35th Birthday Present, a Rockin' Booty! - Bay Area, CA

Over the last year, I lost almost 50 pounds. With the weight loss, there were some positive changes: clothes fit better, my face is slimmer, I have more energy. But also a big negative change: my butt has deflated. Like a lot. I'm still about 30 pounds away from my goal weight, so I was worried that it is only going to get flatter. I'm mostly happy with my shape overall, although I have stubborn back fat that seems like it hasn't changed at all from 50 pounds ago. After stalking real self and yelp and liposuction websites, I finally decided I was almost 100% sure I wanted a BBL. Not to have a huge behind, but to sculpt it and surrounding areas to make my existing butt a little bit fuller and just give me a nicer shape.

A few months ago, I started researching doctors all around the Bay Area, looking at their websites, reading reviews, staring at their pictures and then re reading the reviews and looking at all the pictures again. It wasn't hard to decide that I wanted Dr. Beck to perform my surgery. The before and after pictures amazed me and the reviews were fantastic too. I scheduled my consultation for January 26th.

Everyone I interacted with in the office was great, and the patient coordinator Kelly was so helpful answering my questions and showing me so many more before-and-after photos than I was able to see online. When it was time to actually view and discuss all of my insecure nakedness, both Kelly and Dr. Beck made me feel comfortable and positive.

We talked about my current stage of weight loss, where I wanted to be and what I wanted to achieve, and Dr. Beck suggested that rather than losing 30 pounds, I only need to lose maybe 10 pounds, and with the procedure, I will be close to the results I want. And if I choose to lose more weight, it will be proportioned to my new shape, not my weird post baby body that hasn't felt like me for years. I was given so much information during the consultation and pretty much decided on the spot that now I was 100% sure, and that I didn't need to consult with any more doctors, because I have found the one!

Before my consultation, I had a long timeline mapped out because of the weight. Losing the first 30 pounds was easy, it just melted off. The next 10 pounds after that was a little tougher, and the most recent 10 pounds was a lot of hard work. I wanted to give myself plenty of time to lose another 30, because I knew it would be rough. I initially planned on January consult, lose weight and save money, December procedure. But since my new goal weight was only 10 pounds away, I was very confident it could get done sooner than December. Kelly said to schedule at least 3 months in advance, so I kept that in mind as I started hitting the gym again to shed this last 10 terrible pounds.

A week after my consultation, I found out my younger brother and his fiancé set a date! They are getting married August 5th in Milwaukee, where they live. I reviewed my finances and I emailed Kelly right away and asked if she thought it was realistic to set a date for the last week of June to be ready to attend a wedding out of state by the first week of August. She said it would be better if I scheduled in May. So I scheduled it for May 4th, a week before I turn 35. I am about 10 weeks away now and I am so excited. Still reading reviews and looking at pictures, and trying to have realistic expectations.

I asked my husband to join me for my Pre Op appointment on April 14; since he will be taking care of me I wanted to make sure he was there to ask anything I might have forgotten to ask. Dr. Beck and Kelly went over everything with me again and gave me all my prescriptions to fill.

We took all the humiliating before pictures (I rotated and there are 8 pics total, taken from every 45 degrees) and I am getting so anxious waiting for surgery.

At the time my Pre Op appointment was done, 3 weeks seemed so long to wait, but I just got back from a week-long business trip to New York City and was so busy during that week that it helped make the time pass more quickly. So happy that it is almost time!

I filled my prescriptions yesterday and have a week and a day to go. So excited!

Waiting at the surgery center and starting to feel anxious and very nervous. My husband dropped me off and is doing the morning school run. When he returns I will already be in surgery, so it's just me and the iPhone together in this waiting room.

On the way here this morning was the first time I started to really feel worried and scared. It was early for us and the kids were asleep in the back. They knew we were going to the hospital to drop me off, but then when we arrived my 7 year old read the signs. "Wait, Mom you're having surgery?!?"

He asked what the surgery was for and I told him we are putting my body back the way it was before I had kids. (Kiddos are 7 and 4 so I don't think they need any of the details.) The funny thing is, he switched his focus to "Well you're not done having kids, I want a brother!" And my 4 year old chimes in "Yes we want a baby!" Haha no no no. We have discussed it as a family and we are happily done having kids. I told them maybe we will adopt in a few years.

So anyway I am sitting here waiting. Trying to stay busy so I don't spend time worrying and missing my husband and kids.