I am 5'2 weighing in at 136 pounds. - 3 weeks PO - Dallas, TX

First of all-let me say I am not crabby (well, sometimes I am) and my name is not patty. My daughter likes spongebob. :)

I have really enjoyed browsing this website and reading women's stories on why they choose to get a tummy tuck and the recovery period afterword. The stories are relatable so I hope mine is too.

I am 37 years old with three kids. My oldest will be 10 shortly, and I have a 17 month old and a 5 month old. Yes, just 11 months apart and I had c-sections with all three of them. I am 5'2 weighing in at 136 pounds. My husband says I have a stocky cheerleader build, so 136 pounds on me is decent (I wear a 4-6). I am not the type of woman who can walk into a hospital, have a baby, and walk out wearing my size 6 jeans. After each of my pregnacies, I still looked pregnant for a while.

After I had my oldest, I lost the weight pretty well. I never did make it back to what I was when I got pregnant with her (I was 126 pounds). But I got darn close. I had the pooch for sure but I was able to get it pretty small. My ex-husband once pointly looked at my middle when I was holding our daughter, raised an eyebrow then looked away...he wasn't a very nice man which is why I am not married to him anymore. Anyway, after our divorce, I met my husband and we have been married just a tad over two years. We decided to have children right away and planned every detail and sure enough we were blessed with two gorgeous and healthy babies. Because I got pregnant with my 5 month old when my middle one was only three months old, I hadn't lost all the pregnacy weight yet, however I did maintain a healthy weight during all of my pregnancies but I did get pretty darn huge and held it all in my middle.

I am proud to say after a lot of hard work and sheer determination, I am back down to with-in 4 pounds of what I was when I got married which is 132. Then why don't my clothes fit right? Oh yeah, from all the blubber in my middle! When I pick my babies up and hold them....they have a built-in cushy seat attached to mommy! I still look pregnant even though I have lost all my baby weight. I hate it!

So, I have decided to do something about it. Getting a tummy tuck only just really occured to me about a month ago. I am very OCD so once I get my mind hooked on something, I become really hooked. I have done my homework and I feel confident in my decision to go forward with this. Sure, I am nervous and scared, I wouldn't be human if I wasn't but I am confident.

I want this for myself but I also want this for my husband. We are very much in love and we are very passionate both physically and emotionally. Our physical attraction is pretty hot and I can't help but wonder how this tummy tuck will enhance it. My husband says that I look great and that I don't need this done and I know he means it because he can't keep his hands off me. :) This only fuels my fire to look better to him. Make no mistake, I am doing this for myself, but it will sure be fun to watch his reaction to my new flat tummy.

Anyway, that is my story in a nutshell and the reasons why I have chosen to have this surgery. I love my kids with all of my heart, but boy, they did a number on me! My husband is sexy, handsome, and wonderful...I want to keep the fire burning.

By the way, I booked the consult four weeks ago, had the consult earlier this week and scheduled the surgery the next day for the end of August. It is going very fast, but that is how I roll. I will post before pictures soon and of-course after pictures once the surgery is done. Plus, I will write my experience down for anyone to read if they wish. Have a great day!!

Three weeks from Monday!!!! OMG!!

I got my patient packet in the mail yesterday. Kinda made it more official; I felt my eyes go big in my head as looked through all the info. My heart likely skipped a few beats as well......

The info was very informative; a lot of it is common sense and a lot of it is the same info as a c-section. I did read however that my doctor recommends Bromelain and Arnica Montana to be taken after surgery. They both reduce swelling and bruising. Since so many of you report you have had swell hell, I thought I would give it a shot. Found them today at the vitamin store and I also started taking vitamin C today as was recommended. Has anyone else taken these products? If so, did you notice a difference? I suppose anything is worth a shot....

3 weeks from tomorrow! 6:30 am!!!

So, I woke up this morning wondering to myself if I was going to tell my secret to people I know when they comment on how great I look after giving birth 5 months ago.....I might just smile and say thanks and keep my tummy tuck secret to myself!

To tell or not to tell.....