Mommy Makeover: Stories

Hello everyone! I am 31 years old. I have 3 beautiful children ages 6, 5 and almost 2. Once our family was complete, I decided to get healthy and I am proud to say that I have lost over 80 lbs. I am currently 155 lbs and was over 250 lbs at my highest pregnancy weight so definitely a big girl! Three pregnancies coupled with the weight loss has left my stomach in not the best shape and no amount of exercise is changing it. Believe me, I have tried! I weight train 4 days a week and do cardio 6 days a week and the better shape I get into, the worse my abdomen and breasts become. I stumbled across this website not too long ago and have become obsessed with reading about people's stories. About 2 weeks ago I decided with 100% finality that I will be getting a tummy tuck. After thinking about it a lot, I feel like if I am doing the tummy tuck, I may as well do the breast augmentation at the same time and get it all over with. (I hope this is the right decision!)

I have been in contact with a few clinics in Vancouver, BC and the cost is going to be between $15,500 - $20,000. YIKES!! I live in a remote community at the other end of the province so it is going to be very expensive to travel as well. Thankfully my husband supports me and encourages me to do whatever makes me happy. I still am having a hard time swallowing that I will be spending this kind of money on myself. Makes me feel kind of selfish but deep down I know I deserve it, know what I mean? My next step is to decide upon when I will be getting the surgery. It is a lot more complicated then the average story because like I mentioned, I have to travel a great distance to have it done. Right now, I am considering October but in reality, January 2013 would probably work best for my Mom (she would be watching my kids) but I don't want to wait that long! :( Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeek! Why can't anything be simple!? lol

I have had a BUSY day...I spoke with my family members about an appropriate time to have the surgery and October seems to work!

Being the planner that I am, I immediately contacted the clinic where I am planning on going to and tentatively scheduled my consultation for October 17 with the surgery to take place the following morning. OMFG!! I am so excited, nervous, scared, anxious, doubtful... you name it, I feel it. Simone, the super nice coordinator at the clinic, said that she will phone me in June to get a final answer on if I am indeed going ahead with the planning of the surgery. If so, they will require a 25% deposit at that time.

My cousin (who I will be staying with post-surgery) told me that she will be taking some vacation days from work to be my nurse for the 10 days I am out of town... THANKFUL and GRATEFUL are the two words that I cannot repeat enough.

I can't believe this is all going to happen! and now the waiting game begins.... ;)

After much consideration, I have booked an earlier consultation with my Dr. at the end of July. I was supposed to have my consult the day before the surgery in October (due to travel distance) but I am too nervous and have too many questions that I decided it would be best to go sooner.

So, I will be meeting my Dr. and deciding what I am going to have done on July 31st. :)

I just got back from a lovely vacation with my family so I haven't been able to update but while we were away, I had a consult with my surgeon (our first meeting) and it went well. I was concerned about the loose skin on my back and he does agree that a lower body lift would be more beneficial for me then just the tummy tuck. YIKES! I'm so nervous and need to do a lot more research but I think I will be so happy when it's all said and done. (I hope!)

The coordinator I have been dealing with is going to have a previous patient who had the same surgery give me a call this week. I am looking forward to speaking with her!

Like I posted a few days ago, my doctor agrees that a lower body lift is what I need instead of just a tummy tuck. For those who don't know, a lower body lift is also referred to as circumferential body lift = belt lipectomy. This procedure is essentially 3 procedures in one: extended tummy tuck + waist/lateral thigh lift + buttock lift. These procedures are usually tailored for a someone who has experienced significant weight loss and are designed to recontour the entire waist and lower trunk. The incision will go all the way around my body... yikes, that part has me nervous but I know it will be worth it, eventually. (fingers crossed!)

Forgot to add that my doctor says that I do not need a breast lift and that an augmentation will give me the results I am wanting at this time. That makes me very happy!! :)

I booked my airline tickets this morning... I had enough airmiles points to get a free ticket which is awesome! Full fare would have been around $900 and I only had to pay $78 in fees.

The patient coordinator is going to call me this week to confirm if I am going ahead with everything and at that time they will require a down payment of 25%.

