“I'm Worth It! - Lancaster, OH”

After having my two wonderful children and having my tubes tied, I decided to approach my husband with the idea of the mommy makeover. My kids are now 4 and 1. With each of my pregnancies, I gained about 50 lbs. As I had reached within 10 lbs of my pre-pregnancy weight, I noticed my body wasn't going back to that pre-pregnancy shape in no way. I wasn't even getting close. I approached my husband with the mommy makeover idea and at first he wasn't on board. He loved me the way I was. Thanks to all of the Realself.com reviews, my husband started to understand how I was feeling and where I was coming from. It was very hard for me to put it into words. Basically, I lost all pride in my body and couldn't restore my confidence no matter how hard I tried.

I booked my surgery six months in advance and was counting down to the day. My surgery was on January 6, 2011 and I'm now 2 1/2 weeks post op. I hate needles and hospitals, but the day of my surgery, I amazed myself. I was not one bit nervous. I was excited and had confidence in my doctor. I knew my results would be amazing!

My surgery was five hours. I had the tummy tuck, breast augmentation and liposuction on the thighs. I went home about 4 1/2 hours later. I didn't feel much pain. I was pretty comfortable except I had a negative side effect from the anethesia. I was able to urinate on my own 20 hrs after my surgery. I ended up having to get a catheter for a few days and then the problem cleared up. It was very uncomfortable when I couldn't go.

Even with that minor issue, I have to say it's all going to be worth it. I went back to work on day 13 post op and I still have a lot of swelling 2 1/2 weeks out. But I can tell a huge difference in the contour of my body and am anxiously awaiting a full recovery. I'm going to be so happy with my new level of self confidence and can't wait for shopping and summer!

I will post my after pictures soon.

Updated on 27 Jan 2011:
Here are my pictures - 3 weeks post op. I'm not sure if I will add the before pics... Things are looking really good and I am so happy with my results, even with all the swelling I still have at this point. For anyone wanting to know, the breast implants are saline - filled to 450cc.

Updated on 1 Feb 2011:
I really have mixed feelings about posting my before pictures. I know it's helpful to see the big difference, but I'm so ashamed of how I looked. I do want to help others who will be in my shoes as I was a few months back... how do you all feel about posting the before pictures? Any feedback from someone who's gone through this would be greatly appreciated!

Updated on 3 Feb 2011:
I am adding my 'before' pictures and a 'four day post op picture along with my four week post op pictures. I hope the before pictures help other people see the changes that are possible.

Updated on 3 Mar 2011:
Not sure about things anymore... recovery has been tough and delayed due to me getting small blood clots in the lungs. Now I'm on blood thinners for six months. I understood this was a risk of the surgery and NOT my doctor's fault, but just never thought it would happen to me. I'm changing my rating to 'Undecided' for now.