After a tummy tuck surgery will I be able to get pregnant again without causing a big mess up in the abdomen? (photo)

It is ideal to wait until you are sure you are done with children before a tummy tuck procedure.  Although you can get pregnant again after a tummy tuck, it may well stretch the skin again requiring another operation.

    Diastasis alone would not generally require mesh.  Pregnancy can be carried after tummy tuck.Kenneth Hughes, MDLos Angeles, CA

Thank you for your post. You certainly can have a baby after tummy tuck. In a tummy tuck, we are putting your body back together similiar to what you were like before you were pregnant. Your muscle tension, your skin and your fat contours are adjusted. Once you are fully healed from your surgery, your body is just as able to accept a pregnancy as it was before your first pregnancy. However, if your belly area stretched after your first pregnancy, then you are likely to stretch again after your next pregnancy. Most surgeons recommend to have a tummy tuck after you are finished having childern, however, in certain instances, such as starting to date again, or just not being happy with your post pregnancy body, then it makes sense to go ahead and have a tummy tuck. Just realize that you may need a revision later on.Best Wishes,Pablo Prichard, MD

Yes, it is possible to safely carry a baby after having the abdominoplasty procedure.  In general, it is in your best interest, to be as certain as possible that no more pregnancies are in your future prior to having the tummy tuck.  Pregnancy after abdominoplasty may cause changes that will require further surgery to correct. Generally speaking, the “ideal” patient for tummy tuck surgery is one who has completed pregnancies, is psycho socially/emotionally/financially stable, has an excellent social support system surrounding him/her, is capable of arranging enough recovery time, does not smoke and who has reached a long-term stable weight. I hope this, and the attached link ( dedicated to abdominal wall contouring surgery concerns) helps. 

Abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) is performed to remove excess, loose skin and tighten the abdominal wall. It is not recommended to have the procedure if your planning to have more children.

Thank you for the picture.In my opinion, I would suggest to wait after you have your baby. This way you'll have a flat stomach with out disturbing the results.A tummy tuck procedure will definitely help with the diastasis recti.Dr. Campos

Pregnancy following tummy tuck surgery is
possible and is not dangerous, but if you plan on future pregnancies, you
should wait to have a full tummy tuck with muscle repair until you are done
having children, since pregnancy will stretch out the skin and abdominal
muscles again, usually undoing the repairs that were achieved with the
abdominoplasty. In that case, a secondary tummy tuck to repair recurrent muscle
laxity or loose skin may be beneficial.

Most plastic surgeons would suggest that
you finish having children before undergoing a full abdominoplasty with repair
of the stretched out abdominal muscles.Anatomically based on youtr limited photos, you appear to be a good candidate for a tummy tuck, but keep in mind that following advice from a
surgeon on this or any other website who proposes to tell you exactly what to do
without examining you, physically feeling your tissue, assessing your desired
outcome, taking a full medical history and discussing the pros and cons of each
operative procedure would not be in your best surgery. I would suggest that you
find a surgeon certified by the American Board of American Plastic Surgery and
one who is ideally a member of The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic
Surgery (ASAPS) that you trust and are comfortable with. You should discuss
your concerns with that surgeon in person.

Robert Singer, MD FACS

La Jolla, California

Hello, thank you for your question and the pics. You are definitely a tummy tuck candidate, and as you well put it, only a tummy tuck will get you your abdomen back. First off no mesh is required for a tummy tuck, and the umbilical hernia seen protruding in the pictures will be repaired as well with the muscle repair alone without use of a mesh. Secondly, the problem is that sadly, after a tummy tuck you should not conceive again because your child might have some intrautero grown retardation from the inability of your abdomen to distend because of the muscle repair, after some three years you can get pregnant, but the work of the tummy tuck will be undone and you would have to get another tummy tuck in order to return you abdomen to a flat state. If you are thinking of conceiving again, my best advise is to wait until you are done, your result will be much better

If you have a tummy tuck and get pregnant, you will lose some or perhaps all of the benefit of the tummy tuck. However, if you have  hernia around your belly button, as it appears from the photos that you might have, a hernia repair would be a very reasonable procedure to have, even if you get pregnant again.

The repair of the diastasis does not require mesh. SOme surgeons might use mesh for the umbilical hernia, but generally not if you are having the diastasis repaired at the same time. You can have a perfectly normal pregnancy after a TT, but will probably have to go through the TT surgery again, so why not wait?