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POSTED UNDER Mommy Makeover REVIEWS

***POST OP PICS POSTED***Twin Mommy Ready to Bring Sexy Back! - Tampa, FL

ORIGINAL POST

Okay ladies...I was going to wait until I was 8...

christmas2012September 24, 2012
WORTH IT$14,000

Okay ladies...I was going to wait until I was 8 weeks out to start sharing this journey with you, but I'm starting a couple of weeks early. I'm so excited, nervous, terrified, that I cannot contain myself any longer.

A little about me. I'm a 34-year old African-American mother of 3 children,ages 7, and my twins will be 2 in October. I carried them full term, and they both weighed over 6 pounds when they were born. I'm so blessed that they both arrived totally healthy, but carrying them reaked havoc on my body.

I have severe diastasis as a result of my pregnancies, which in turn has caused severe neck and back problems, as well as digestive problems for the past two years. I basically don't have any core muscles at all, and I never realized how important my core muscles were until I didn't have any. Boo!

I decided to have my procedure done with Dr. Jamie Perez. From the moment I met him I knew he was the one for me. I'm having a full TT, BA, BL and Lipo of the flanks. Although, since my intitial consultation with him, I've decided to go larger on the implants, and I'm hoping that at pre-op I can talk him out of the lift. I really, really don't want the scarring and I'm worried about losing nipple sensitivity.

I've been wanting to do this since I delivered my 7 year old, but obviously needed to wait until I was done having children. My husband and friends have been extremely supportive. Mom, on the other hand, would rather me just wear a girdle the rest of my life...in Florida...NOT!

I can't tell you what looking like this over the past two years has done to my self esteem. I mean, I know I'm beautiful and everything, but my body is sooooo distorted now. I try to avoid the mirror whenever possible when I'm naked. I don't want the hubs to see me naked. I don't want to put on a swimsuit or lingerie. Nothing fits right anymore. The twins lift my shirt, see my belly, and say, "ouchie, Mommy," because of all the wrinkled, hanging skin I have on (what was) my stomach. I have to wear spanks or a girdle anytime I go out. SUCKS! I was a stay-at-home mom with the twins, but I actually decided to go back to work so that I could afford to do this for myself.

I'm excited to share this journey with you. This site has been AMAZING for me in my decision making process. I'd like to lose about 6-7 pounds before my procedure. So, I guess it's time to get serious about excercise and diet...after our vacation in a couple of weeks. ;-)

I'll post pics soon, after a couple of glasses of wine. I've been so busy hiding my body over that past few years that I don't know if I'll ever really get enough courage to post them. But I'll try...I promise.

I welcome your comments or questions. Thank you all for sharing this journey with me!

christmas2012's provider

Jaime Perez, MD

Jaime Perez, MD

Board Certified Plastic Surgeon

4.4 | 113 Reviews
PROFILE

christmas2012 rating for Dr. Perez:

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Replies (6)

twinsmomma
September 24, 2012
I completely get where you are coming from after having twins! I have twins who are 4 yrs old now that I carried full term. My belly went from 24" before their prdnancy out to 50" the day if their CSection! The absolutely destroy your core muscles and that was a main reason for me in doing this surgery. I am post-op day3 now and it hasn't been too bad. I highly recommend you ask them to place a pain pump for your TT. I know that was a life saver for me. The Doctor removed 12" of skin from my belly button down , pretty icky, huh? Then he said the muscles were separated 2 1/2-3" all the way up to my sternum. Surgery is well worth it and you will get lots of encouragement and knowledge from this site! Good luck to you!!!
christmas2012
September 25, 2012
Wow! I wonder how much skin they will get from me. Thanks so much for the pain pump recommendation! I will put it on my list of questions...I sure hope he has it!
twinsmomma
September 25, 2012
He should, I think they all do. Only scarey thing with it is that you have to remove it yourself (I was terrified of that). It runs from sternum down to belly button, so, it is long, but doesn't hurt in the lest to pull slowly out, trust me! Cost was $250. I wouldn't bother with one for breast, that pain was bearable for me, at least :) good luck to you!
AboutTime4Me
September 25, 2012
Congratulations on your decision!!!! I know it's hard to put yourself first, but I'm so glad for you that you didn't put it off for years & years. I read your concern about not wanting a BL, and wanted to talk the dr out of it. I did that with my first augmentation 16 years ago. He warned that I would just end up sagging over the implant. He was right.. (You can see my picture in my review.) my new dr did a different kind of lift I haven't seen mentioned anywhere. He called it 'sculpting' and it didn't leave me with the obvious scar down the middle of the lower half of my breast, but instead it curves away off to the side, almost unnoticeable... It will even be less noticeable at the scar fades. You should look into it. Best of luck to you!!!
christmas2012
September 25, 2012
I WILL look into it for sure. And thanks for the good point about the lift...the PS has been doing this for a long time, so I know he suggested it for a reason. I'll check out your pics! Thanks for the support. :-)
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Angie_M
September 25, 2012

I'm glad you started your story! It's not too early at all. We love to be here for you the whole way through the process. If you haven't already, check out this list of supplies to get for your recovery.

