Mommy Makeover: Stories

I'm a 28 y/o mom of two incredible boys (6 & 3) and Im really excited to get my pre-mommy body back. I was always very thin w/ a muscular build till i got pg with my oldest son. I went from being 5'4 120lbs to 185 lbs. :( He stretched my tummy so bad that it still hurts when i look at pictures. I was able to get back down to 130 before i got pg with the 2nd, and luckily he was much nicer to mommy. I've been between 135 and 140 for a few years now. Im ok with my weight but its the shape of my stomach and extra skin that drives me crazy. My husband is very supportive of my decision to get the MM but he's also ok with my body now. He really just wants to me to feel confident and happy. When we go to the beach, i wear a one piece or tankini that covers all my belly and im tired of it. I know that the MM is going to change my life, and i cant wait! I will be honest that im extremely nervous of the pain and recovery but i know that it will be totally worth it! I look forward to sharing my journey with you ladies!

Here are some preop pics I finally decided to take today. As you can see, it's extra skin flab. No belly boton and little boobies. I wore this bathing suit summer of 2008 on a cruise before I decide to have my second baby. Haven't worn it or any other bikini since.

Hi Ladies...So the anxiety and nervousness is starting to kick in. Only 6 more weeks till my big day and I can’t wait!!! I’m super excited but I’m driving myself crazy with all these thoughts of wonder. Will I be prepared? Will I be able to handle the pain? Are the kids and my husband going to survive without me...lol I know the answer to all those questions is “yes”, but I still think about it. Right now, my DH is very busy at work till mid-April which is why I’ve scheduled the surgery the end of April, so I’m the one handling the boys fulltime, plus work and the house choirs so it’s going be a nice break when during recovery but I don’t know how we will a deal with it.
I’m so grateful for having all the wonderful insight of all of you that have felt and are feeling these emotions and how at the end of it all, everyone manages. Don’t know how Id survive without the reassurance reading everyone’s reviews provides me with, so thank you!
Now…some questions for those of you that are post-op:
1. What are you wearing? I want to make sure I have comfy clothes for the TT and Boobies but not look/feel like im in PJs all day.
2. Did you have to get a medical exam before surgery? How much prior to surgery did you get it done and did you go to your regular PCP?
3. What are you eating? Did you change your diet pre-op? What yummy low sodium foods can you suggest?
4. What to tell the kids? My boys are 6 & 3 and very curious. My dog just got fixed last week and my 6yo was so concerned over her surgery. I don’t want him to freak out over mine, but not sure how to explain that I won’t be able to do certain things.
5. Stairs? Can you climb them? I have a two-story house with only a ½ bath down stairs how difficult will it be for me to commute up and down the stairs?
6. Driving…How soon did you start to drive again?
Ok…I think that’s it for now..lol. Thanks so much for all your feedback. And I wish everyone a successful/smooth recovery. ?

Hi ladies...I hope that all of you that have made it to the flat side are happily healing and those waiting like me are keeping sane :) I have a quick question for those of you that are post-op, where/how do you find is the most comfortable way to sleep/rest? I looked into renting an electric recliner, but its pretty pricey. I found one on craigslist but didn't get a chance to go see it before they removed the post. I know some ladies have mentioned options like the back max body wedge. What do you do and is it working? Any suggestions/recommendations are really appreciated. This is the last thing on my list of things to take care of. Only 17 more days!! :) Thanks in advance!

I can't believe I only have 2 weeks to go! Im so excited and I cant wait to make it to the flat side already! I feel very blessed to have people around me that are so supportive. The group of girls I work with all know about the surgery and I think they're almost more excited than I am. They are all mom's except for one and they applaud me for being brave enough to take this step in my life. I wouldn't be able to do this without their encouragement along with my hubby's and all of you wonderful women. Thank you all so much for sharing your stories and experiences! Cant wait for my pre-op appointment on Tuesday, I think that is when the anxiety is going to start to kick in. When everything is paid in full and all details are finalized, Im really going to be ready to go!! ;)

