My 40th birthday - Mommy Makeover - El Paso, TX

This year has been the journey of change for me. The first week or 2 after my MM, I doubted myself- my boobs were huge and swollen, I couldn't walk upright, drains...ugh, and every time my husband would put his hand on me I would jump from the crazy numbness I felt. I asked myself daily "what did I get myself into?!" But time went on and I started taking little walks that turned into long walks 1-2months out. Then the garment came off and I started fitting back into my work clothes. Right around 2-3 months out I was going to Pilates and yoga again with minimal adjustments to my regular routine. By mid summer (4 mos out) I realized everything I owned was too big for me and had my suits all taken in. At the end of summer, my husband and I went to Maui and I went bikini shopping for the 1st time in my new body. That was my real a-ha moment. I tried everything on without hesitation or frustration... Even some crazy bikinis my daughter picked out for me. Everything looked amazing, I was in shock and elated. That combined with the end of season clearance rack resulted in me having a different bikini for almost every day of the trip. Now, a day or 2 before that trip, I injured my SI (sacral-illiyiac) in my back causing pinched nerves. This exercise-based injury landed me in the ER in Maui, multiple steroid shots, a month's worth of PT, and 2 epidural steroidal injections. It also opened my eyes to realize something about myself- I over exercise & can not continue this pattern into my 40's. I went back to my PS to inquire about lipo for my hips and thighs as a lot of traditional booty, leg, and hip exercises were off limits to me due to my back- think squats, lunges, anything w/forward bending movements. My doc suggested the BBL with the lipo. I am not suggesting that PS should be used instead of exercise for results...but as I get older my body doesn't recover as well and I have had to change my work outs to protect my back. I am comfortable using PS in conjunction w/exercise and clean eating to get where I have always wanted to be w/my body. I digressed a bit, my point about the pain initially from MM is that time will minimize your recollection of it and after all the swelling really went down (4-5 months out) and the implants settle, and you don't have to sleep w/a pillow hugged into your mid section; it is easy to think you can go through it again for the results. I was more nervous about the BBL than the MM because I had a better sense of what the pain was going to be like after. I kept going back and forth about how big to go for my booty. I love the way a big round booty looks but didn't think I wanted to live that in my daily life of work and kids. My doc was patient and amazing with all my pre surgery questions and I went in for it Thurs 12/12/13. I sent in my review for that already... So look me up to see how that journey unfolds:-) will post pics there too as I progress.

At first I just wanted to have my breasts lifted for my 40th birthday so I began shopping doctors. When one showed me the before and after from the MM, I was sold on that idea. I am 5"8 and had 2 c-sections. My abs were never going to be the same from just exercise or diet. I am a work out girl, I have been doing yoga, running, kickboxing, and barre Pilates my whole life. I had my MM with the anticipation that 10 days off work would be sufficient ....way wrong. It was a 12 hour surgery- breast augmentation, implants, lipo, and the tummy tuck. I went home w/2 drains and could not stand up straight. The 1st week was brutal. The 2nd week was better. By week 3 I could walk around the block almost upright. The drains came out during week 2. I underestimated the recovery time and severity. But... I also underestimated the after results. By mid summer I could do pretty much everything as before , I can even do a complete backbend in yoga again. I do have some numbness, but no regrets. My abs are mind blowing now and I don't have to wear a bra around the house anymore. I was so pleased w/my results that I went back for a BBL yesterday w/same doc. Recovery is about an eighth of the MM. I can't wait for the swelling to go down so I can see those results. Before MM weight 174 lbs and a 36C up top with the kind of breasts that belong in National Geographic. Post MM 160 lbs and very natural looking 34D's.