Goodbye Baby Belly! - Las Vegas, NV

Before I start, I have not had my surgery yet but I had to choose a rating and I chose worth it because I know it will be! My story is pretty much the same as most of the other women here on this website that have gotten, or are thinking about getting a tummy tuck. I was married at 20 and had my daughter when I was 21. I loved being pregnant, but I dreaded the fact that I knew that my body was going to be ruined. It happened to my older sisters so I knew that it would happen to me. My husband and I were both in the Army and I was working out 2-3 times a day, so I was quite fit. I was always at a steady 129lbs. I am 5'2" but according to army standards, I was considered overweight. I have never had a tiny body and I never will, I am not built that way. I was always happy with my body though...until I became a mom. After I had my daughter, I did lose all the baby weight, but my stomach was dis-gus-ting! I was super embarassed to show my husband when he got back from Iraq. I felt bad that when he deployed I was not even showing and when he came back I had a totally different(disgusting)body. Fortunately, he has never made that an issue and has always reassured me that he loves me no matter what. Fast forward to my current situation. I had my son last year and I started out my pregnancy pretty high, I believe around 155ish? Big jump from the first time, but what can I say? I am going to be 30 next year and I haven't kept the most active lifestyle. Anyways, my second pregnancy basically just filled up my deflated balloon of a belly again and then added on a few more stretch marks to top it off...whatever, I was excused for being fat at the time so I didn't care, how much worse could it get?...A lot I guess, lol! My sister and I were 2 months a part in our pregnancies and we had the same body issues before that. So now that we are certain that we are done with having babies, we have decided that it's time to stop living with our miserable bellies. We have been researching plastic surgeons, reading reviews, going on consultations, watching every possible tummy tuck video on youtube, talking, talking, talking....and now...we are finally going through with it! My reason for doing this is simple. I am truly unhappy in my own body. I am not lazy and trying to find a quick solution of losing weight, I have worked out and dieted before, but I am always going to be left with the disgusting stretched out stomach. After a while, it's like, what's the point when I am still going to hate my body. It's a horrible feeling to not be comfortable in your own skin. Another reason is that I want to be able to wear whatever I want and not have to worry about flab hanging out/over, or rolls showing through, or reaching for something and someone getting a glance of my stretchmarks. If it's hot, I want to go swimming in something other than a total coverup granny style swimsuit...I live in Vegas for gosh sakes! I don't want to be stuck wearing the same 5 outfits that I have been wearing for the past how many years. I want to be able to buy jeans that don't go all the way up to my boobs so they will hold in the belly. Yadda, yadda, yadda, sounds really superficial, but this is something that I have dealt with since I was 21 and it sucks to be an adult that is self-conscious about their body. I thought that was something that only teenagers have to deal with. I am doing this surgery for myself and no one else. There should be no other reason for plastic surgery other than to make you feel better about yourself. Well, on Monday I am calling the doctor's office and setting a date! I already know that this is going to be an emotional roller coaster for me and I am trying to prepare myself by reading other women's blogs and telling myself that I deserve to get this done and it will be worth it in the end. Wish me luck!

P.S. It kills me to show pictures but the pictures everyone else posts have been so helpful that it only seems right that I do the same. Besides...I'm not going to look like that much longer!!!

OMG! My pre op is on wednesday! Surgery scheduled for Monday the 26th! I'm so excited and anxious at the same time, it's all happening so fast but I am ready. I am glad I don't have a long wait because I will drive myself crazy with my thoughts. Part of me is just expecting something to go wrong or delay my surgery, don't know why, maybe just nerves? Expecting doc to say, "sorry, lab results aren't what we wanted." I don't know, just running through worst-case scenarios. Still talking with sister about the whole sleeping situation, I am open to any suggestions. Recliner, hospital bed, couch, floor? Also gotta figure out what I need at home too.

Had my pre op today and getting more and more excited about surgery day! I only have a few more days left with this belly and I will NOT be sad to see it go! Took pre op pics...talk about embarassing, sister and I could not stop laughing and my surgical panties. They were folded up and packaged, sitting on my seat and I thought it was a lenscloth. Lol when the nurse said to put them on:) So excited I cant wait!!!!