Stupid Q: does your skin go back to "normal"?

KatieGummow · March 2014

Not talking about stretch marks, but I am sitting here looking down in awe of my house of a stomach and wondering if the skin will ever be tight again after the twins are born. I know there will be some looseness, but that is a lot of skin that wasn't there before....

TheDairyQueenx3 · March 2014

Mine did after my first DS but I could pull and stretch it out. My twins I'm only 4 months post Partum and I am thinking most of it will go back but I will have a little extra that was not there before. It varies ssssoooo much person to person. I used the strivectin SD for stretch marks cream and it helped tighten my skin up a lot! I have some before and after photos and it made a big difference in skin elasticity ... And disappearance of stretch marks

KatieGummow · March 2014

Thanks @TheDairyQueenx3‌, that makes me feel better! I assume I will have flab going on for a while, but wasn't sure if it would be hanging over my pants as I leave the hospital.

TheDairyQueenx3 · March 2014

It took me a long time to lose my baby weight from my first (2 years and 2 rounds of insanity with diet) I was hoping I would bounce back quicker but pregnancy does a number on your body so it just takes some time to heal and go back to almost normal

... Shapeofamother.com was awesome for me pp. But yes it's crazy to see a huge belly and to think it will go back down! Your skin can do amazing things!!

sasky · March 2014

I've been wondering about this too. I pretty much bounced right back after DS1 with no stretch marks. But I've heard people refer to "twin skin" (the flab of skin that just doesn't go away) and just assumed I would have that after these ones.

I've been applying lotion like crazy but would love to hear other tips, either pre or post partum.

macchiatto · March 2014

Five years later, and 7 lbs below pre-pregnancy weight, and I still have "twin skin." Sorry. It's not terrible and it's totally genetics/luck but yeah, mine definitely has not gone back to normal. Very thankful I was able to have healthy full-term babies and it's a small price to pay, but I do not love the loose wrinkled skin.

macchiatto · March 2014

For anyone not sure what twin skin looks like, here are a few examples (not me, though mine does look somewhat similar to the first pic; mine's a little milder):

macchiatto · March 2014

I do have some MoM friends who ended up with little to no twin skin, and some who have had amazing results from tummy tucks. I think I even did a poll on here once to see how common twin skin is and there was a decent percentage of MoMs (at least 1/3-1/2, IIRC) who didn't end up with it (in some cases because their babies were born preterm).

KatieGummow · March 2014

@macchiatto‌ thank you for all the information! I am happy to be prepared for it.

e74 · March 2014

Hi! I don't think my stomach is back to normal yet ( my twins are 7 months). I did not have twin skin, however, I did not carry to term ( only made it to 31 weeks).

lc&jw · March 2014

I'm dealing with twin skin 13 months postpartum and back to my prepregnancy weight. Unfortunately this seems to be permanent. There is lot of loose wrinkled skin that I don't think will ever go away no matter what I do. I'm working on accepting this, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't bother me.

On the plus side, I have 2 beautiful babies that bring me way more happiness than a non-wrinkly tummy ever could.

carrotcake06 · March 2014

I had v few stretch marks from my first and I was below pp weight from him when I got pg w the twins.

I was not spared stretch marks this time around. I'm still about 10lbs up from pp weight but I'll be honest - it's been cold this winter and I haven't run as much as I'd like. Once I actually try, I think it'll come off. Plus I'm not a lose weight while BFing person so once I wean a bit, I may lose a bit too.

What is the worst for me is the c/s shelf. I always had a bit of a pooch there but it's gotten so much more pronounced w the c/s scar.

LittleLady77 · March 2014

Dam.

KatieGummow · March 2014

@e74‌ , @lc&jw, @carrotcake06‌ & @sing4mysavior‌ thank you for sharing your experiences and knowledge.

Sing4, that is really cute how your kiddos comment on it, but I could see how it isn't cute to you!

