BA Scheduled, Age 46, 34A After BF

I started out as a 34B and was satisfied with how I looked. After breastfeeding my first three babies, I was only 25 years old and horrified and traumatized to see what had happened to my breasts. I knew then that when we were finished having our family, I would pursue a BA. I filled out when pregnant and breastfeeding but deflated to little saggy baggies in between each baby. I weaned our youngest last March, have been researching since September, and am scheduled in December for what amounts to reconstructive surgery. I know there's a stigma to getting a BA amongst the people in my circles, so I'm avoiding that stress by only telling a few close and supportive friends. If pregnancy and breastfeeding meant all my teeth fell out, we would do whatever we needed to fix my teeth, for goodness' sake! But I am a modest person and would be mortified if anyone noticed the change, so I'm putting on a few pounds so they think I've just gained a bit. I am going for a natural look similar to how I looked when engorged after a birth, which was a 34D. I want to be as big as I can go without being obvious when clothed, but am not concerned about upper pole fullness or cleavage, having never had either of those. Dr. Reedy and his staff have been great to work with so far. He said I have about as much breast tissue to work with as a cancer patient, and he recommends 360cc, 375cc, or 410cc under the muscle. I'm probably going with the middle ground, but I'm not planning to make a final decision on size, etc, until my pre-op appointment next Monday, December 3rd. I'm getting excited to look and feel like a woman again and not have to make love in the pitch dark!

This week, I had my pre-op appointment, and we decided on 375cc moderate profile Soft Touch Natrelle implants. The Soft Touch implants are a higher cost but were designed for people like me with thin skin and very little breast tissue, to avoid the appearance of rippling on the upper pole. Anyone else here in my age bracket who is thin like me and has the Soft Touch implants? I'm trying to keep my expectations realistic, because I'm starting out in such poor shape, but of course I hope that the risk, expense, and inconvenience of this surgery will have a good result! Dr. Reedy and his nurse and patient coordinator all assured me his job will look beautiful, and that I would be happy with it! He said the surgery would be easier to perform on me than on someone with tighter skin who hadn't had babies.

I would love to hear all the tips out there for helping oneself heal well and quickly! So far, I've collected a neck pillow, hot/cold breast packs, arnica tablets, micropore surgical tape, and front closing tops. I'm worried I'll have trouble falling asleep on my back! I've been taking multivitamins plus iron and extra C and D. My dil offered to drive me to and from surgery, then my husband is taking over. He's driving me to the post-op the next day.

I bought a couple of pieces of lingerie this week and plan to take before and after photos in one of them.

Since my BA is scheduled less than a week before Christmas, I've been busy enough with holiday prep to keep me from obsessing too much over the surgery! I told my family that my December only goes to the 19th this year, and they'll have to take over for me after that! Lol
It's not the surgery itself that gives me nerves. I've been through medical stuff before. It's the emotional side of this whole thing, especially the worry that people will notice. Trying to face that fear now!