My Stomach Was Flatter After My C-Section

Photo by Thinkstock

In 2007 I had a scheduled C-section. No, I was not too posh to push.

Due to a major spinal surgery in my teens that involved permanent hardware along both sides of my spinal cord, my OB-GYN and Orthopedic surgeon concurred it would be best to avoid possible back labor and strenuous pushing. I’d be lying if I said I wasn't thrilled my southern region would remain intact — no tearing, cutting or 75 stitches like my girlfriend endured (Bless her). My water didn’t even break. There was no pain. Just a baby boy with a perfect round head — who immediately peed on the nurse upon leaving my womb.

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But like any expecting mom I was curious and concerned about the major surgery and my physique afterwards. But something really strange happened, that might infuriate women reading this. (Trust me, when The Hills reality star Kristin Cavallari revealed she has trouble keeping weight on after giving birth to two boys, I was like, ohhhh poor you!).

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I gained around 22 pounds during my pregnancy, then my 7-pound son, placenta and a lot of water was removed, leaving me with only eight pounds to shed before I was back to my pre-baby weight. But despite the number on the scale, I never expected my stomach to look the way it did. I looked really different — um, kind of svelte.

(I know how obnoxious this pic is.)

Photo courtesy of Christine Coppa

At a post-op appointment with my OB-GYN, I joked that she put me back together really well, because I had abs now and I’ve never had abs — the permanent hardware in my back prevents me from doing any type of hardcore ab workout. Was I at a healthy weight prior to conception? Yes. Did I eat healthy? Yes. I was living in NYC and walking everywhere — so that’s exercise, right? Point is, it wasn’t some overnight miracle — but it was different than before.

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Dr. Iffath Hoskins, a high risk OB-GYN 30 years of experience who practices at NYU Langone Medical Center, has never met or treated me. But she has a theory as to why my stomach looks like I care enough to work out (which is a lie). I mean, we walk our dog, sometimes I show up for hot yoga, and there’s a gym in my condo community I sometimes visit — but I am no gym rat.

“The muscles around the tummy actually originate on the sides of the spinal cord – they wrap around it like a girdle or band,” she tells Yahoo Parenting. Her guess is the hardware attached to my spine forced my stomach muscles to work a little bit harder —since I was 16 — unbeknownst to me.

“Then when you were pregnant, normally your posture would shift causing the spine to be more curved, but your hardware likely prevented that transition. Your back muscles that support your abdominal muscles had to work even harder during your pregnancy, likely contributing to the opposite of ‘Mother’s Apron,’” or the dreaded stomach “pouch” that many women face after c-sections.

Photo courtesy of Christine Coppa

Is this the silver lining to the 9-hour spinal fusion surgery, rehab and home-schooling? Yes, I think so.

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