Mommy Makeover - Florida

Hello to all of you wonderful ladies out there. I am a 34 years old, 5'5", and I fluctuate between 140-145 lbs. I am a mother of 4 children; ages 11, 7, and 5 y/o twins. My husband and I have been married 12 years and together for 16. He is a military man. It is hard being separated for long periods at a time (he is currently TDY now), but we have a strong marriage and make it work. We have lived in OK, AK, Germany, AZ, England, and now FL. We've only been in FL for a few weeks, but I am loving it. Life would be even better if I could actually feel good in a bathing suit. We are very close to the beach.

I am planning on a TT, BA, and liposuction of the hips and thighs. I have always been small up top and have wanted BA since I was in my early 20's, but I didn't want to do it until after children. I always have known that I wanted to be a mother and breastfeeding was important to me. I didn't want to take any chance of surgery interfering with my ability to nurse my babies. I fully breastfed all of my children, including the twins, for 18 months each. The only time in my life that I was a c cup was when I was engorged the first couple of weeks after the twins were born, but that's it. Usually, I'm a AA cup and I only grew to an A cup during pregnancy and breastfeeding. I guess one good thing about that is they're not too saggy.

Genetics and motherhood has given me a pear shaped body. Clothes have never really fit well on me. If my jeans fit in the legs and butt, they were always very big in the waist. It's hard to find flattering tops. Even with padded bras, I still look small especially compared to my bigger butt and hips.

My husband has always said that he liked my butt. I think he says that because I never had much on top.

I have worn a Spanx compression tank (the Incognito Slim one--a bit tighter than the other Spanx) since the twins were about one year old to try and hide my belly. It gets pretty uncomfortable and hot in the summer, but I feel so naked without it. It helps to hold everything in, but I am so tired of wearing it.

Honestly, I've never really felt sexy or all too good about the way I look. Even when I was in my early 20's and only weighed 118 lbs, I wore a shirt over my bathing suit. I was slim, but I never had boobs.

I have spent so much of my time taking care of other people. When I was a kid, my step-mother was a home day care provider. Often, I could not play with my friends because I had to help her. When I was 18, I became a CNA and worked in a nursing home. Then, I became a nurse, wife, and mother. So much of my time is focused on taking care of other people that I feel it's finally time to do something for myself.

I've been researching plastic surgery for a little over a year now. I wanted to do it shortly after we moved to a new place before I got to know a lot of people. I just don't want everyone to know I had plastic surgery. This is for me and no one else. I don't want to be talked about or gawked at or judged for it. Not that I really care what other people think of me or I'm embarrassed by it. It's just personal.

I had my consultation appt on 13 September. The doc took a lot of pictures of me. He used digital imaging to give me a pretty good idea of what I'll look like after the surgery. Looking at my expected results, I wanted the surgery more than ever. I was bummed when the finance lady gave me the projected cost. It was a lot more than my husband and I were hoping for. Looking at other people's cost, mine does seem to be high. Maybe it's our location? Maybe my doc is a bit more experienced and costly? I didn't even think of going for another consultation with a different doc. I really liked the one I saw. I feel comfortable with him. Plus, he has his own surgery center and no overnight stay. I am a nurse, but I hate hospitals and I hate being the patient.

My surgery is scheduled for 10 October. Five days after I turn 35. My husband will be back on 01 October. He is taking a week off from work. I'm confident that by week 2, even though I know I'll be sore, I'll be able to at least get the kids back and forth to school. I'm planning on starting a new job on 24 October (2 weeks post op). I don't have much choice. We need that second income. Hopefully, I'll have my drains removed by then.

I haven't told my kids anything about the surgery yet. My girls are ages 11, 7, and 5. My son is the other 5 y/o twin. I worry about what kind of message am I giving my girls? I've always tried not to pick at myself in front of them and have told them that what matters most is what's in the inside. Now I feel like a total hippocrit.

I also feel guilty. Guilty for spending so much money on myself, guilty for delaying working, guilty for not being able to take care of the house and kids. I have always done 95% of the house work and taking care of the kids (my husband admits to that), and I do 100% when he's deployed or TDY. I've never had a supportive family or even been close to family for them to help me when he's gone. I don't want to feel like I'm burdening my husband.

Well, that's my story and I'm sticking to it. Thank you for sharing all of your stories. I have enjoyed reading them, and it helps to know what to expect.

I will try to get some before pictures up early next week.