Generally most tummy tucks involve muscle repairs (similar to a hernia) that require a minimum of 6 weeks to gain sufficient scar tissue to reinforce the repair. Most general surgeons advise patients to wait at least 3-4 weeks before resuming activities. I suggest similar guidelines to my patients. However, it really depends on your tummy tuck ; if you don't have a muscle repair, this restriction is not as important.
- If you do have to lift avoid bending over and straining. Have your partner hand your child to you. Bend your knees and lift more with your legs than your back and stomach muscles. Have a partner do the lifitng for you.
Patients also have two periods of potential bleeding that occurs after any surgery. T
- This is the initial 24 hour period when helpful clots form on the vessels that are transected during surgery and vasospasm (clamping down of the vessels) relax and open up.
- And then a small time frame between 7-10 days aftTer surgery when the clots breakdown (fibrinolysis) and blood vessels can potentially open up and bleed.
Other than good control of bleeding during surgery, we like to keep patients calm, pain controlled, and gently compressed (like a nose bleed) in the first 24 hours.
During that second period we advise limited activity and straining (that includes lifting your 7 mos old).
Hope this helps.
