No More Baby Belly! - Greenville, SC

I am a mother of three kids and two are twins. I was 120 pounds wore a size 2 before I became pregnant with my twins. I am a fairly small person and carrying twins took a toll on my body. My abdominal wall was separated from top to bottom and never came back together after delievery. (A condition called diastasis recti). Basically my belly looked like I was 5 months pregnant ALWAYS. I had to completely buy all new clothes. Ones that were baggy and wouldn't show my big belly. If I worn anything fitted then it was very common for strangers to ask if I was expecting. I tried everything... exercise, diet, etc... Nothing was going to get rid of the belly and the extra skin. No matter what those silly websites tell you about diastasis recti.... YOU CAN NOT FIX IT! Once I began to realize there was no hope I started investigating the tummy tuck option. I went to three different doctors for consultations. Finally picked the one for me and then set the date. I did it close to the holidays so my husband would have time off work and able to help me. ( Suggestion.... IF you have small children then I would suggest picking of time of year when they are most likely to stay well and not pass on any potential sick germs to you. If you got a cough or stomach bug I think it would almost kill you with pain after a tummy tuck).
I really have grown to love my doctor. I didn't get the warm and fuzzy's from him at first but he really is a good doctor. He has so many years of experience and knows what he is doing.
I am one week post op and I have no regrets! I am soo soo happy I did this. It has been worth every penny and amount of pain. One good thing about my doctor is that he accepts Care Credit. Check it out.. carecredit.com You can put some of the cost on this credit card and there is no interest if you pay it off within two years. This was a big help as far as cost.
I didn't do this procedure because i am super vain and want to look beautiful. I just seriously didn't want to look pregnant anymore. I got what I wanted. The new belly button looks a little fake but heck... it is fake! I will post more pictures as I continue to heal.
As far as pain goes. I didn't experience anything like most folks on this site describe. I had a c-section with my twins and an emergency hysterectomy the same day. That pain was indescribable. This was pale in comparison to that day. I was up and walking the day of my procedure and have been every day since. The pain is manageable with medicine and taking it easy.
Again... great experience.. no regrets.. worth the money and the pain.
I do have help with me 24/7 and would reccomend that anyone with small children does the same. You really can't lift or stand up straight at first. I would only do this if you have adequate help for your little ones. Good luck to anyone out there considering!

I have been on cloud nine b/c I can't believe my results! Pain has been very managable. I feel like my stomach is flat as a whistle. I've been able to stand up straight for a week. I'm also able to do some basic housework and enjoy my kids. I still have help around the clock to ensure I don't lift anything. I am still taking over the counter pain meds occasionally. But over all I feel great and am very happy with the way my stomach looks.

I doing a little catching up on my updates. I just wrote my 3 week post op update and now for the 5 week. (I'll actually be 6 weeks post op in 2 days.)
I have been struggling bad for the last 3 weeks. Once I stopped wearing my binder my belly started to bludge out again and doesn't feel like my abdominal wall is much stronger than before surgery. But it's only from my belly button up. Below the belly button is super flat and tight. So what is up with the buldge? I started wearing my binder again and I think it helps. But if I take it off for even 10 mins then the belly is out there. I did see my doc last Friday for a regular check up and mentioned it. He said that I would need to just exercise and get the ab wall tight. He said the pregnancies had done a number on my abdominal wall and that it was up to me to tighten it back up now that the MR is done. I totally would believe this if I wasn't super flat and now big. So I am concerned. I made and appointment for tomorrow. Hoping to get some answers or just reassurance that time will heal and make things better. Anyone else have this happen? Here are some pics to show but they dont' really do it justice. My buldge is bigger than i think the pics show. But you can totally see the difference if you look at my 3 week pics verses these.