The most important thing is to be done having babies.  After that, remember that it took 9 months to stretch out with your pregnancy, so it is important to give your body some time to bounce back.  If you have had multiple pregnancies and had loose, stretched out skin after the first pregnancy, it is not likely that the skin will tighten with subsequent pregnancies. If this is the case, you do not have to wait very long after the birth. Timing of the surgery then becomes based on your recovery after the baby is born and on your having enough time to take care of your self after the tummy tuck is done.  In some cases, a tummy tuck can be done immediately after a c-section.

The best way to determine the right timing for your tummy tuck is to have a consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon who can evaluate your personal situation

Thanks for the great question Fallon - In my San Francisco area practice there are several things we look for when performing a tummy tuck after pregnancy in order to insure a great result. The first is that you are at or close to your ideal body weight. Many times pregnancy pounds take some time to come off. Patients get a better result when most of this weight is gone.

Second - a new baby can be a big strain on the household. Surgery can make that more difficult. Issues like having enough help around the house, having an alternative to breast feeding (pain medication and anesthesia may cause your breast milk to be unsafe for a newborn) and other issues all need to be factored into the timing.

Find a board certified plastic surgeon who will take the time to discuss all of the issues with you. If you're still packing some of those pregnancy pounds your surgeon can talk about ways to slim down safely so you get your best result. I hope this helps!

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Anyone who has been pregnant knows their body is not normal at the end of pregnancy. During pregnancy your blood volume grows by 50%. If you labor hard, everything down south is swollen. Your body has been dedicated to creating a healthy baby. If you breastfeed, that continues, so your nutrition and ability to heal is impaired. Your weight is not normal.  You lose blood with delivery.

Tummy tuck is a big surgery.  It requires drains; you must stay bent at the waist; you cannot lift heavy objects (including babies).  I think it is best done when you can focus on YOU again.

My advice?
1. KNOW YOU ARE DONE WITH KIDS.
2. Wait at least 3 months: you lose blood during delivery and need to give your body time to rebuild up its blood stores.
3. Get back to prepregnancy weight.
4. Work out and focus on your core.
5. Be done with breastfeeding. I would wait a couple months after breastfeeding so you can build up your nutrition again.
6. See a Plastic Surgeon. Make sure you don’t see someone who can only do liposuction- you need someone to evaluate you who actually can do a tummy tuck or liposuction.
7. Know the “price” you are willing to pay for surgery.