Mommy Makeover: Stories

After almost a year of "thinking about it." I finally decided to just go for it. I had a lot of guilt about spending so much money on myself when it could go to better use, but finally my very supportive husband got tired of me talking about it and just said to go for it! I'm scheduled for a full TT, Breast Lift, Saline implants and lipo of the back, stomach and flanks!

I'm 32, mother of three boys (5, 3 and 8 months) and have gained anywhere from 30-60 pounds during my pregnancy. I've also breastfed all three kids. I'm 5'4" and 158 pounds. I went in last week to do a consult (it was my third doctor) and had a great rapoir with the doctor, plus a family friend had surgery with him. So when he asked if I was serious, I said, "yes, in fact, do you have any openings next week?" He thought I was joking! I got lucky, the surgery center opened a room for me to get it done so I'm scheduled for 3/22/11!!!!

My main concern is caring for my kids afterwards, especially the baby. PS said no lifting for 21 days and I'm pretty much moving like a barbie doll with my arms to my side and only bending my elbows to eat or brush my teeth. Good thing is I'll have my mother-in-law helping me out. My mom isn't as supportive because she doesn't understand why I would put myself through this. My sister has also gone to the extent of asking, "why would you do something that could kill you?" Geez, not something you want to hear. So nonetheless, that side of the family has no idea that I'm doing this.

Wish me luck! I am super excited!

I'm just about 20 hours away from my MM =) Strangely, I'm not nervous about it, I'm just more anxious if anything. I did the expected nesting and laundry. I realized that it's a lot of cleaning that I can't do and I don't want to put all that burden on my husband so I have a housekeeper coming on the morning of my surgery to deep clean the house (cost $100 and she'll clean bi-weekly for $80 each visit). Not bad considering it's a good size 5 bedroom/3 bath house. I also took my before shots - oh what a mess! I just can't wait to get out of my mommy mode and get back into taking care of myself. I also took my measurements, so below are my stats:

Height: 5'4" Weight: 158
Cup size: B (maybe a C but very saggy)
Desired Size: Full C
Chest/Under bra: 35 inches
Over nipples: 40 inches
"Waist" (I don't really have a waist lol): 36.5 inches
Hips/Flanks/Love Handles: 41 inches

Dang, I feel like a cow typing this... Moo!

OMG! 7 hours more to go! Still, anxious and really really thirsty! Doctor's orders are no food 12 hours prior to surgery and absolutely no water or drinks by 11:30pm the night before surgery - which is NOW! In case you're wondering what the pre-op instructions are, here you go:

1. No food or drinks. I can't even have a mint or chew gum. The nurse said she had a patient that had a mint the morning of the surgery and their surgery was cancelled! Yikes.
2. take a shower with anti-bacterial soap the morning of the surgery.
3. I can't wear any lotions, deoderant, make-up, nothing! I also have to show up with lose fitting pants/sweats and a zippered top. Also have to wear slip on shoes.
4. My doctor also wanted to make sure that my post-surgery garments have zippers. So my contour bra has a zipper and my full body contour garment has a zipper. The binder I could wear after 2 weeks. I bought my stuff at contourmd.com, but it turns out that the surgery center sells them too for a lot cheaper than most websites. Had I known that I would have bought it through them and ensured that it was the right fit.
5. Buy a measuring cup to measure the fluids from the drains, alcohol to clean the tubes from the drains, stool softner (no explanation needed), and salt-free snacks. You're on a salt-free diet afterwards to minimize the swelling.
6. I was prescribed vicodine so make sure you pick up your meds!
7. If you're on birth control, make sure you take it at night, you're absolutely not allowed to take any meds past 11:30pm before your surgery date. So if you're used to taking your pill in the AM, DON'T! Might as well hide them since we're a creature of habit and god forbid you have to cancel your surgery because you took your damn pill. In fact, I was given a list of meds I couldn't take (motrin, advil, etc) a week before the surgery.

So as I type this, I'm drooling at the glass of water across the room. *sigh* Might as well sleep now.

Okay... I think I'm set. Good night! Next time I type an update, I will have a new bod =)

Day of Surgery: Got to the surgery center at 6am, surgery was at 7:30am. After the doctor did his markings, all I remember was being wheeled to the surgery room and then waking up and the surgery was done. The only time I felt nauceous was when I was moved from the bed to the wheel chair to go home. I got anti-nauceous meds for the ride home. My husband brought the nice comfy couch and ottoman from downstairs up to our room and had it ready for me when I got home. I've been on a liquid diet since. It's super hard to find salt-free or low sodium food, so Jello has been my best friend.