24karat · March 2014

I had a 37wk c/s so I have the shelf and twin skin. Eight months later the stretch marks have faded and is barely firming up but it still looks pretty rough. I try to look at the bright side...healthy babies, no muscle separation, back at pre-pregnancy weight, etc. Not gonna lie, I sometimes feel sad about it and it took till recently to accept that my body will not be the same again. DH has been wonderful and encouraging from day 1...his support and convincing me that he finds the new curves as beautiful as my pre-baby ones has helped me adjust to the changes. He's also voluntarily watching the kids later this week so I can have a solo shopping spree day to buy clothes that better fit and flatter my 1+twins mommy body. Retail therapy FTW!

eandk18 · March 2014

Had a c section at 38 weeks 1 day and no twin skin here. I was down to my pre preg weight 2 month postpartum (lost all but 5 lbs by 2 weeks post partum) No stretch marks either. I think I just got lucky in genetics though...my mom never had stretch marks after 3 kids either. My stomach is a little squishy now but the skin is back to normal.

ballygirl · March 2014

I've been wondering about this as well. I am 5 mo pp. I delivered by Csection at 38.5 weeks and was back down to my pre-pregnancy weight by 3 months but I do still have some wrinkly twin skin

I know its only a cosmetic thing and I'm happy to have had very healthy girls, but I'd be lying if I said it doesn't bother me. I feel very unattractive with it and am really dreading bathing suit season this year.

HeavenBlessedMom · March 2014

with my singleton, down to PP 19 days later and no extra skin. With these triplets, however, there may be something...I've been told if muscles have a 2" stretch after 6 mos, corrective surgery is advised to bring those back together and hold up your organs. Planning to do this Sep-Nov if needed. More common with 3+. Hopefully you won't have this.

pillowass · March 2014

I think your first pregnancy is probably a good indication of how things will go. With both pregnancies I had to fight pretty hard to lose the weight (took me 8 months or so with the first and about a year with the twins including several months of PT for distasis recti). The skin around my belly button has that weird puckered look when I bend over or sit down, but when I'm standing it looks pretty normal. My stretch marks have faded. I'd still like to lose another 10 pounds but on the whole I am pleasantly surprised with how my body has recovered. My twins were born 10 hours shy of 37 weeks and were 6.5 pounds each. Oh, and I'm 38 - I think age makes a difference, too.

pillowass · March 2014

HeavenBlessedMom said:

with my singleton, down to PP 19 days later and no extra skin. With these triplets, however, there may be something...I've been told if muscles have a 2" stretch after 6 mos, corrective surgery is advised to bring those back together and hold up your organs. Planning to do this Sep-Nov if needed. More common with 3+. Hopefully you won't have this.

FYI, if you want to avoid surgery, you might inquire about physical therapy for your abdomen muscles. I had 3-4" separation and corrected it with the help of a PT who specialized in women's health. It took about 3 months.

Missi576 · March 2014

I just wanted to say how awesome it was of you guys to mention that the twin skin is well worth the full term babies. It doesn't bother me so much that I'm not pregnant, but I think I'm in the minority of those with very early or micro-preemies who won't even know if we would have had that.

That said, I think I would have been one with it. The pooch and soft skin was something I never could get rid of even when I was down to a size 4 many years after my first two with a ton of working out ><

Just another way this board is absolutely amazing

KatieGummow · March 2014

I agree.

Thanks again for everyone's input and experiences, it helps a lot to not be surprised and know what I could expect after these next couple weeks.

cukimerrydoll · March 2014

e74 said:

Hi! I don't think my stomach is back to normal yet ( my twins are 7 months). I did not have twin skin, however, I did not carry to term ( only made it to 31 weeks).

This is pretty close to my experience too, though I'm 4 weeks post partum. So far, I can get back into my roomiest pre-pregnancy pants, but I can't zip/button yet. I'm close to my 16w size. I don't look like I have twin skin, but I can definitely tell the difference in looseness.

JTA2426 · March 2014

Twin skin here. 9 months out and 10 lbs below prepregnancy weight.

mpetri · March 2014

I would have to say very possible. Im 5'6 and gained between 35-37 pounds with my Girls. Delivered at 35 + 3 days (babies were 5'4 and 4'7). I had no stretch marks or twin skin. I think it helped that I carried one baby really low and one baby transverse very heigh in my ribs though.

mpetri · March 2014

I would have to say very possible. Im 5'6 and gained between 35-37 pounds with my Girls. Delivered at 35 + 3 days (babies were 5'4 and 4'7). I had no stretch marks or twin skin. I think it helped that I carried one baby really low and one baby transverse very heigh in my ribs though.

meldoo2002 · March 2014

So I'm one of those that had my twins 10 weeks early and I don't have twin skin. I do have a little tiny bit of rippling, but I think I'm the only one that has ever noticed. And it could have been related to a belly button piercing. That said I was measuring 42 weeks and had gained 60+ pounds when I delivered so I'm not sure if it's genetic, related to how big you get, full term vs. preemie, etc.

