THE NUMBER ONE THING new mums always ask us in clinic….
How can I get rid of this? a shelf, pouch, pooch, bumbag, overhang…. Whatever you call it, we can help reduce it!
That’s if it bothers you, read on…
What is The Overhang?
So let’s talk about what it is? The overhang as we will call it, is a pouch of skin, normally above the scar from your C-section birth, sometimes it can be under the incision, or both.
Why do you get it? There are a variety of reasons why you get it and this might not be explained to C-section mums in either your planning stage or after a C-section birth. The first main cause is that you are no longer pregnant. The skin and the collagen will have stretched to allow room for the baby to grow. At around 35 weeks, the abdominus recti has to separate to make space and sometimes this takes time to go back together. These muscles may not come back together on their own and need extra help. This is called diastasis recti, or muscle separation or tummy gap, this can affect the appearance of the overhang. During a C-section birth they have to part the several layers of skin and muscle, the rectus sheath, which can contribute to the overhang.
Your scar may also be tight and puckered, which means the skin and muscles around are tight and not relaxing back the way they should.
The bodies core strength may not be as strong as pre-pregnancy, you may have gained weight during your pregnancy and you may be dehydrated which can all make it appear worse.
We can do something about the overhang!
If your overhang does bother you and that’s why you're reading this, do not worry, there is so much we can do for the overhang.
Here’s our 4 top tips we recommend to reduce the overhang!
We would firstly advise a seeing a women’s health physio or a trained postnatal fitness instructor who specialises in post-natal recovery and they will be able to check the abdominal wall and devise a rehab plan that you can follow to build your core strength back up following pregnancy.
Scar massage will be a big help and we are working with the Squeezy app where you will find information on scar massage. There is also lots of advice and techniques on scar massage on our youtube channel ‘HLPTherapy’ and across our social media. Scar massage or booking an appointment with us for scar therapy will help your scar so it isn’t so pinned in and tight. The tightness of your scar will hugely affect the look of your overhang.
Maintain Good hydration and nutrition. Hydration and nutrition are so important to ensure you are giving your body the fuel it needs to recuperate after your birth. You need to drink around 2 litres of water unless told otherwise. Also eating a nutritious diet filled with protein will help build up the cellular activity your body needs to recovery from surgery.
Activate your pelvic floor and engage your core in all movements, from lifting baby to pushing a pushchair.
Please remember no one scar or recovery journey from pregnancy and birth is the same. Take your time, invest in yourself, you are amazing!
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