Breast Lift and Augmentation.. My Journey- Short Version:) - Folsom, CA

I'm 34 years old and I have three boys who keep me busy. All were 3 c sections and born prematurely. All were fed breast milk thanks to my Medela Hands Free Breast pump, although my middle child was able to latch on (I was a human pacifier). I'm very short at barely 5'0 and weighed 128 lbs prior to surgery and weighed 133 lbs the day thereafter. I don't know what my ideal weight as I've yo-yo'ed my whole life. This is my lowest weight in 9 years and probably averaged at the 145 lb range. I went from a perky C to a deflated C/D. I started to think about augmentation before my second child was born because I started to notice that I had to start buying underwire bras for more support. Then I got pregnant and pregnant again 12 months later and I decided that 3 children were enough for me and so I got my tubes tied. By the time my youngest was 1, my breasts had deflated so much and it looked like I had tube socks for breasts. Before I decided on taking the next step of actually making a consultation, I had to accept that this may be the most selfish thing for me to do and accept the guilt that come along with it. I am fortunate that I'm a stay at home mom but this procedure isn't cheap. I don't work, I'm not rich, there's so many people going through real problems and here I am spending this money because I'm insecure and don't like how it looks. Having tube socks for breasts is not life threatening, I had to accept all this. This procedure had to be done for me and no one else, not even for my husband. While he is fully supportive, not once did he me make me feel like my breasts are less than perfect. After a year of contemplating and researching, I decided, you know what, I deserve this!
During my consultation, I decided on 350 cc (I'm not sure what I ended up with exactly, I'll know in a few days).
Preparing for July Surgery and what I bought:
- I got So brand hoodies from Kohls. Exactly what I've been looking for.. lightweight (almost see through but not), zip up and a hoodie. I bought 5 at $13 each- this is a perfect hoodie for that summer surgery.
- easy to pull up Yoga pants variety (might as well be comfortable and something I can use later on).. I love Lucy (yes the show and the yoga store)
-Tank dresses at Walgreens (yes, walgreens 2 for $12) Perfect for sleeping. I was able to pull it up from my waist without having to pull it over my head.
-Wedge memory pillow from Amazon (about $40) I have two pillows for my head on top of the wedge and two pillows on each of my side for my arms.. I don't know how I would have been able to sleep without this wedge pillow.. I was very hesitant about this purchase, but so happy I did.
-Lots of fruits already ready cut up in containers, especially pineapples
-Thermos (nice to have a cold drink all night long) My own concoction: EmergenC Tangerine + a squirt of MIO Tangerine + H20 + ice= yummy and hydrated.
-crackers and little snacks next to your recovery area (you will need to eat a little when takings all the meds, I was nauseous a few times)
-Nursing Pads and Panty liners (for those getting an anchor lift). When my husband changed my dressings the night of my surgery, the gauze stuck a little to the incision so the nursing pads were a lot more comfortable and didn't stick at all. I had a box left over of the nursing pads from the last time I was breast feeding ( I don't know why I was happy about that lol). I used the pantyliner for under the breast where the incision is just for extra protection. I was afraid the surgical bra may get on it, but it doesn't. I bought an extra bra from the office so I always have an extra clean one to alternate with.
-All medicines filled, plus antibiotic ointment when dressings are changed. I read that Neosporin is not a good one (I guess a lot of people going through augmentation got some kind of bad reaction to it) so I just got the walgreens brand.

Two Days before Surgery-
Cleaned house. Laundry. Prepared my Recovery area for the next few weeks. Eyebrow and Brazilian Wax. Gave Hubby extra attention (wink wink)

The Night Before:
Showered. Shaved mustache, armpits.. The WORKs. Gave myself an Eminence Facial -Pear and Poppy Seed Polisher and Pineapple peel. Gave myself a Gel manicure and pedicure (amazon) :) I'm a DIY kind of mom.

The morning of Surgery (arrival time at 7:15am):
Showered and wore a hoodie with easy to pull up yoga pants and Sanuk slippers (which are the most comfortable I think) I did wear a bra going there.
Got home around 10am. Ate some Keebler crackers (I don't do Saltines, I love the buttery crispy kind) Took meds and slept all day. Husband changed dressings at night. Nursing Pads to the rescue.
The Day After:
Probably the worse out of all the days.. Getting in and out of the bed without having to use your hands was hard at first. There was a lot of core usage to get up and it's not like my husband can help me up using my hands.lol The wedge pillow is really helpful. (By the way, teach your husband to french braid or braid your hair- that's an awesome quality my husband has) On another note, I felt torpedoes were bulging out of my chest. Take pictures of your progress. While you don't care about it at the time, you will want to see your progress (well, I do) and I'm very camera shy (hence the no pictures)
Day 2:
Still on meds but feeling a little better.
Day 3:
I had some shooting pain on my left breast in the nipple area and very slight bleeding when I woke up.
Day 4:
Still on meds but not taking vicodin every 4 hours.. trying to extend it 6 hours. I had a full on shower and felt so good. I couldn't wash my hair or wash my chest area for 4 days. Hubby washed everything else the past few nights.. sang the song "My humps my humps, my lovely ladely lumps.. check it out" to give Hubby some entertainment while he was cleaning me. He's been so awesome. I still feel swollen but not so tight.. still getting shooting pains on left nipple after laying down for a bit.
While I have major Frankenboobs, it looks good so far.:)