Mommy Belly Line...

Are you talking about the racing stripe? From belly botton on down? That takes several months to go away. I'd say same old rule applies...it took 9 months for your body to make all these changes, I'd expect it to take that long (if not more) for it to be back to almost normal. I think my racing stripe was gone w/in 5 months.

I love your boy's name!

All women are different... However, my daughter is four and a half months old and I still have a faint line... I am happy to have it... When my son went on formula, I believe I lost it fairly quickly. P.S. I'd say nursing is the best for at least six months. It is the best food for the baby and it is a lot less expensive! If you are having trouble, there are lactation nurses that are wonderful helpers with knowledge and frustration! I went to the Sutter Medical Center Lactation classes on Thursdays at 1:00 in Santa Rosa. They are wonderful there!

My daughter is almost 4 and 1/2 months and I can still see mine. It has faded alot however, so I'm thinking by 5 months it should be gone. Everyone is different though, it will eventually be gone, someday. =}

Hi Summer. It took me approx. 6mos or so!-- It will go away!!

Pull in your belly as often as you can will help a lot. Nursing also helps pull the muscles back into shape. Pulling in the belly also strengthens the back muscles from the inside.

Hi Summer-

Every woman is different but it takes awhile. Mine didn't go away for many months. As I recall, it was closer to 4-6 months for me.

Congratulations on your new baby and enjoy every moment.

Best wishes!

I don't remember how long it took to go away, I just know that it did. My was from just below my breasts to my pubic line!

I never noticed a "belly line" but I did notice a few dark hairs and they are still present almost 10 years later. I pluck them out.

About 4 - 6 months. Don't worry about it; it will fade eventually! Enjoy your new baby.

After birth, the line fades slowly, but may never disappear completely, and sun exposure may cause it to reappear.

This "belly line," also known as the linea negra, usually disappears spontaneously over a period of several months after giving birth.

It may help to boost some of your folic acid intake to help it go away quicker.

I miss my linea negra...

-L.

Hi Summer,
My son is 6 1/2 months and the line is almost gone. I can still see it a little bit below the belly button. From reading the other responses, that seems pretty typical. I was surprised though, I thought it would fade faster!

Jen

I think it can differ for everyone. With my first son who is now 8yrs old my belly line didn't go away until he was about 1yr old. With my 2nd baby who is now 5 months old... I still have my belly line which is about 6 inches above my belly button and all the way down (it may be a little lighter than it was, but not much). I'm assuming it will be gone around 1yr of age like my first one. I know, with summer here it's a pain to have this dark line traveling up your entire belly... I went out and bought one of those tankinies so I could hide my belly pouch and belly line since they aren't gone yet.. =)
Good Luck.

With both of my kids it was close to six months before it finally faded. I think it ultimately depends on the color of your skin and how dark the line was. I'm pretty pale, and the line was very dark. I know mine took longer than my friend's did, but her skin tone was much darker than mine. In the end I kept exfoliating my belly. Don't know if it helped or not, but at least it made me feel like I was doing something!

Hi Summer,
Mine faded almost completely, but even after 4 years, I can still see a very faint line.

With my first son, I think I still had it around 3-4 months, but I was never really that concerned when it went away, so I don't know when it was. With my second, it didn't get nearly as dark, and it's barely visible now unless you know what you're looking for (Brennan is 3 1/2 months old).

I hated mine and thought it would never go away! It finally did about 1 year after having my youngest son. It seemed like forever! From what I understand it's only a very small percentage of women who never get rid of it. Some of my friends would scrub it daily in the shower with a washcloth thinking that the exfoliation would help make it go away quicker. Don't really know if it helps or not.

it took me like 5 months!