting on as soon as you can! Best wishes.

 

Aliya - December 31

hi, no, sorry, i've not found out anymore about the bloating, but i am still convinced it is related to the c-section.also, from what i've read most women who have a c-section end up with that strange looking flapping, "pooch" of a stomach, that hanging bit...

 

Brialy - February 12

Did you ever find anything out? My c section was a year ago and I have the same symptoms except I have pain. I can't wear anything but loose fitting yoga pants or I swell up huge. I have seeen my obgyn who told me that it was a food intolerance. I didn't believe him and even fought him on it. He insisted nothing else could cause me to swell that fast. So I went to see my gp and he literally told me the same thing. I have tried getting rid of every food and I can't find any consistency with that. I swear there is something else. Any help would be great.  I think I am going to demand an ultrasound next time I see my obgyn. 

 

Elyserenae - October 6

I have 5 children, first was ceserian no problems, 3 natural births then my last was a ceserian was delivered 11 weeks early due to ruptured placenta and heart rate dropping, that was 11 months ago. 

since having him I have had shocking sharp pains 5cm above the scar daily the doctor just referred me to an obgyn yesterday after months of complaining. I have bloating daily my father-in-law always says I look 3-4 months pregnant. I have been on depo since his delivery 

 

Kristin S. - March 28

You have probably already figured it out by now, but it sounds like you most likely have Diastasis Recti. After months of wondering WHY my lower abdomen looked more and more bloated through-out the day, when I've ALWAYS had a flat stomach, and also suffering from random low back pain suddenly, I did some research & stumbled upon a picture of a stomach that looked EXACTLY like mine looks right now when I try and flex my abs. I gasped out loud because I couldn't believe that all the symptoms lined up to a T. I have now schedule a series of appointments at a local chiropractor to do the AllCore360 (I guess there are only six of these in the country, but maybe there is one near you?). It sounds like it's pretty miraculous so I can't wait to try it and get my body back! Hope you've seen improvements since December! My son is now 14 months old and I feel like I just started noticing this bloating thing in the past couple of months! (I had my first two babies vaginally and no problems getting my flat stomach back, but this emergency C-section with my third and final has proven to be quite the ordeal!)

 

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