Hi ladies, I am having a heck of a time trying to decide on an implant size for my surgery. My doctor says that I should at the minimum get 400 cc's and even recommends 450's. Since he doesn't think I need a lift, I am definitely wanting the implant to help with 'perking' them up a bit but mostly, just adding the volume back in. I have had large breasts for most of my lift so I am not wanting to go back there but I do want to have the most desirable out come. I am currently a 38 B and my rib cage measurement is 34 so I have a large frame and broad shoulders.

Any suggestions??? What would 450 cc's get my to for a bra size??

Thanks! :)

I spoke with the patient coordinator this morning about a few things and went ahead with my down payment... there's no turning back now! (scary and exciting at the same time)

Okay, I figured it was time for me to add some before pictures. My husband wasn't home so I had to take them myself so I apologize if they aren't the best view points.

Last night was the third night in a row that I have had a nightmare about my surgery! Ahhhhhhhhhhhh.... I can't shut my mind off of it even in my sleep! Anyone else?????

So, last night after having yet another surgery related dream, I woke up and thought it would probably be a wise decision to get a will since my hubby and I don't have one. Obviously if something bad happened to me, my husband would care for our children but there are a lot of things that he doesn't know about.... banking, life insurance, kids' college funds

Do you have a will??

I have smartened up my eating the past week... hard to get out of summer habits... but the scale reflected my efforts. I attend MMA classes twice a week but all of my group fitness classes that I LOVE start back up on September 10th. I can't wait to get back to schedule with the kids in school, me eating and my exercising. I REALLY want to hit -100 lbs... that is my ultimate goal. Wish me luck please! :)

I just happened to be looking at my calendar for something and realized that today marks exactly one month until I fly to the big city for my makeover. Wow! Time has sure flown by!

I received a package from my surgeon's office a few weeks ago filled with pages and pages of information. I finally signed and initialed all that they needed and got it sent back to them last week. I also got blood work done as well which reminds me, I should phone and see if the results made it to my surgeon.

I am thinking about adding lipo to my back as well but I don't want to spend much over $20,000.... that's a pretty high price tag as it is!

Thank you to all of the ladies who are providing updates and advice on the healing process. I can't wait to get there myself.

Cheers!

My patient coordinator just phoned to talk about a few things (her ears must have been ringing!) They did get my blood work but apparently I need an ECG too but they said they could just do it at my pre-op the day before surgery. She told me to stop all vitamins/herbs/anti-inflamatories 2 weeks prior to surgery and to start taking Metamucil, Iron and using an anti-bacterial soap 5 days before surgery. I asked about Arnica and Bromelain (sp?) and she said it wasn't necessary prior to surgery as there isn't conclusive evidence to support it's benefit. I will take it after surgery though... too many women on here say it does help! As for waxing/shaving... I can do whatever but nothing 2 days prior to surgery. I asked her about my gel nails and told her I am not about to take them off... I have had them for 8 years and she said that's fine. lol

More importantly, I told her I have been thinking that I want to get liposuction on my back as well. To my happy surprise, she said that the Lower Body Lift includes that but at the pre-op I can discuss my concerns with my doctor and if we need to do a larger area, that will be no big deal and a minimal extra charge. YES!! :)

Things are starting to get a little bit more real... I am more excited then anything but sometimes I have those moments where I am scared shitless. haha

Today marks exactly 2 weeks until I hop on the plane and fly to the city for my surgery. Am I ready?? Not really sure... my to-do list is a mile long with simple things and I need to buckle down and get'er done! I feel more excited at this point that then endless waiting will be coming to an end soon but on the other hand, I am still nervous about the out come and hope that it will all be worth it in the end. There are a lot of women documenting their Mommy Makeovers but I'm the only one on here currently who is having a lower body lift surgery as opposed to just the tummy tuck so I feel like I am heading into uncharted territory!

Okay, this is getting a hell of a lot more real... I fly out ONE week from today for my makeover! I am in the 'nesting' stage cleaning things/spots that no one sees and washing everything I get my hands on. This week is full of appointments... hair cut tomorrow, nail fill on Thursday and waxing on Friday. I'm getting my first ever brazilian wax (minus the rear end waxing) and I am more nervous about that then my damn surgery! haha

I have my kids' Halloween costumes ready to go (I get back the day before Halloween), have my oldest son's b-day invitations printed and now I just need to fill them out and I have also ordered his cake. His 7th birthday is just a few days after I get back so I wanted to have everything in order so that I don't have to worry about anything when I return.

