35 Years Old, After 2 Children - Calgary, AB

I had my last child 4 years ago and woke up every morning wondering how on earth I was going cover up by big tummy. That resulted in me wearing Spanx EVERYDAY. I knew from the moment I had my first child that my tummy would never be the same and I knew that it was time to do something about it. I had lost the extra weight and weighed less then before I got pregnant, after maintaining the weight for over the year I booked my consults with a couple of doctors in Calgary (Dr Whidden and Dr Dawes). After some consideration, I felt more comfortable with Dr Whidden and went ahead and booked. His confidence in his belly buttons was what tilted the scales in his favour, and I have to say I was not disappointed! The weight time was quite a bit longer with Dr Whidden as I booked in September and didn't have surgery until February.

The Surgery
Right before the surgery I started having doubts about whether I had made the right decision or not. Had I lost enough weight? What if something happened during surgery or after? My husband was extremely supportive. My friends and extended family as well.

I had my surgery on February 6th and everything went well. I woke and threw up but 4 minutes later I was up and trying to go to the bathroom. The nurse in recovery was amazing. Very supportive and helpful. I left recovery a couple of hours later, getting into the car was by far the worst part! I spent the next few days in bed, sleeping in my V position and taking my drugs religiously. My husband took care of the kids and me, cooked, cleaned and went above and beyond. I couldn't have done this without his support. I wore my compression stockings that went up to my thighs for 5 days, that and the drains were probably the worst. I had my drains removed on 5 days later, and while high as kite from the Oxycoden that day they didn't hurt at all to have removed, but boy did I feel better afterward!

I went back to work on day 13 PO, still a little sore and feeling as though I couldn't quite stand up 100% straight. Now on week 3, I'm feeling much better, not doing everything 100% but getting there.

Emotionally, it has been a roller coaster. Someday's I'm so happy that I did it, other days I wonder if it was worth it. The results are fantastic, my friends and sister are impressed with my results. My Husband still tells me he loved me either way, but I can tell he's impressed. Putting on a t-shirt and now worrying about my belly (WITHOUT SPANXs) was by far the best feeling.

I know that I'm still getting there, and am looking forward to seeing what my tummy looks like in a couple of months when all the swelling is gone. The scar is looking good, I've been using the silicone strip for the last week and it seems to be working. I do have a bit of a ledge above my right hip by my incision which I believe is from the swelling still because it looks better in the morning but will see what the doctor says at my 6 week follow up appointment.

Overall, I'd do it all over again. The pain wasn't as bad as I thought it would be and just feeling better about my body was worth every penny.

Note that the cost is in CND.

I'm pretty sure I over did it this week. I attempted dance class at 3.5 weeks and for the first time took my binder off all day. I felt pretty swollen and tight at the end of the day, but it was nice to feel free! Looking forward to burning that thing once the doctor give me the all clear. My belly button is looking a little red today and a thin dark line is appearing right below it. Not too sure what it is?!?! Finally starting to feel somewhat human again but still having a bit of numbness all over my tummy.

Finally, found some time to post pictures. Now at the 7 week mark and feeling human again. I still have a few numb parts around my belly and lots of swelling on days when I do a bit more. Still haven't slept on my tummy, not sure if it is fear or just have gotten used it. Had my first massage this week and it was amazing, so probably can go back to laying on my tummy! Had my 6 week check up with Dr. Whidden on the 18th of March. He was very happy with the results and so am I. The silicone scar strips seem to be working well, the nurse mentioned commented on how good the scar looked. That was probably one of my biggest fears - that the scar would look awful - very happy with the improvement thanks to the silicone strips - highly recommend them!