1 day post op - Pain! The TT feels like I did a thousand sit ups and the pain from that is more bareable than the breast augmentation. The boobs feel like they're engorged and the muscles hurt like a biatch! My routine so far is every 3-4 hours, I get up, pee, drain the fluids and take 2 viocidines. I can't even wipe myself after I go pee so my hubbs has had to do that too. He's been such great support. Each time it's getting slightly better to get up, but when I say slightly, I mean slightly... When I lay in bed, I'm fine, but getting up is such a chore. I have an appointment tomorrow and I really don't know how I'm going to be able to get up and go.

I'm posting pictures of the markings and me post op. Praying the pain subsides real soon.

2 day PO - I had a doctor's appointment and thank god I brought the throw up bucket because the 10 minute car ride made me sick to my stomach. Once I got there, they changed the bandages, I got a peek of what's to come and so far so good. I did get a little concerned that my stomach wasn't flat, but obviuosly I'm just 2 days PO and there's still a lot of swelling.

3 days PO - I stopped taking vicodine. Not because there's no pain, but I hate how nauceous it was making me. Right now there's no real pain like the first 2 days, but more soreness then anything. I just dream of the day (which I hope is tomorrow) where I can get the drains out and shower. I stink! Pee-you! I'm feeling more mobile. I'm actually able to get out of bed without help. It's still a process trying to get out of bed but at least I could do it on my own. Right now I just miss my babies. The 2 older ones (5 and 3) come up and visit mommy and give me kisses. But the 8 month old tries to give me hugs and kisses and I hate how I can't hold him. Soon, very soon. My mantra lately has been, "this too shall pass..."

4 days PO - I went to my doctor again and he removed the drains from my breast but not from the tummy. The tummy isn't draining very much, maybe 25 cc during a 24 hour period, but he wants the fluids to be more of an amber color rather than the red bloody color. So I'll be back on Monday for it to be removed. But on a good note, I finally showered! OMG, was this a crazy experience! I took off all the garments and just saw me and the aftermath of a 6 hour surgery. I had holes everywhere, bruises and just tubes coming out of pubic area (right around the hairline). I felt like I was an alien! I clipped the drains to the soap holder and took a quick 5 minute shower. Just long enough to wash my hair and body but I was scared shitless to stay there any longer because I feared that water would go into the holes. Weird that I'm even thinking that but oh well. Then I was good getting dressed but putting the binder back on was a challege so I needed my husband's help. I felt good today. I still miss holding my baby =( I can't wait until I can carry him and smother him again. BTW, I thought I should stay hydrated so I've been drinking a lot of water and gaterade, turns out that I should be drinking less to avoid the swelling. Lesson learned today. I'll try taking pictures next time with a side view. I felt so insecure without my binder that I couldn't "pose" for pictures. More updates to come!

Day 5 PO - Not feeling to well. Last night my son fell off the bed and I heard a loud thump. I woke up from my sleep and jumped out of bed and OUCH! Forgot about the surgery and my stomach muscles paid the price. So I'm taking it easy and laying in bed only get up and pee and sit and lay back down. *breathe*

6 days PO - Yay, I got all those tubes and drains out! Whoo hoo! The doctor said that I may ooze out still for the next 24 hours so I'll wait until tomorrow to shower. I also finally told my mom about the surgery. She didn't seem mad, but I guess she had no choice but to accept it since already done. So far no pain, just still feeling really sore. I'm also still really swollen because I'm drinking more water than I should. I can't help it, I'm a water drinker. Tomorrow will be the first time that I leave the house (other than an appointment) to see family. Let's see how I handle having to get dressed...

7 days PO - Yay, I made my one week park yesterday! I'm not in pain, just really sore still around my abdomen. The breast augmentation still feels like I'm engorged, but I can lift my arms with no soreness (even though I'm not supposed to). I'm just taking tylenol every 4-6 hours. All the drains were removed so I'm just applying neosporin to the incision line and holes where the drains were. If anything, the incision is the new problem - it itches like heck! But on a good note, I went to my nieces 10th birthday party yesterday and my cousin (who has no idea that I had surgery) came up to me and asked if I've been going to the gym =) lol, I was like, "uh, yeah I have." Well, at least people are noticing that I'm smaller around the waist, even though I'm swollen you could still definitely tell =) How long was it before your body looks normal again? I mean, when does the bruises go away? I'm also posting the picture of me at 6 days PO before the drains were removed. Not bad =)

8 days PO - I'm so bored! I know I'm not supposed to do household duties, but I folded laundry today. I made sure to keep my arms at my side the whole time, but really, I don't feel any soreness from my breast augmentation anymore, it still feels a little engorged, but not much. The new irritation today is that my garment fits right, but when I sit upright it bends in right where my incision is from my TT - anyone else had this problem? I leaned forward to get up from my sofa and it dug into my incision, hurt a little, but nothing major. I'm just afraid that if I do that enough that my incision might open or get irritated. The other thing I need to do is break out some of my old clothes that I couldn't fit into. I was a size 12 before the surgery, and I tried on my pants and they're really lose =), My guess is that I'm down to a size 10 and that's with me being super swollen still! So I have a stash of clothes that I've kept and refused to part with, from my pre-baby clothes at size 4 to my after 3rd baby clothes of size 12! I'm so determined to get back in those 4s, but one step at a time.