Hi ladies. I hope that those of you that have made it to the flat side are recovering well and those of you like me whose date is quickly approaching that your staying calm. I haven't had much time this week to read the recent posts or update my review w/ my pre-op details from Tuesday. Work has been keeping me really busy and after being able to stay healthy and not catch a cold in a while, I have a terrible cold now. I started feeling bad Tuesday and yesterday was horrible. I went to bed at 7 to rest and was asleep by 9:30. Bad thing was that I had restless sleep and horrible dreams about my surgery. I dreamt that I had gone through surgery and instead of being home, I was in some kind of recovery center w/ other women who were recovering too but there was no one there to help me. My husband forgot to pick me up for my post op appointment. I kept stretching too much and hurting myself. I wasn't wearing my binder then I couldn't find it. I didn't have any of my supplies. It was a total nightmare and had me extremely anxious and I couldn't wake from it. I was tossing and turning all night :( I feel a little better today and hope to be good by Monday. I cant believe that this time next Thursday I will be on that Operating Table!! Ahh!! Im so glad that my hubby is being super duper supportive and keeps telling me that everything is going to be ok. He did amazing at my pre-op appointment, reading through all the information making sure he understood everything that was going to happen and how to take care of me. My appointment was extremely long(4 hrs) the dr and staff were in super slow motion but made up for it with how comfortable and confident they make me feel when going through everything. They took like 100 pics of me which the dr morphed to give me an idea of my results. He is super excited about what my results should be and so am I. I tried on a few different size implants and we decided that the best for what I want would be 380cc saline high profile/under the muscle with the underarm incision. They felt a little big and I wanted to go with the 360 but the nurse and dr recommended the 380. They reminded me that the implant loses 20% of its volume after the first month or so. I also got to see the binder ill be using till the drains are removed. They call it the bullet proof vest. Its super heavy and hard and totally restricts me from moving my torso. (not looking forward to it) Aside from the standard drains in the front, I will also have one in the back that will not have a bulb which I find kind of gross and hope it comes out right away. The dr told me my TT scar will be very low even lower than my C-section scar so im happy about that. I think that covers it all. Again, don't know what I would do if I didn't have you ladies to share this with, so thank you!!

So this weekend, we were at a friends daughters bday party at the park. As im hanging out watching the boys play, I see my hubby talking to the friend of the family photog that takes pics at all of their events. When we leave the party, I ask my hubby what they were talking about thinking it was about the kids, b/c we say my son and the bday girl are future BF/GF b/c they're inseparable however, my hubby gets a bit serious and tells me I don't want to know what the photog asked him. And I said why not? And he had said "oh, btw your wife is pregnant right?"!!! Ah no!!! This is something that happens so often to me and like my hubby said, this is the last time someone well ask that! I guess people see that I have such a small frame but a big belly so they assume its a baby bump...Well gets what people...this bump is no longer going to exist and I cant wait!!! Im so ready for my belly to match the rest of my body!! Just a few more days!!!

Good morning ladies,

This is it!!! Less than 24 hrs to go. :) So one final question for you ladies that have gone through this already. Did you shave or wax your hoohaa's for surgery? I cant wax b/c I have very sensitive skin. Should I shave completely tonight or will the hair growing back become an issue with the incisions?

Hope every one is healing well and those of you who's big day is coming up, best of luck!

So its the big day!!!Its 5:15am and im with my hubby on our drive to the surgery center which is about 45minutes away. I slept ok last night-no weird dreams just woke up a couple of times.

Right now i kinda feel like im in a dream or driving to Disney world...lol Anyways, just really thirsty and hating that i can't have a mcdonalds breakfast.lol...

Ok. gonna put the phone away im getting flutters in my belly. just a little nervous.:)

Thank you all for the support and well wishes!!

So its the big day!!!Its 5:15am and im with my hubby on our drive to the surgery center which is about 45minutes away. I slept ok last night-no weird dreams just woke up a couple of times.

Right now i kinda feel like im in a dream or driving to Disney world...lol Anyways, just really thirsty and hating that i can't have a mcdonalds breakfast.lol...

Ok. gonna put the phone away im getting flutters in my belly. just a little nervous.:)

Thank you all for the support and well wishes!!

So its the big day!!!Its 5:15am and im with my hubby on our drive to the surgery center which is about 45minutes away. I slept ok last night-no weird dreams just woke up a couple of times.

Right now i kinda feel like im in a dream or driving to Disney world...lol Anyways, just really thirsty and hating that i can't have a mcdonalds breakfast.lol...

Ok. gonna put the phone away im getting flutters in my belly. just a little nervous.:)

Thank you all for the support and well wishes!!

Hi ladies i made it to the flat side!! Yesterday is kind of a blur. Was in sx from about 8:30 till 2:30 and in recovery till 5ish. Super sore and major pain. got up to pee a million times. quite an ordeal to get up and lay back down. just left my post op appointment. saw my naked body and i look great considering its only day 2!! I get to take a shower later so ill take pics.

thanks for checking in on me and the well wishes!! Post again later.