I need to phone my patient coordinator today. I was told to start taking Metamucil a week prior to surgery (being the uber planner that I am, I started a week early!) but it is doing nothing for me but giving me the worst gas imaginable. It made me rotten! GROSS. Anyways, I am back to taking my 2 tablespoons of ground flax seed daily and it has me regular again so that is what I will stick with.

For as much as I am nervous/scared about my surgery and all that it entails, I am more excited then anything right now to get on the other side of the waiting game and get on with my recovery.

:)

Guess what I did today?? I am no longer a brazilian wax virgin! It wasn't too bad, more embarrassing then anything I suppose just because it was unfamiliar. The girl was great though... a really pretty little thing which make me nervous as she was up close and personal with a pretty private area! haha This surgery better be worth all this shit I tell you! ;)

4 more sleeps until I fly to the city for my surgery. My pre-op is the next day and then surgery bright and early the following day. I hope I am ready for this.

I started feeling it come on yesterday and today my head feels like it's going to blow up. Just a head cold so far but I'm SO SO SO worried it will turn into more and my surgery will be post-poned or cancelled!

I called my surgeon's office but they are closed today and tomorrow to ask if I can take Oil of Oregano. My paperwork says no vitamins/herbs (among other things) 2 weeks prior so I don't want to take it without their permission.

PLEASE send some positive thoughts my way that this illness goes just as fast as it came. Worst. timing. ever. :`(

Hey everyone!

I spend the majority of my day packing, cleaning and doing laundry. I washed all of the bedding and blankets in the house so that they are nice and fresh while I'm away. My husband (bless his pointed head) does not even know how to do a load of laundry so I'm hoping my Mom will pop over and do a few loads while I'm away.

Oh, I forgot to mention what else I did today. EAT. I can't seem to control myself and it's pissing me off something fierce! My Mom brought over a pan of puffed wheat squares and I pretty much ate the majority of it. My period is do in a few days (the day of the surgery actually... nice) and I always eat the house a few days before.

I still have a cold but I do feel better this evening then I did for most of the day. I have been drinking a ton of water with lemon and honey. I will phone my surgeon's office tomorrow to let them know that I am not feeling the best and see if they have any advice on what I can or cannot take to help speed it along.

I'm feeling good, positive and just excited to get on the airplane and on to the next step of my journey. NOT excited to leave my kiddos.... especially my 2 year old daughter, she is a real Momma's girl and is going to miss me terribly. :(

No Monday morning blues for me as I am so stoked that my time is almost here. Tomorrow I will kiss my 3 babies and husband bye-bye and get on the plane!

In other news, I am also SUPER HAPPY to report that my period showed up this morning 4 days early. It was due to arrive on the day of my surgery so I'm hoping my heaviest flow days will be over by then. THANK YOU body for cooperating! And, it also explains why I was eating everything in site yesterday.

Best wishes to everyone who is recovering and for all of those who are waiting for their big day to arrive.

:)

Today is the day I leave my family for 2 weeks.

My period arrived yesterday so I am more emotional then normal and cried like a baby when I sent my boys off to the bus this morning. My oldest boy is very emotional like me and was crying too. My 5 year old had a look on his face like "that the heck is going on?". lol

My sister called this morning and I got off the phone with her and bawled my face off. She made me feel like a child for being nervous and having anxiety and kept telling me that 'you need to not be so negative and stop worrying all the time'. Her tone is what got me... she was condescending and spoke down to me. She told me that my kids will be fine and to stop making it out to be such a big deal. I spoke about this website and how it is quite normal to have nerves and I haven't read a story that didn't say they weren't nervous! She told me to stay off the computer and that reading all this crap does nothing good for me. I know she only phoned to make herself feel like she was there for me and offered me support but it was quite the opposite. I think it's weird because she would like to have a tummy tuck herself one day so I'm not sure why she is being difficult and honestly, I don't give a rats ass anymore. I have enough on my plate to worry about what she thinks.