8 day PO - yay! Productive day, went to Cheesecake factory with the hubbs for lunch. Barely touched my plate though, got full really fast. Then we went grocery shopping and made dinner =) Yeah, I know, I'm not supposed to do household chores, but I made sure not to lift my arms or carry anything heavy. By the time I got home, I was really exhausted, I don't know how I'm going to survive the first day of work on Monday. I also think that I need to buy another binder, mind is kinda bulky and doesn't look right with clothes on. Any suggestions?

11 days PO - I'm feeling good. Yesterday was my first time going out on my own and driving. I had to go to JC Penny to get Spanx. I'm going back to work on Monday and my garment is way to bulky so Doc said I could wear spanx. I ended up buying Flexies that just cover the belly so I don't have to worry about pulling them up and down if I go the bathroom. Wore them for the first time today and they're so much more comfortable. I wear a tank top under it so I don't have to worry about washing it after each wear. I also bought more sports bras with zippers so its easier to put on and off. I made dinner again and started to do some light housework. My mother in law is going home tomorrow so it's not by choice. I also tried to lift my 9 month hold baby to see if I could handle it. And yes, I just hold him close and lift only to move him from one place to the other. The only time it gets difficult is when he tries to push me away when and starts to kick. I'm also still swollen in the tummy and breasts. I know I'm swollen in the breasts when the bra zipper keeps sliding down. So far so good. I have my energy back, no pain, just soreness and I'm recovering well. My only complaint is still the itch from the scabs forming from the lipo holes, drains and incision line.

12 days PO - My mother-in-law went home today so I took the kids to my parent's house so that I could get help with lifting the baby since I couldn't lift him for too long. I'm feeling like my old self and I'm standing up straight. The only time I feel any kind of discomfort is in the morning when I first wake up. I feel so engorged and sore in my breasts. I ice my breasts and tummy for about 20 minutes then I'm good. I'm also getting up and down from the couch with ease. I was able to iron and fold laundry today and went to Target to grab a few items. So far so good. I'm amazed that in just less than two weeks, your body could recover so quickly form surgery! I'm going back to work tomorrow - let's see how this goes. I've been so spoiled sleeping in and waking up after 10am, so getting up and going to work will be quite the challege, I also hope my energy level stays up to last a full 8 hour day. Wish me luck. I'm also posting pics from this morning... still swollen but getting better by the day.

2 weeks PO - Yay! I hit the two week mark, BUT I'm more swollen than ever! Yesterday was my first day back to work (desk job) and my first time doing night duty with the baby. He slept next to me and I only lifted him slightly to re-adjust him
, but I wasn't rocking or swaying him to sleep... but nonetheless, I must've over did it and I paid the price all day. My TT was fine, but my Breast muscles were super sore!!! And on top of that, I'm digging myself in a whole lot of lies at work. So next Wednesday we're doing a team building where we're tight rope walking from 20 feet up in the air... yeah, crazy right?! There's no way I can hold my arms up and strain my stomach muscles. Of course my manager has no idea that I had surgery, nor do I want to tell him because he has a blabber mouth, so I came up with a plan to lie and say that I sprained my wrist!!! I'll be walking around with this stupid brace around my wrist just to avoid tight rope walking!!!! Oh man. Yes ladies, go ahead and laugh but please tell me if you have a better idea. I'll also take advise on how to keep the swelling down.

2 weeks and 1 day PO - Posting pictures... I'm suppose to wait to take advil but oh well, took it last night and it did help with the swelling. I've been icing it in the morning and at night. Posting pictures, you could see a difference :) yay!

2 weeks and 2 days PO - I am feeling great! This is what I love about Realself... every now and again, I read my own review/post to remind myself of what a journey its been so that I am thankful for days like today. I did some shopping today and had such a good time. For over 5 years, I hated shopping because my clothes just didn't look right with my big buldge of a stomach. Today, I tried on shirts and they fit perfectly. I even tried on some shirts that had belts on them! I used to avoid these shirts because I never had a waist line lol!

Then I went to my PS for my 2 week PO appointment and he's so amazed with how great I'm healing. He said my incision line has no redness at all and looks like a scar from a person who's 6-8 weeks PO and the scar is healing FLAT! no Lumpy scar so far!... I had to remind him that I was only 2 weeks PO. He was also amazed that all the bruising from the lipo was gone, I'm walking upright and normal (which I've been doing since the drains were out) and my swelling has gone down. He was also surprised that I went back to work and have my energy back. He gave me the thumbs up to start walking and after 3.5 weeks I can slowly get on the elliptical. I'm excited to get my figure back!