Hey everyone...just a quick check in...posted some pics. Feeling very sore and uncomfortable and very tired. Today has been the worst day but I know it's worth it all!

Good morning lovely ladies.

So today is P/O day 5. Since im a bit more lucid today I thought I would give a little briefing on my progress.

So far, day 3 was the hardest for me pain wise and sleep has definitely been an issue. So as a reminder, this is what I got done: Full TT, w/ muscle repair(defined by Dr. as over two hundred stitches down the center of my abdomen to bring all my muscles together), lipo of the flanks and back and 380 high profile breast aug under the muscle and through the armpits.

Have two drains in my pubis area, no pain pump, only med are antibiotics, Ambien and ultracet. I've been taking arnica Montana tablets which I think help a bit and also applying topical arnica to my stomach, back and breast. Went poo yesterday which is good. Never really got nauseous from the anesthesia which is really good. Hubby has really been a godsend, he has bee super patient and taken really good care of me. I only got emotional once on Saturday, I think between the pain and exhaustion I just couldn't take it. I've been standing almost completely upright since Saturday but remind my self to take it easy. Drains are a PITA. Everytime they get backed up, they start to leak at the incision sight. Im wearing the bullet proof type vest the doctor gave me along w/ a bra. Its super duper tight but when I take it off, im dying to put it back on. I feel like it really protects me from moving a way that I shouldn't. My TT incision bothers at times when Im sitting for a while. I have steristrips and I put gauze over them b/c the vest kept getting stuck to the tape and that would really hurt. BA incision doesn't bother at all.

Today I am all alone and super tired, but im working from home. I was up every hr on the hr last night from the back pain from my sleeping position and finally came downstairs to the sofa around 4am and slept till about 6:45 that the hubby started getting the boys ready for school.

Trying to take it slow w/ work, but just being out two days im swamped. Im have a lot of responsibility and no one that can take over for me. So although my boss told me to take the time I need, if I can get it done, I rather try and not be sooo backed up later. :/

So that where im at so far. :) Although im swollen, I can totally see the results and I love them!! I totally feel I went w/ the right size breast and the dr got rid of all my lose skin and stretch marks!! Very pleased!! Although, I must add that im a bit disappointed w/ my dr and his staff. Noone called to check in on us the night of the surgery or ever since. I went in for my 1st post op on Friday, which I saw the dr and he said everything went well and I looked great and to go back once the drains have less than 30 for two days in a row to get them removed. I don't know, just thought they would care a little more.

Anyways, my arms are getting tired of typing and I need to take a little walk before I get back to work. Ill update again soon and try to post some more pics.

Hope everyone is doing well!

Keeping my fingers crossed that I can drain less than 30 on each drain for the next two days so I can get these stupid things removed on Thursday. They are truly such a pain. I cant wear anything normal. My hair is disgusting since its reaching the one week point of being washed.Blah...lol. Im feeling not too bad for only being less than a week out of surgery but my biggest complaint is sleep. I walk almost 100% upright and have even been working from home making my own breakfast and lunch. Not too bad especially since im on like no sleep.

Last night I decided to try sleeping in my bed especially since I miss being close to my DH...BIG MISTAKE! I was laying too flat and I felt awful. Everything in my stomach felt weird and my boobs were hurting, my back..everything was just bad. I guess maybe cause of the drains? IDK.

Luckily I was able to take a nice little nap on the sofa this morning once the hubby and kids left for the day.

Now im wondering what to eat for lunch, stomach is starting to growl..lol I've had a bowel movement every day since Saturday (yay doculax) so I've been told I can eat normal. However, does anyone know if I can drink milk??

Anywho, though I would give a little update. Now I have to get back to work. I promise I will try to take some more pics tonight and post them. Hubby is dying for me to try on a dress I used to wear so we'll see.

Hope everyone has a great day!

Just posted some pics. Barely draining anything so hoping to get these things removed tomorrow or Friday! Can't wait to take a real shower and wear real clothes. My mom came and washed my hair in the sink yesterday and that helped me feel a little better.

Hi Ladies, Hope everyone is doing well. I've been a little out of the RS loop these days. Last week I was super busy with work then the weekend came around and since it was my first mobile weekend since the surgery, it was kind of a busy one.