Sorry to be a downer but that's how my day has been. My stomach is literally in knots and I feel like I could throw up. I think this is what anxiety feels like! lol

I will update later if I get the chance once I get to the city. It's freezing rain here so PLEASE cross your fingers for me that they plane is able to fly out today.

later! :)

It's been a LONG day but I made it and I'm now tucked in bed at my cousin's house.

We have to get up early so my cousin can drop me off at my pre-op appointment and then I'll spend the rest of the day getting the last of my supplies.

I'm hoping to have a good sleep tonight but now that it's bed time, I'm wide awake of course!

Thank you so much for the words of encouragement and I'll update you ladies tomorrow.

Good night! :)

I just has my pre-op and I don't really like my doctor! I met him before but he just doesn't have the best bed side manners. I already paid so its not like I can be choosy right now. Please tell me it will all be fine!?!?!?

Good morning Real Self ladies!!

It's 5:15 am and I'm going to have my last shower in a few minutes. Need to leave the hotel at 6:30 ish to be there just before 7.

I actually slept last night!!! (I'm sure the Ativan helped with that but it was nice to actually sleep since its been evading me for some time.

I hope to update you all at some point tonight but until then, please keep me I'm your thoughts and prayers that all goes as planned.

Goodbye hanging skin, goodbye pancake boobs.... I have loved your help through carrying my babies and breast feeding but that era has come to an end. Thank you for all you have done and I'm grateful to have met you. Farewell and good luck wherever you go from here. Love your former body! xoxo

Later!!! :)

Hi ladies. Thank you for all the messages and well wishes. I just got back to my cousins house about an hour ago.

Surgery went well... was 7 hours long I guess.

Today was hard and painful and I cried a bit. Had thoughts of WTF have I done numerous times!

I feel a bit better now and will get in bed right away.

Doctor removed a lot of skin he said... I took some pictures of my markings but I don't think I can upload from my iPhone onto here??

It's really hard to get out of bed because it pulls on the incision on my back and sides... very painful.

I ended up with 450 cc implants. I was surprised at how much they hurt but it's getting better!

Hope everyone is healing well and best wishes to those who have yet to have surgery.

:)

Post op day 2 was pretty uneventful. I didn't sleep much in the night so I made up for it that day and rested a lot. I was able to get out of bed on my own and it gets easier each time. I had a couple bowel movements which were uncomfortable but not super painful. I'm sure the stool softener/laxatives I've been taking are helping. I haven't had an appetite and because of that have been quite nauseous since the pain meds are hard on my stomach.

My drains have not much fluid so I'm hoping they will come out later this week around 7 days post op. I can't wait to see my incisions on the front... everything is bandaged up so I have no idea what I look like.

I miss my kids and husband but I know I'm getting the most rest here. My cousin has been a god send!

Hi ladies. Today I am 4 days post op and feeling better. My cousin washed my hair which felt amazing! I had a protein shake this morning and a grilled cheese sandwich and fresh pineapple for lunch.

I see all of the pictures of you guys standing up straight and I'm so jealous! I'm hunched over like a 90 year old woman. Obviously my incision is around my whole body so that makes a huge difference but I still can't wait to be vertical.

I am down to 4 pain pills a day... take them every 6 hours and that seems to be doing okay.

I think I was taking too many stool softeners/laxatives cause I sat on the toilet a lot yesterday!

Gas-X is my friend.

Not much new to report at 6 days post-op except I decreased my stool softener/laxative amount the last few days and paid for it today.

I had bad constipation and asked my cousin to get me some suppositories. I have never used one before and it did the trick alright but I had a huge blockage I had to manually help remove from all of the pressure...it was so effin painful! (Sorry for the tmi). :(

Other than that, I am doing good. I have an appt for Friday afternoon to get my drains removed. Very anxious to get to see my stomach finally!!!!

My boobs are pretty big so it will be interesting to see how much they change when then drop and fluff.

Lipo sights are still quite sore and the bruising is really coming out now too.

I have been forcing myself to drink more water as I haven't been getting enough at all.

Hope everyone is doing well! :)

Just got done at the doctors office. He removed my drains... it hurt and burned like fawk on the one side! :(

He did not take off my bandages, only the belly button one but has a quick peek and said I'm healing fantastically.

I was given a compression garment to wear and an extra to have. It's tight as hell and I find it hard to breath but I'm sure ill get used to it.

