Aylesbury mum looks pregnant after botched NHS c-section 

A mother claims a botched caesarean operation has left her looking permanently pregnant.

Cheryl Castle, 35, a receptionist, from Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire said she has had a large ‘baby belly’ since the birth of her son Liam in 2011 which she cannot get rid of, despite exercise five times a week, due to her core muscles splitting in a condition known as diastasis recti.

She said: ‘I had an emergency C-section in August 2011 and since then my stomach has remained pregnant looking.’ 

People sometimes think Mrs Castle is having another baby, even stopping her in the street to congratulate her, leaving her feeling depressed and with low self-esteem.

She claims to have been denied a ‘tummy tuck’ on the NHS as it is a ‘cosmetic case’.

Mrs Castle is fundraising to raise the nearly £8,000 needed to pay to have the procedure privately.

Cheryl Castle claims a botched NHS caesarean section left her looking permanently pregnant

She has had a large ‘baby belly’ since the birth of her son Liam (pictured) in 2011

She has had a large ‘baby belly’ since the birth of her son Liam (pictured) in 2011

As well as the c-section, her condition occurred due to her core muscles splitting in pregnancy

As well as the c-section, her condition occurred due to her core muscles splitting in pregnancy

WHAT IS DIASTASIS RECTI? 

Diastasis recti causes a person’s abdomen to protrude due to the space between the left and right muscles widening.

It affects around two-thirds of pregnant women to some extent due to the pressure carrying a baby puts on the abdominal muscles.

Aside from pregnancy, other causes include incorrectly performing sit-ups or weightlifting.

Diastasis recti also causes lower back pain, constipation and urinary incontinence. 

In non-severe cases, the muscles should return to normal after childbirth.

Specific exercises can help to bring the muscles together.

In extreme cases, a ‘tummy tuck’ may be required.

Source: Web MD 

‘Strangers often congratulate me on being pregnant’ 

Mr Castle counts calories, drinks three litres of water a day and weighs just 8st 2lbs, down from 9st 5lbs before her pregnancy, but still cannot get rid of her larger stomach.

She said looking in the mirror disgusts her and is now trying to raise the £7,400 needed to have the operation privately.

‘I had an emergency C-section in August 2011 and since then my stomach has remained pregnant looking,’ she says. 

‘The problem I’ve got is that I’ve split the muscles down my core during childbirth and the later stages of pregnancy,.

‘There’s nothing you can do to fix that yourself. Strangers often congratulate me on being pregnant and the reaction when I correct them is awkwardness. Most people don’t know what to say or where to look.

‘When I am having flu jabs the nurses congratulate me on being pregnant, supermarket staff ask my son if he’s looking forward to being a big brother, lifeguards advised me not to use spa pool as I’m pregnant – needless to say these are situations I now try to avoid.

‘Winter is easier – big coats hide most of it but clothes shopping is a nightmare – I’m between a size 6/8 but buying trousers and skirts never ends well. I’ve lost count of the amount of times I’ve come home empty handed and very deflated.’

People stop her in the street to congratulate her 'pregnancy', leaving her feeling depressed

People stop her in the street to congratulate her ‘pregnancy’, leaving her feeling depressed

Mrs Castle claims the NHS will not pay for her to have a 'tummy tuck' as it is a 'cosmetic case'

Mrs Castle claims the NHS will not pay for her to have a ‘tummy tuck’ as it is a ‘cosmetic case’

She is fundraising the nearly £8,000 she requires to pay for the procedure privately 

She is fundraising the nearly £8,000 she requires to pay for the procedure privately 

‘I feel fat and unattractive’ 

Mrs Castle said she had been told there was no NHS funding available in her area for ‘non-essential’ operations.

She said she had appealed the decision three times but to no avail.

‘I have spent almost five years exercising at least five times a week, I have dieted and lost weight yet the tummy has hardly improved,’ she said.

‘I have even been classed as underweight yet I still have a big bulging stomach.

‘I feel at a loss – I can’t possibly do anything more, I exercise hard, eat well and still nothing has worked. I feel like a failure. I feel fat and unattractive.’

A tummy tick involves tightening the abdominal muscles. An abdominoplasty is regarded as cosmetic surgery, so is not normally available on the NHS.

So far, Mrs Castle has managed to raise £790 of the £7,393 she needs for the operation via the crowdfunding site GoFundMe.

She says the surgery will change her life and she wants to break the taboo about issues around pregnancy and childbirth.

‘The operation will make such a difference to my life – I will feel like a normal person again, I can lay on a beach, take my child swimming not having to worry about how I look,’ she added.

‘There will be no more being paranoid and I’ll get my confidence back.

‘My advice to anyone else in this situation is to keep fighting and don’t give up, don’t be shy about asking for help.

‘Lots of woman have issues related to childbirth and pregnancy and it shouldn’t be a taboo subject.’

Donate towards her operation here.  

Mrs Castle counts calories, drinks three litres of water a day and exercises five times a week

Mrs Castle counts calories, drinks three litres of water a day and exercises five times a week

She wants to break the taboo of pregnancy and says the procedure would be 'life changing'

She wants to break the taboo of pregnancy and says the procedure would be ‘life changing’

After the operation, Mrs Castle says her paranoia will cease (pictured before)

After the operation, Mrs Castle says her paranoia will cease (pictured before)

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