So here's my update: I finally got my drains removed on Friday!! Yay :) I went in w/ my hubby since I wasn't too sure about doing the 45 minute drive by myself yet. Getting the drains out didn't hurt at all. Didn't see the Dr., but the nurse said everything looked good. She told me to keep icing my boobs and stomach (which I haven't been good about doing) and she told me to start massaging my breast too. She recommended getting at least 1 or 2 lymphatic massages. I graduated from my annoying bullet proof vest binder to an even more annoying compression garment that I have to wear 23/24 hrs a day. The garment itself isn't too bad, but I have to wear 'a cardboard oval shaper on my belly under the garment 23/24 hrs a day! :( With that being said, until the cardboard bends, I still cant wear "normal" clothes without it being obvious.

At this point, I almost don't even care. I went to lunch w/ my hubby on Thursday after the dr appointment. We went to dinner w/ the kids on Friday and Saturday and we took them to see Iron Man 3. And I even went into the office on Friday and had lunch w/ my team. I did get some looks especially b/c I still cant walk straight but they didn't really bother me as much as I thought they would.

Im completely off all medication. Trying to eat light and stay hydrated. I get my period this week so I've been going through PMS, cramps and all which is really annoying but such is life.

I haven't cried not once during this process so Im really proud of myself. My husband cant believe how well I have done and neither can my friends and family. I've been doing small stuff around the house, help picking up, laundry, dishes, prepping breakfast and lunch. I took the boys to school today. I will say my routine is pretty much back to normal.

I go back to the dr on Thursday to get the small stiches on my back and belly button removed and was told the doctor will be there so I can ask any questions I may have. I want to see if I can start walking on the treadmill at the gym this week and hope I can start standing/walking straighter.

I still don't sleep very good, but Ive gotten used to it.

All in all, I feel very blessed to be having such a good recovery!! :)

Hi!! I hope you are all doing well.

So today makes three weeks since my mommy makeover and I can't believe how quickly the time has passed! I went to the Dr. last week (2 wks). With swelling and all, I was down to 136lbs from 140lbs pre-op. They took some after pics to start tracking my progress. The nurse and dr felt that I was still very swollen so they told me to switch to a size xs CG instead of the small. So im wearing the XS during the day and the small to sleep with the belly board. Since I was still so swollen, they decided to keep my bellybutton stich in till this week. Dr said my breast have some more dropping to do.

Working hasn't been too bad. I wear my xs cg w/out the belly board and im able to fit into all my clothes. Its just kinda difficult to find shirts that don't look too big but that I can wear w/ the cg and sports bra. Plus I've been trying not to shave my underarms too much to not irritate my BA incision.

Mothers day was very nice. Im truly blessed w/ my family.

I have my SIL's baby shower next weekend and my grandmother bought me a size small dress to wear and it fits perfect!

Overall, I've felt really good and so glad I decided to do this. It is totally worth everything!!

My husband tells me every day how sexy I look. Speaking of sexy, we made love for the first time last Saturday and it was not as bad as I thought it would be. My pubis is still a little sore but it didn't bother me too much.

I will try to post some pics tonight. I go to the dr tomorrow but just to remove the belly button stitch.

Oh....I do have a ? though. Is anyone else feeling like a snake? My skin is super duper dry despite putting Vaseline aloe lotion twice a day. Every time I remove my CG, my skin is super flaky and there are flakes all over the CG. Its my tummy, back and breast. : /

Please let me know if any of you have any questions. I hope everyone is having an easy recovery or preparation!

So I'm 3 wks and 3 days and feeling very blessed that how this entire process has gone. I've felt pretty darn good. Went to the PS office on Friday to remove belly button stich. Nurse says im still swollen and I should try taking in my size xs Cg an inch on each side b/c its starting to fit big already. Crazy!! The left side of my waist is much smaller than the right and I really think that its b/c of the CG.

So I think I might have a spit stich :( Its on my tt incision and its really small but it hurts. Have any of you experiences a spit stich and what is it like?

I leave on a cruise on 6/8 and im super excited and keeping my fingers crossed that ill be ready! Before my surgery, I asked if I would be ready by then and they said yes. I also asked the dr when I saw him 2 wks ago and he said not to worry.

When I went to the ps office on Fri, they told me to go back in 2 wks and that I can then start scar treatment(silicone strips) but im wondering if I can start sooner. When I put on very thin tight clothing, you can totally see my scar and I think it will be an issue for the cruise.

When did you start scar treatment? And what kind?

As always, hope you are all doing well and thanks for the help!