The doctor and nurses could not believe how well I'm getting around and how good everything looks so that was nice to hear.

I see the dr once more on Monday before I fly home on Tuesday.

I can shower tomorrow and change all of my dressings... scaf is low in the front by higher in the back then I was expecting but I don't care!

Right now I am thrilled with my results.. swelling and everything! :))

Hello everyone,

I had a productive morning... had my first shower and finally got to see my incision! I am very happy with it, it's low and a nice, clean line. :)

I was really tired after getting cleaned up. I have been experiencing insomnia since the surgery and it's wearing me down. Yesterday, I was out of the house from 12 - 6 ish so I'm sure that played into effect today.

I forgot to mention yesterday that my doctor said I had a hernia! I guess he told me after the surgery but I don't remember. Just glad it's all fixed I guess!

My left breast is a tad smaller then my right... hoping the massages help with that. I clearly realize that I will need a boob lift down the road eventually, but with a bra on, I'm quite pleased with them. I tried on a few bras I had with me, I'm a full C/D right now. I don't look any different with clothes on as I wore super lifted/padded bras before.

A good friend of mine said the rumour mill at home is already turning... I'm from a small community so it is what it is. Feeling a little down thinking about that but I dunno, I've worked extremely hard the last 18 months to lose 90 lbs and I'm not ashamed. That being said, I don't want people to think less of me, ya know? :/

Hey ladies,

I had been lucky with not having much swelling until the last few days. I'm sure it coincides with getting my drains removed on Friday and also being more active. I went shopping for 4 hours and felt faint / light headed a few times.

The swelling is bellow my belly button to the top of my pubic region. I look 4 months pregnant! Swell hell is right.

I'm exhausted so hope to nap now.

Ttyl

I made it home yesterday afternoon and it was the best thing ever to hug and kiss my 3 little loves! :)

My house is not up to my standards but I knew that would be the case... husband + 3 kids = chaos. I have been trying to get things in order and because of it, my back is really sore.

My 6 year old son got sick a few times in the night so he is home today. Poor guy, kids love Halloween and he was excited for the school activities today. He feels better right now and is anxious for tonight. Fingers crossed he can enjoy a few hours out and about with his brother and sister.

Other than that, nothing too exciting to report. I was down 5 lbs since surgery but gained it back in the last few days. I'm sure my increased activity is to blame as I'm super swollen.

Happy Halloween to everyone!! :)

Good evening ladies!

Wow. I just realized that it has been 2 weeks today since my surgery. Right now they were making me get out of the bed I was in to walk to the room I would be staying in for the night. PAIN is all I can remember during that! It's amazing how far I have come in 14 days. :)

Today was my first day by myself with my children. There was no school today and tomorrow so my boys were home too. It went really well and I got a lot accomplished. Laundry, laundry and more laundry! My 2 year daughter naps from 1 - 3:30 ish so I layed down during that time which helped my back a lot.

I had a shower tonight and my incisions are healing wonderfully. No issues to report at all with them which makes me happy. My belly button seems to be on the small side so I have taped a marble like ball there for the time being but will pick up some foam ear plugs up town tomorrow. I read that trick on here some where!

My boobs are shaping up nicely but I can tell that one is slightly larger then the other but looking at before photos, it always was... I just really didn't notice I guess.

I have been wearing my compression garment and spanx control panties (knee to under boobs) over top for extra support and it seems to have decreased the swelling in my lower abdomen. YAY!

I'm tired and look forward to a good sleep... best wishes to everyone in recovery and waiting for their big day! :)

Not much to report in the last week except that I feel almost back to normal which is awesome! I don't need to rest in the afternoon anymore and my back pain has subsided. Life is pretty much back to normal minus my daily work outs.

I tried to make a before/after comparison pic collage thing but it didn't work out. It make me feel better about my results to look back at where I came from. The last few days I have been wondering if this is it as I still have a fat roll when I sit down. Probably swelling but who knows. Don't get me wrong, I am pleased with everything so far but I am hoping for more flatness in my stomach then what I have.

I am going to start walking on my treadmill in the next few days as it's cold here with lots of snow so I'm not spending any time outside. ;)

Other than that, no news is good news I suppose!

Happy healing everyone and best wishes to the ladies in waiting... your time will be here before you know it.

:)