45 Years Old, 3 Kids, 3 C Sections Later (Last Baby Was Just over 1 Year Ago) - Alberta, Canada

Hello. I am a little slow to be posting pictures. Here are some before's and afters. I'm at about 2 months post op now. BA - 375cc under the muscle. I was 32A and now I am 32DDD (U.S.) or 32E.

Yes this has been very much worth it, however, recovery is still continuing. I have been (and still am) unsure of the BA sizing- I ended up much bigger than I could have imagined. In clothes, seems pretty good. Without clothes I am not so sure. Implants have dropped some and are softer. Downsizing the implants is a possibility, but the more I recover, the more I do not want to go under the knife again for a very long time.

I got this done because the 3rd baby really did a number on me - and no amount of exercise was going to fix me. I was tired of my trainer telling me to pull in my stomach, and how it was always sticking out.

Tummy tuck recovery has been MAJOR! I was always VERY active with exercising and recovery has been much slower than recovery from a c-section. I have what is "maybe" bloating in my upper abdomin. PS at 6 weeks did not have much to say about it. Its sticks out quite a lot and is somewhat hard and sore at times. 2 weeks later - still have the issues. I am having slow bowels...I feel that is part of the problem too. I did have a hernia repair and muscle repair too I believe.

I am back to my workouts, but at a much reduced level. Many of the movements I was doing, I am still not doing. I have done some full push-ups though. Not a lot, but I have done them. I have read that it feels very weird for some, and it was a little weird, but I did not do enough to really fatigue the muscles (too much core involved at this point).

Anyway, my advice to others is be patient with yourself and your recovery. Physically, this is a big deal! And emotionally too. I REALLY struggled at the beginning with my new body image. People on Realself have been very supportive - THANK YOU! You got me through some dark days. I'll post photos and an update again in a few more months.

My advice to others who have not yet had the surgery - do your homework, REALLY do your homework, ask all the questions BEFORE the surgery. I did not have a good understanding of sizing and only after the surgery, in my dissatisfaction did I become more educated. I do believe my PS could have done more to educate me, and I felt I did not ask enough questions.

Forgot to post the after photos!
BA - 375CC (or is it 370 not 100% sure) high profile and TT.

Tummy Tuck - hernia and muscle repair too. I do use the silicone on the scars most nights. The scars don't phase me - after 3 c-sections, its nothing and I know they will fade a lot over time.

Struggling with some upper abdominal bloating right now - I think (hope) its just bowel related. The loose skin is all gone, PS did a good job on that. If swelling doesn't go down in the next 1-2 weeks I will go back to PS. He saw me at 6 weeks, didn't have much to say about it. I'm 8 weeks now.

In case that is relevant to anyone...

Hello Ladies
I have some updates for you, and pictures! Its 3.5 months now, and compared to the beginning I feel SOOOOO much better. I felt like a truck hit me after surgery. I felt so bad, I was depressed, hated the BA, and basically I was a physical and emotional mess! I tell you this because if there are any ladies out there feeling terrible, and worried, and obsessing about their results - well that was me. It gets better. It really does. Try to take it 1 day at a time.

BA DROPPING
So I hated the BA so much at the beginning I ask the PS if he would take them out! He said to wait, and I knew that was the smart thing to do so I waited. And here we are at 3.5 months. I would say that they have dropped quite a lot! I'm pleased with the results. They are bigger than I might have chosen if I could have chosen a size (32E or 32DDD), but I now like them. Just, complete flip around. I don't think I will be taking them out or downsizing. They feel good and I am used to them now.

They DO hurt or are uncomfortable to lay directly on top of them. Not sure how massages will work now (like a back massage) , maybe need to be propped up. I did no breast massaging during recovery. And my size...I have not measured for a while, is the size changed? Not sure, the bras I have purchased fit well (the 32E and 32DDD). BTW I am mostly wearing wire bras with minimal padding, no push-up features. I have found some I find really comfortable, I don't think about them at all during the day.

TUMMY TUCK
I have struggled significantly with upper abdominal bloating. It was VERY uncomfortable, my stomach was SO hard and bloated. I did have digestion problems (constipated), and I used psyllium everyday and sometimes senna. That got things moving, but it did not address the bloating. Anway, sometime in August at the prompting of my naturopath I sough out a therapist to do VISERAL MANIPULATION (mild massaging of your organs?). I was skeptical. It was very mild and did not hurt, and well, I am much improved! I am thinking it was this massage because nothing else changed! I also do some massaging on my own. I do still have bloating, but it is greatly reduced and my stomach is not so rock hard anymore.

I do still have bloating and tenderness. I know that healing is not complete yet.

INCISIONS
I was using the silicone tape regularly for about 6+ weeks. Now I am lazy. The TT scar mostly does not feel raised. I can't feel it laying in bed on the sides. The scar right below my belly button and more to the sides, its a little more raised, but its really really minimal. THIS SCAR IS SO DIFFERENT FROM A C-SECTION SCAR. My s-section scars were raised and ropey. My PS did a good job - these are flat and very hard to feel that they are there.

EXERCISING
at 3.5 months I can ALMOST do everything I could before. Push-ups, box jumps (low, will to high soon), squats, deadlifts, cleans, pull-ups (assisted). The weights - I am using much lighter weights. I don't want to push it until I know for sure my core is really strong. I'm worried about another hernia (is that even possible?). I CAN FINALLY DO SIT UPS AGAIN! That one took a long time to get back. The pull-ups pull on bottom of my breasts, so I use a band for assistance, and don't do too many. Same on the push-ups - I could do more before, still working back to that. Cardio - I go hard, no problems.

Basically, I just feel so much better and like myself. I'm wearing my old clothes, but not smaller ones. I know some ladies go smaller. Me - not yet. Maybe not ever. I'd like to be a few pounds lighter and that's it. I feel like me again. 3.5 months is a great place to be. I really did not gain or lose any weight during this whole process.