KatieGummow · March 2014

So when you leave the hospital do you just bring maternity pants to go home to keep everything tucked in?

macchiatto · March 2014

I think it's good to bring a few options since it's hard to know how quickly you'll "bounce back." I brought some maternity pants and some looser non-maternity pants so I'd have options, and ended up wearing the maternity shirt and pants home. I was also swollen/puffy from loads of IV fluids; I had only lost 17 lbs by the time I left the hospital (which was a tad less than the total weight of babies, placentas and amniotic fluid) because I still had extra IV fluids in me. By 2 weeks out I had lost 35 lbs and my belly by that point looked about 5m pregnant. I stayed in maternity pants (the smaller ones) or regular pants with a bella band for the first couple of months and then had to go shopping for some transitional clothes until I fit back into pre-pg stuff. It took a while for things to go back to their previous size/shape, but some women bounce back pretty quickly.

Stephanie2167 · March 2014

Alright, I'll provided a picture for you. My girls are 16 weeks. Born at 37.3 via C-section. 6 pounds and 6.7 pounds. I gained 38 pounds if I remember. I'm about 4 pounds under my pre-pregnancy weight.

I didn't edit this picture inn any way except to crop out my face since I just woke up and look like a hot mess.

KatieGummow · March 2014

@macchiatto‌ awesome, thanks for the information.

@stephanie2167, thank you for sharing! holy shiz you look amazing. Are you working out?

Is anyone working out? Is there time???
Thank you again everyone for giving me your time and experiences!

LittleLady77 · March 2014

@Stephanie2167‌ man, I hope I look like you 16 weeks out!

Stephanie2167 · March 2014

You guys are too sweet. I've been to the gym once since the girls were born. I've been doing exercises at home for diastasis recti (I have a 2 finger separation). I'm also nursing/pumping for the girls.

I'm currently searching for a one piece or tankini swimsuit for the summer. I don't see a bikini in my future.

macchiatto · March 2014

@Stephanie2167, you really do look amazing! I see some stretch marks but virtually no twin skin other than maybe a teeny bit around your navel (which could be shadows/lighting). You look fantastic, especially so soon after giving birth! You could totally rock a bikini if you wanted to.

Stephanie2167 · March 2014

macchiatto said:

@Stephanie2167, you really do look amazing! I see some stretch marks but virtually no twin skin other than maybe a teeny bit around your navel (which could be shadows/lighting). You look fantastic, especially so soon after giving birth! You could totally rock a bikini if you wanted to.

Thanks @macchiato. I'm way too self conscious to wear a bikini. I'm finding some awesome one pieces and tankinis at www.venus.com

Yes, I do have stretchmarks. Sometimes they are more red than other times. My smaller twin actually did more damage than my bigger one. I seriously felt like my skin was ripping it hurt so bad. I'm using a squeem (I wear it occasionally) and am using Mama Mio's Skin Tight Serum in hopes it will help tighten me up. I've only just started using it.

https://www.mioskincare.com/mama-mio/post-pregnancy/get-your-body-back/skin-tight.html

StacyH0507 · March 2014

Stephanie you look great! Do you recommend getting something like a squeem or a belly bandit? I want to get one but I have no idea what size to get!

Stephanie2167 · March 2014

@StacyH0507 I had a C-section so they gave me a belly type band in the hospital. I wore that for weeks after they were born. I just got the Squeem within the last two weeks so I usually wear it about an hour every few days. I got it in hopes it would help with my diastasis recti. I think binding did help a lot in shrinking my belly immediately after but even at 3 months pp I still look about 3-4months pregnant. Mostly because of the diastasis recti. After I eat my belly bulges. Slowly but surely.

StacyH0507 · March 2014

Thanks! I am going to look into it and you look great

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