PO Day 28: WOW - Love My Mommy Makeover Results! - Newport Beach, CA

I am 36 years old, 5'6" and a very athletic 143 pounds. After breastfeeding both of my kids, my former B cup breasts are now so small and saggy that they barely fill my bra. The skin on my stomach is loose and wrinkly, and my stomach walls push out like a bowl.

I've exercised my body down to 21% body fat, so by now it's pretty clear that this "potbelly" look I've got is permanent without surgical intervention. At first, I was planning to have a breast augmentation only. However, after 3 consultations, I learned that I need a mastopexy (aka a breast lift) as well.

I was thinking about doing the abdominoplasty (aka tummy tuck) in the future, but I found out that doing them at the same time would save me at least a week in recovery time. If it takes ~7 days to heal the BA and ~14 days to heal the TT, I figured why not do them both at once and minimize the amount of time I needed to take off work? I consulted with 3 doctors and was surprised at how different each one was in terms of technique, philosophy, office staff, etc.

The first doctor had by far the best office staff. He did beautiful breasts and tummy tucks, and I was ready to sign right then! The second doctor had even more impressive tummy tucks, but I thought his breasts looked more like round-balls-under-chest vs. natural. I considered having one doctor do my breasts and the other do my tummy tuck, but that meant I'd have to deal with recovery from 2 different surgeries. Ummm... Not what I had in mind.

Finally, I consulted with the 3rd doctor. His office was the least organized (He was 50 minutes late for my appointment!), but I was very impressed by him, his credentials, his testimonials, and his explanations. When he explained his breast augmentation and lift approach, I felt that his technique was comparable to the first doctor. However, when he explained to me why he suggested an extended tummy tuck with some liposuction vs. a regular tummy tuck with no lipo, I was convinced that his method would give me a better result. He suggested liposuction for my inner thighs as well (something I would like but hadn't realized could be done all at the same time), and after thinking about it, I realized that while I felt confident about both my first and third surgeons, I would probably be happiest with the more complete package of procedures. So, I paid my deposit today ($2400) and locked in my surgery date: Monday, March 26, 2012.

Here we go!

Whew. Now that I have set a date and moved from research mode into reality, I can't stop thinking about worst case scenarios! I am amazed that this surgery is going to take 7 hours. 7 hours!! Sure, I am healthy and all, but that just seems like a long time! I called my doctor's office and one of the staff members pointed out that her 72-year-old grandmother had a facelift that took even longer than that. Ok, so it's not the longest of the long, but still... I'm going to do a little more reading up on typical surgery durations. I wonder if 7 hours is typical of a Mommy Makeover...? I think I will feel more calm once I get more data re: how/whether the length of surgery impacts a person's risk profile. !

Wow! My girlfriends are so supportive! We had a mom's night out dinner and I told them that I was going to have a mommy makeover. They were all so positive and caring and excited for me, asking if they could do anything to help post-op. Aww! I was touched. Turns out several of my friends are planning mommy makeovers once they stop breastfeeding, too! After reading other Real Self reviews where women are forced to struggle in secret, I am so thankful that I don't have to hide my surgery from my friends and family. I feel fortunate to have a big support network. Interesting that there is no stigma here against plastic surgery - is it really so commonplace? Guess that's one benefit of living in Orange County, California! :P