For most women it takes months to get rid of the “pregnancy pouch” – and sometimes it never goes away entirely. Patience is key. It took nine months for your abdomen to stretch to accommodate a full-term baby, so it makes sense that it would take at least that long to tighten back up.

This is a fairly unusual situation which can occur when someone has gained weight during pregnancy, lost the excess fat in their abdominal area, but their skin is not elastic enough to completely contract. This often looks less like a shelf and more like a small skin roll sitting on top of the C-section scar.

Regardless of whether you have a mommy pooch or a tummy overhang after a c-section, the strategies to get rid of them are similar. You must lower your body fat percentage through a combination of eating fewer calories, eating healthier foods, and engaging in regular physical activity.

Surgical Options for Removing the “C-Shelf” Tummy Tuck: A tummy tuck (abdominoplasty) is the one sure way to remove the excess skin that you may try to hide with Spanx. The plastic surgery procedure is considered a cosmetic operation and isn’t covered by health insurance.

While diet and exercise can help women lose excess fat after pregnancy, a healthy lifestyle can’t make a c-section scar and bulge go away. Some women may find their c-shelf sticks around for years, while others may notice the area gradually flattens over time.

Apple cider vinegar isn’t likely to be effective for weight loss. Proponents of apple cider vinegar claim that it has numerous health benefits and that drinking a small amount or taking a supplement before meals helps curb appetite and burn fat. However, there’s little scientific support for these claims.