Hopefully just swelling...

I've been considering having a Mommy makeover ever since I saw the aftermath of birthing and breastfeeding my first child. I obviously wanted to put it off until I was done having children. Now that my husband has had a vasectomy and I am blessed with 3 gorgeous boys I feel its time to get what I deserve...my body back!

I'm pretty petite, 5'2" and currently 120lbs (my winter coat - hoping to start eating cleaner and exercising to reach a 112lbs goal before surgery). My babies were a good size getting bigger than the next one (7lbs.15oz, 8lbs.10oz and 9lbs.5oz) and since I have a short torso, you can only imagine what shape my abdominal muscles and stomach skin are in from housing such big babies!

I breastfed all my children. The first only to 9 months, the second to 1 year, and my third to 18 months. Due to an inverted nipple on my right breast, all my boys favoured and fed off the left breast only - to the point where only my left breast was producing milk! I joked with my friends about my breastfeeding breasts and labelled them B'sy and D'sy but in reality having breasts that are two different sizes was not funny and very difficult to dress! Now, from all the wear and tear, my left breast sags quite a bit and is even harder to dress and it's like putting soup in a bra!

I did a LOT of research into the surgeries and found trying to find a doctor overwhelming. I am in the Niagara Region and Toronto (which in 1 hour away) has so many highly rated doctors. Getting the time to see them for a consult though was difficult, especially since I couldn't seem to visit them on the same day. I disliked that they also charged a consult fee. I understand the reason for it, but I feel like I could be taken advantage of by receiving a ridiculous quote or be subject to rudeness and unpleasant mannerisms and loose out on my consult fee when I chose not to go with them for those reasons.

The search was tiresome but I started by looking at the before and after photos. I was looking for looks (both breast and tummy) that was after. Their attention to detail was obviously a very big factor in my decision. Once I narrowed it down to half a dozen doctors, I began to look at reviews and ratings from ratemyMDs.com and realself.com. I especially liked realself as I could see posts from doctors answering patient questions and this allowed me to get a feel for their character. Through looking at the high ratings, I added to my list of doctors once I view their before and after photos. One doctor, Dr. William Deluca, stood out to me as he was so highly rated. I visited his website and saw that he catered to out of town patients (I'm 4 hours away) and I happily filled out a contact form introducing myself. To my surprise, I received a personal response 30 mins later at nearly 10:00pm at night!!

As I was extremely impressed with his before and after photos (they all looked so perfect!! Not one single "after" photo made me doubt his attention to detail!) and his diligent reply, I decided to book a phone consult with the good doctor. The secretary I spoke to was very very kind. I have spoken to many and all to often I find them to be a tad rude and pushy, so this was a refreshing change!

I had my phone consult yesterday, March 18, 2013, and he was very soft spoken, and answered many of my questions before I even got to ask them. I did not have many questions so the whole consult was only about 20 minutes. Based on my photos, he recommend silicone (up to 400cc) with under the muscle placement with a Benelli/Donut lift on my left breast. He believes the tummy tuck will be very straightforward and believes I will have a low incision. Everything I kind of already decided on, although I thought I may need a lollipop lift! I really felt he was on the same page as me and that he knows exactly what I'm after. Just to be clear though, I did email some photos of what I would consider "perfect" and ideal for me!

Today, I called his secretary, Karen, and booked my surgery for June 18, 2013. She told me about a package she would mail me and briefly went over what will be included in the package and the next steps. She was very kind and made me feel very comfortable. She also reassured me that if I have any questions at anytime that I can call or email her. She reiterated that a few times so I know she meant it :)

Now I just need to wait exactly 91 days for the new me!