How Long Before I Can Lift my Toddler After Breast Augmentation?

I tell my patients that for the first few days, they will need to depend on someone else to lift their baby or toddler. Beginning on Day 3 (if you had surgery on Monday, Day 3 is Thursday), they can lift their baby – when necessary – into and out of a crib, high chair or car seat. This restriction is to ensure their comfort and minimize the risk of bleeding around the implants. They should not carry their child for longer periods of time until a couple of weeks after surgery.If I could, I would make patients wait longer, but I understand that most women can’t depend on someone else to help them for an entire week. 

Typically I prefer that the patients do nothing for one week after surgery.  At that point they can go back to work.  In this case that would involve taking care of the children.  It is not wise to lift chilredn that weigh 35 lbs for at least 1 month from surgery.

I usually advise patients to wait a minimum of two weeks before lifting following a breast augmentation.

Hello,Thank you for your question!Every surgeon has different protocols for breast augmentation and when it is safe to resume lifting. It may be best to speak to your plastic surgeon and their recommendation. You can learn more on our social media (Instagram and Snapchat): @realdrsix.
Regards,

Hi there. Thank you for your post. It is best to take advice from your surgeon about specific post-operative instructions. However, it is an important consideration before undertaking surgery - many patients interested in breast implant surgery are in a similar situation with young children at home! My advice is to try and recruit help from family/ partner/ friend for the first week or two. After that, you can ease into carrying by having children hop into your arms from whilst you are sat down - to avoid excessive pure lifting. However, inevitably, there will be some lifting - it is only human when you have young children at home to cuddle and carry! Good luck!

Thank you for your question. You definitely want to follow your own surgeon's post-op activity instructions. This is a general guide I give to my patients:1) No heavy lifting or strenous activity for 6 weeks (use a gallon of milk as a guide).2) Resume walking at a leisurely pace right after surgery (e.g. 2 mph)3) At 2 weeks, you can walk 2 miles at 2mph4) At 3 weeks, you can walk 3 miles at 3mph5) At 4 weeks, you can walk 4 miles at 4mph6) At 5 weeks, you can jog 5 miles at 5mph7) At 6 weeks, you can resume all activities, but listen to your body and use discomfort or tightness as a guide so you don't over do it.

Thank you for your question! The "rapid recovery" breast augmentation is a newer philosophy with many surgeons to expedite activity and expedite recovery following the breast augmentation procedure. In my practice, utilizing the fast track technique after breast augmentations, women are readily able and doing most things virtually immediately after this procedure. It is the similar techniques as described and is really gaining popularity. She is even recommended to go out for dinner that evening. Pain is minimal and you will likely be on a scheduled antiinflammatory regimen/pain control along with early exercises/range of motion techniques immediately. However, follow your surgeon's instructions for postoperative care and restrictions, but it is common for most women to resume many of the preoperative activities and duties within a week. I typically restrict heavy lifting >20# and vigorous exercise for approximately 4-6 weeks Swelling and settling of the implant typically occurs over a 6-12 week period along with placement in a compression-type bra for the same time period, while your incisions commonly resolve to its final appearance in up to a year. Hope that this helps! Best wishes for a great result!

It’s not unusual for breast augmentation patients to
have small children at home. For this reason they are always concerned about
how soon they will be able to resume lifting following this procedure.

There’s currently no scientific data that indicates the
optimal time for resumption of strenuous activity. Under these circumstances
recommendations vary from surgeon to surgeon.

Although each patient’s situation is unique we generally
ask patients to avoid lifting objects that weigh more than fifteen pounds for
two to four weeks following surgery. This is probably a conservative
recommendation but helps minimize the potential for bleeding, capsular
contracture, implant malposition, and wound healing problems. It’s therefore
not unusual for patients to require assistance with child care in the early
postoperative period.

If you have small children at home and are considering
breast augmentation it’s appropriate to discuss these
issues with your plastic surgeon. Your surgeon should be able to answer your
questions and alleviate your concerns.

You'll most likely not be able to do this until about 6 weeks after your surgery. This is to prevent compromising your recovery.  

My advice would be to avoid lifting more than 10 pounds for 2-3 weeks following surgery. For mothers of young children, it's best to have assistance with childcare for at least 10 days following your breast augmentation.