The long awaited Mommy Makeover - 10 days post op and beyond excited

I had my first baby at 16 and my last at 22. I don't even remember what my stomach looked like pre-babies but I was curvy and cute and confident. I lost that, and for 20 years covered it up with Miraclesuit brand swimsuits and cute beach dresses. I told my husband years ago that when the time was right I was putting things back where they belonged. I knew my ab muscles had separated but didn't know how much, and it never mattered how much weight I lost I always still had a hanging pooch in front. In fact at one point my husband told me to stop loosing weight because things just looked worse! I saved and saved for years, and when I had the money the hunt for the right surgeon began. The third time was the charm and well worth the wait! I had surgery with Dr Benjamin Mandel on January 3, 2023. And I get more excited about the results every day! I'm 5'1 and went into surgery at about 137lbs. I had been at 130, but ended up gaining a few right before. I had a tummy tuck with muscle repair - turns out I had about a 3 inch muscle separation! The worst part of recovery was definitely the ab repair. I also had some lipo of the flanks (not quite as much as I would have liked but they say it takes months to see the full effect). I also had a breast lift. I told the doctor that I was all in for high and tight and them not falling into my armpits when I laid down! Dr. Mandel seriously under promised, bluntly stating the things he could change and the things he could not- and incredibly over delivered. I am 10 days post op today and beyond excited about what is to come. Recovery has been a BEAST! I am a go- getter, no slacking kind of gal and cannot believe how exhausted I am all the time still. I developed a hematoma in my right breast the first night so I was back in surgery to get that fixed less than 12 hours after I was discharged. But both Dr. Mandel and his assistant Michelle showed up first thing and worked their magic. My incisions looked excellent and they're concern for my overall health is a top priority. I would recommend them to absolutely anybody.

When I posted my first post I didn't load pictures so I wanted to add some now. There are several from the weeks before and also several from one week post op. Lots of bruising and I can barely stand, but want to document week by week.

As many of the other reviewers said, days 10-13 were hard. I was emotional, feeling ridiculous for putting myself through this, feeling like a burden on my husband (who has been the most supportive and fabulous nurse, however unqualified and unprepared!). My binder has never really fit correctly and now it’s quite noticeable. It’s way too big above the belly button so I was not getting the support or compression I needed there, especially considering how much muscle repair they did on my abs. I also got a bare minimum of lipo on the upper hip area which has had no compression and seems to be swollen and popping out from where the binder ends. After chatting with a super helpful nurse, we’ve begun using an ace bandage to create compression and support between my boobs and my belly button and I decided on my own to start wearing tight bike shorts as underwear for hip compression. It seems to be working as the swelling is moving from those two areas to the lower part of my belly now. The bruising has lightened up considerably. I’m still not standing up straight yet. Still sleeping in a recliner. I’m cleared to drive but have been either too nervous or too tired to venture out. Started working from home this week. That’s been great to keep my mind busy but my body still. I’m sick of the binders and the twice daily bandage changes and the overall recuperation- but am reminded of why I did it all when I feel and see the nice tight skin on my stomach. I’m reminding myself to trust the process. I have my next post op next week where they will likely remove the stitches in my breasts. I’m super excited for that. I have a lot of sensation in my nipples and the stitches poking into the bandages is weird. I’m very neutral on my belly button so far. It was covered in gushy floppy skin for so long I have no idea if it used to look like this or not!