How Mommy Got Her Groove Back!

I am writing this review 1 year post procedure so that I could offer a review on what to expect from full recovery (which is a long process). I had the Mommy Makeover done in June 2017 and added additional liposuction procedures of the upper arms and the chin area to better define my jawline and reduce appearance of a double chin. I also added breast augmentation to make me more proportionate as despite my weight gain I had always had a smaller chest. An important note about the Mommy Makeover is that the tummy tuck does not include lipo of the upper abdomen. So while you will see significant improvement to the tightening of the lower abdomen and reduction in size of the hips and thighs, additional lipo may be suggested post recovery. This area is also be more easily impacted by diet and excercise and if you are truly committed to your investment in the Mommy Makeover, lifestyle changes should be part of your goal to maintain results. My starting size going into the procedure was a women's size 14, 38 Large B to Small C chest size and I was weighing in at about 184 lbs. For reference on how this measures on a BMI scale I am 5' 8" tall.

At the time of the prodedure I was 39 years old and 3 years past having my 1st child. I had a very difficult pregnancy and my son ended up being born with a genetic disorder that left him developmentally delayed and requiring significantly more care than a typical child. Putting all my time and energy into his care on top of a full time demanding career only led to additional weight gain post pregnancy. This made it very difficult for me to find the time, energy and motivation to work out and diet off the baby weight. I did notice though that I had plateaued on my weight gain. I wasn't continuing to gain weight but I was about 30 lbs heavier than my goal weight. The other issue I had was that a couple of the areas I was most disappointed with (my abdomen and chest) were not going to see the desired results from working out and dieting alone. There was essentially flab and sag that wasn't going to bounce back and would heavily benefit from cosmetic tightening and lifting.

At the point that I decided to book a consult, I was becoming painfully aware of how my flab and sag was impacting my perception of myself. I wasn't feeling attractive and this was subconciously affecting my sex drive and subsequently my relationship with my now husband. I had even been putting off planning our wedding due to dreading what I would look like in wedding pictures. After a consult with Bruneteau and seeing his results first hand from friends who had also seen him for precedures, I was convinced that the Mommy Makeover was the only way I personally was going to get my groove back. I had been doing so much for my son and my career that I had de-prioritized focussing on myself and surgery presented an opportunity to quickly re-prioritize me.

I will admit that as excited as I was about the prospect of fast results, I was scared about the pain and recovery process. I kept telling myself though that any pain would be temporary in the grand scheme of things and was confident the results would be worth the pain. I was also in sticker shock over the cost of the procedures. Again, I kept telling myself that this was a life long investment with potentially priceless reward and that the cost would more than pay for itself in returning my self-confidence. I knew that I couldn't overthink it or it wouldn't happen, so on the day of consult, I booked my procedure for 2 weeks following and put down my deposit on the spot to help ensure I wouldn't change my mind.

The procedure induced some of the worst post op pain I've experienced. I felt like I had been beat up. I could barely walk and moving from standing to sitting was also incredibly painful. Fortunately, the worst of the pain exponentially decreased day by day and was managed to tolerable levels by the post op meds. The 1st week was most difficult from a pain perspective. Anyone considering the procedure should probably plan on being homebound for at least 1 week. It is advisable to have someone who can be with you periodically throughout the day for that 1st week to help with daily activities. Bathing also won't happen for most of the 1st week due to incisions. Trust me, noone will want to see you that 1st week :-) The 2nd week was significantly better. However, due to compression garments and incision drain tubes, it still wasn't practical to be doing much out of the house. I was up and around and doing more of my daily activities but at a slower pace and still with some discomfort. I have a job where I can work from home and took advantage of that option for my 2nd week of recovery. By the 3rd week, I was able to complete most of my daily activities with minimal discomfort or need for assistance and at that time returned to work.

As far as results, even with the significant swelling post surgery, I could see immediate results. by 6 weeks post surgery the swelling was greatly reduced and results were noticeable enough that I was already needing smaller sized clothes. 3 months post surgery was when I felt the majority of the swelling was gone and 6 months post surgery was when it appeared nearly all of it was gone. By 6 months out I was maintaining at about 10 lbs lost and 4 inches on the waist line (going from a size 14 to size 10 / 34 inch to 30 inch pant waist). I did experience some numbness in the abdomen and the nipples where even a year out, full sensation has not returned. I have not found this to be a detractor in comparison to how much better everything looks. It was something that was positioned during consult a risk of the surgery so I was prepared for this being part of the experience and this is not cause for me to regret making the decision. I also have scarring on the bikini line and under the breasts that are still quite visible a year out. They will continue to lighten but I don't think they will likely ever lighten to the point where they aren't noticeable at all. The good thing is that these will always be covered by traditional undergarments so even in a swimsuit the scarring should not be noticeable.

Around the 6 month mark I also committed to cleaner low carb eating first trying a Paleo diet and finally settling on Keto. In the first 2 months on that diet I dropped another 10 lbs which lost me an inch around the bustline and reduced much of the bloating in my upper abdomen which would have otherwise been benefitted by additional liposuction. So at 1 year out I am now 40 years old. I now weigh about 164 lbs, am a 36 Large D to Small Double D, a women's size 10 / 30 inch pant waist. Due to my increased bust size, I only went from a size 14 to a size 12 in dresses.

I am extremely satisfied with my results. I am not skinny but feel I look healthy and my curves are more proportionate and attractively sculpted. I regained my confidence, my sex drive improved and I finally planned my wedding with resulting pictures that I felt truly beautiful in. Seeing the results also gave me the motivation to commit to a healthier lifestyle which has me looking forward to seeing further results as time goes on.

I would definitely recommend Bruneteau and his partners to help anyone achieve similar results.