UPDATED FROM christmas2012
2 months pre

Hi all! I'm back from our family vacation, and...

christmas2012October 14, 2012
Hi all! I'm back from our family vacation, and counting down the weeks until I kiss all of this gross skin goodbye! I'm posting pics today too. I've been very busy hiding my body for the past two years so this takes a LOT of courage. I guess this is a good way to document this experience though. My emotions are all over the place. The closer I get to surgery date, the more I second guess my decision. My biggest fear, other than not waking up from surgery, is that my tummy tuck scar will be too high and I'll look like I should've starred in one of the "Saw" movies. :-/ I'm also worried about going too large/small with my implants. I think I want to be a full D, but I get mixed responses when I say that to my friends. Some say, "that's too large," and some say "you'll look great." I may need to just stop talking about it with people because everyone says something different.

Anyway, it's time to take off these last 6-8 pounds. I'm low carbing it from here on out. I here it's a good idea to have a high protein diet anyway because it helps with muscle repair after surgery. So, until next time!

Replies (5)

twinsmomma
October 14, 2012
I am excited for December to get here for you! I'm 3 wks post-op getting my twin-belly fixed and it's amazing how much stronger and better I feel compared to pre-op. You should be feeling good for XMas!
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5wreckingballs
October 14, 2012
I'm with twinsmamma, get the pain pump it was awesome! Just pulled mine yesterday, it was NBd. Hey, congrats on being a mom, carrying twins to such a healthy full term, WOW! And now for reclaimiming your hotness! We're all here doing the same thing so you have a huge bunch of gals to support you! Plan on getting lots of help with the kids so you can just rest rest rest til your back together. Can't wait to,see your story unfold! :)
Mom3lovebugs
October 14, 2012
Hi there! My breasts look similar to yours and my surgeon does NOT want to do a lift... he says I can get the look I want (more fullness) with just an implant placed correctly. My surgery is in 4 days so I can keep you posted on how it all turns out. :)
42Mommyof3
October 15, 2012
Welcome to RS, Christmas! This is the best place for MM support! My DH laughs at me cuz I'm on here reading updates & posting more than I am on FB now! I'm 12 days PO & finally had the courage to get out if the house this weekend. Anyway, with my MM, I never had much for boobs to begin with so anything bigger than what I had (I was a very small 34A) of course seemed too big. My 1st two consults recommended 300-330cc silicone submuscular. My 3rd consult, the PS I ended up going with suggested 375's! I must've gone back to his office about 3-4 times to try on sizers. Story short, I went with the 375's. I think they look great considering. My boobs must be settling cuz now my DH keeps saying I should've gone bigger! I can't imagine. I'm pretty petite, 5'2" & about 102lbs. My BA brought me to a 34C which was my goal. Talk to your PS & staff. Mine were great with recommendations. As far as my TT, the incision does look a bit more freaky than my 3 C-sections only cuz it goes from hip to hip & now I'm noticing a dog ear. Not pretty at all! I don't mean to be discouraging. But you're going to hear PLENTY of stories on this site. Guess its time for me to shut up. I look forward to hearing your updates & posts! Hang in there everything will be fine! Can't wait to see your transformation! Good luck!
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TwoPlusOne
October 16, 2012
Congratulations on posting pictures! It will really help you remember why you're doing this once everything's done and you're swelling and in pain. Funny, I look at your breasts and think yep, I'd pay for those! :P. But you'll love your new ones when you get them! Good luck with the weight loss!
UPDATED FROM christmas2012
13 days pre

Soooooo, I didn't pass my EKG. SOOO bummed. I'm...

christmas2012November 20, 2012
Soooooo, I didn't pass my EKG. SOOO bummed. I'm two weeks out from my procedure, and now this. My doctor has me on a heart monitor for the next 24-hours. They are thinking maybe I'm just really nervous and worked up. It would really suck to have to try to reschedule all of this. Everyone has scheduled off of work to help out, we already purchased a family members airline ticket to come help for 2 weeks, it's the best time of year for me to get off of work. I'm so, so frustrated. Well, I guess now all I can do is try to relax.

Replies (5)

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TwoPlusOne
November 21, 2012
I find it odd that they gave you an EKG at your age. I'm three years older and didn't get one. I suppose every doc is different. I love what you said about not being able to digest food properly. I have the same problem, but had no idea it could be from the diastasis. I had twins, too. They'll be three in January! I had a scheduled C-section at 39 weeks but my babies were much smaller than yours--just under 6 pounds each. And even my diastasis was bad. Yours must be horrible :(. I REALLY hope you get this MM for Christmas. Good luck!
twinsmomma
November 21, 2012
I hope you're able to relax and pass your heart monitor testing with flying colors. My thoughts are with you :)
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Blonde in bluffton
November 21, 2012
When will you know about your EKG? Hope it works out:-)
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Blonde in bluffton
November 21, 2012
I forgot to ask what size implants are you going with?
christmas2012
November 29, 2012
300 to 325 silicone. What about you?
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