So then I got home and realized I have to find an outfit for my interview on Monday. My pre-surgery pants were literally falling off me. The pair I had on today I had to roll twice on the waist just to hold them up, yay! So I pusted out the large bags of pre-baby #2 clothes and they fit =) Oh how I long for the day I can fit into the pre-baby #1 clothes!

Then to top of the day, I got the best news ever. In my last post I was telling you all about that damn tight rope walking team building event and how I was going to lie and say I sprained my wrist... well no sprained wrist here - my boss postponed it due to scheduling conflicts!!!! That was just the cherry to top.

So yes, I'm feeling great, I have zero pain, very mild soreness in my breast and I'm excited to get dressed in the AM =) **doing the dance of joy *** and I still can't believe I'm only 2 weeks PO.

3 weeks PO - Time flies! On Sunday, I flew out from California to Connecticut, then back on Monday! I got very little sleep, never adjusted to the time change and my body is paying the price, I am soooo swollen and sooo exhausted. Plus, my incisions are scabbing and it is starting to get snagged in my garments. *sigh* good days and bad days!

3 weeks and 2 days PO - I'm super swollen it sucks, but on a good note - my boobs look super!!! Pics posted!

4 weeks PO - I am feeling great! There no soreness or anything with my TT. The only thing that bothers me with the TT is that swelling. The ever so annoying swelling that comes everyday! It's the worse in the morning lately, so bad that I have to wear my size 12 pants, but as the day goes, my pants are so lose that you could literally slide them right off me! In fact, my friend gave me some of her old pants and I tried them on, one of them were actually a size 8 and they fit!!! How the heck do I go from a 12 to an 8 in a day?!

Then comes the boobs, oh how I love thee =)I'm not feeling as much swelling in the breasts and the soreness is very mild. Again, worse during the morning but gets much better when I ice it. There's absolutely no pain and in fact, after week 3, I only take an advil at night and when I first wake up just to help with the swelling. I just hope that this subsides so I can see the true results. I'm a person that lives for instant gratification, so I hate waiting! Oh, and my scar looks great. It's flat and it looks good so far!

So, the MM was the first step in my true "makeover". The next step is losing 20 pounds. I'm 155 and idealy I'd love to get down to 120, but I'd be content at 135. I just want to get down to a HEALTHY weight, then if I still have will power I'll get down to my DREAM weight. Baby steps... I told myself that I'd give my the first month just simply to recover, but ideally, I want to be beach body ready by the summer. This is the first time in a long time that I really feel like I can do this. Its amazing how surgery could change you and your whole outlook in life.

So that's it for now, my MM journey continues onto the next phase.

almost 6 weeks PO - I worked out today, 30 minutes on the elliptical and crunches and sit ups. Just took it easy and slow, but man, when I got home, I was wiped out! Had to take a 2 hour nap. I guess it's signs that (1) I'm that out of shape and (2) my body is still recovering. I'm down to 153 pounds (about 5-6 pounds from my pre-surgery weight). Not bad considering I haven't been on the best diet and haven't worked out until today. The PS said that I'll lose weight faster now than before having the surgery because I have less fatty cells to burn off so the fat will burn from the rest of my body rather than the belly =) Hope he's right.

So as far as my swelling, still the same. I'm just so worried about the love handles. PS keeps saying that's the last to go down, again, I hope he's right. But otherwise, I feel great ! No soreness at all, and the swelling from my TT goes in and out during the day. I jump between size 10-12 during the day and on really good days could squeeze into a size 8! But, I don't leave the house in 8 because I can easily swell up soon after I step outside the house.

And as far as scaring, all looks good. I've been using Kelocote in the morning and wrapping my tummy in Gelzone. I've heard some good reviews on it so I thought I'd try it out. Pretty pricey stuff so it better work. Anyone use it?

so that's my progress so far. I'm feeling normal again. I'm able to do everything that I used to do before the PS, including house work and caring for the kids. My advise to any mom's going through this journey is to really really enjoy your recovery time where you're free to do absolutely nothing! I'm not one to ask for help or like someone waiting on me hand and foot, but looking back I should've taken advantage of it because that probably was the only time that I had that excuse to just sit and do nothing! Instead, I was trying to speed my recovery by easing into cooking and cleaning and caring for the kids. Oh well, lesson learned. Maybe if my love handles don't go down I'll be back to do lipo and can take advantage of it again later lol!

Well anyway, I love my body. It takes me longer to get ready because (1) I put all this gel and crap on my scars and (2) I like getting dressed :) 2 more weeks and I could start bra shopping!!!