4 wks PO - Not Sure - Plymouth, MN

I'm a mother of 5 boys and am turning 31 in Dec. I'm 5'2 and am abou 123#. I was 18 when I had my first son and my youngest and last child is almost 2. I've considered having a mommy makeover for 2 yrs now. I haven't told anyone other than my husband and a really good friend who was the inspiration for me since she had a tummy tuck done 3 yrs ago. Any type of surgery in my culture is looked upon very negatively even if it's for the health of the patient, so can you imagine what people must think when I volunteerily go in for a cosmetic surgery????

I know this is a tough decision and I love my husband so much for being supportive and yet at the same time, I feel so alone because I can't tell my closest family members. I'm afraid they're going to judge me as someone who is shallow and into my looks because I'm not thinking about all the things that could go wrong and what they could mean to my boys. What they don't know is that that is all I think about but I also know that I need to be happy for myself too so that my boys can see the happiness they've brought into my life.

I'm so grateful to have found this site so that I don't have to feel so alone. I thought my story was unique and have found a community that can relate to my story and will be supportive regardless of my decision so THANK YOU in advance if you happen to read about my journey and comment. Know that you are making a difference in my life as I go through this journey.

What are my personal goals? I have lots of life aspirations but I'll share my mommy makeover goals. After this surgery I want to look down and not see extra skin surrounding my stomach. I want to sit down and not have to worry about rolls showing up. I want to try on clothes and not have to think too much about how it makes my stomach look. I also want to see similar size breasts that I had before breast feeding and losing weight. When I first researched this procedure, the scar freaked me out the most. Over time, I've come to realize that I'd rather see the scar than deal with all the other things I've written above.

Even with all my research and 3 consultations, I feel like I still have many questions. I select a PS who is a woman because I liked her work, personality, and background. My surgery is scheduled on Jan 16, 2013 and I'm super excited but am still so concerned that I'm making a rash decision. I met with my PS once for the initial consult and am feeling uncertain. Is this normal? How many times did you meet with your PS before setting a date? As a result of this, I did schedule another appt with her on 11/9 to ask additional questions. Hit would be great to hear from some of you who've had the surgery done to see how her answers are similar or different or if i should add more questions to my list

Here are my questions: BTW I'm having a BA and Tummy tuck done.

1) I know surgery time is never the same and will vary from PS to PS but my surgery is scheduled to be 3.5 hours long (1hr BA, 2.5 hrs TT) and the fact that it isn't so long freaks me out. My PS has 20 yrs of experience and does more than cosmetic, she also attaches limbs, etc. so does her experience mean that she is quick and efficient (that is what I would like to believe but am not sure)????

2) I'm really nervous about the potential of getting "dog ears". Is this typical for tummy tucks and should I be worried about them? My friend, who I mentioned earlier, had them and is now redoing the procedure because she also lost more weight.

3) I'm not getting lipo done outside of what will be included in the tummy tuck so I'm nervous that my thighs and back will look odd after the procedure if I don't get it done. I didn't ask my PS about lipo in my consult so I'm assuming that's why she didn't point it out but can I just get a BA and TT and still look normal?

Any words of advice or tips would be greatly appreciated!!!