Tummy Tuck for Mama: Putting Humpty Dumpty Back Together - Thousand Oaks, CA

I never doubted the positive outcome that would be my post surgery body, but I can out officially say that I am a believer. Was it the Monkees who said "Then I saw her face, now I'm a believer" ?? Swap belly with face and you got yourself a new song.

Sunday the 18th was exactly a month postop and I can now say that I am very pleased with my results. I'm not saying that I wasn't pleased before, but I just didn't have enough of a visual to really understand what they did to me and how it has improved my body.

At this point I am 99% standing up straight. It's such a relief. I hated looking like an old lady all hunched over. I just have to be more conscious about rolling my shoulders back. That roundedness is not attractive. I didn't pay all this money for a hot new body just to look like my grandmother.

The tightness is definitely still there, but not so much that it takes over my entire feeling and awareness. I think it has helped that about two weeks ago I stopped sleeping with my legs propped up. Now I can sleep on my back with my legs straight out, which kind of helps my abdominal area stretch out. That stretch during my sleep makes my waking hours much more comfortable. I would suggest to anyone who feels up to it that they should sleep without their knees being propped up as soon as the doctor gives them the OK. Really helps with the lengthening of the body.

I'm pretty much doing all normal activity. I can bend and sit on the floor and pick things up that are under the 5 pound weight requirement. The only thing I'm not doing is exercising, lifting my kids, or having sex. I probably could do the latter, but let's be honest, zero libido. My poor husband can't even touch me. He actually really wants to just give me a hug around my waist because it's so small now, but I'm very numb there still and it's weird to feel anything on my skin. So I won't let him hug me without the binder on. I know, so sexy.

Speaking of the binder, I'm still wearing it. I need it a little bit for support. It just feels good. But actually more than anything, it acts as a barrier between my shirts and my skin because I don't like anything to touch my skin. It's not 100% numb on my side and belly, but it's just enough that it just feels really weird. Like when your foot falls asleep and you have pins and needles, and it feels really heavy, that anything that touches it is not pleasant. That's how I feel. I really really really hope that goes away eventually because I can't imagine a lifetime of that kind of numbness. I had numbness at my C-section incision and that wasn't bad at all. But numbness on my sides and on my front between my bellybutton and my incision is not an enjoyable feeling.

I am including some photos from this week which is four weeks out of surgery. It will be five weeks on Friday which is in two days. I'm super impressed. Who is that?!?

I keep joking that i need to fake some more pain. I'm 2 days shy of 3 weeks post op and this last week I started to feel really good -- in comparison to the horribleness that was the first two weeks. My husband is going to start expecting me to do things around the house if I keep pitching in little by little and I don't think I'm ready for the momcation to be over. .... physically and mentally.

I might have done too much today???? Volunteered in my daughter's kindergarten class, did my first shopping trip to the market with my husband, and even picked up some toys around the house. Still not lifting and driving but maybe I should lay down more. Why?? Well.... just got undressed for bed and I have swelling stripes on my sides! Whoa!

Maybe it was my outfit today? Broke out of the PJs and wore a pair of yoga leggings (they're tight.... lived in them before the surgery since they flattened the diastasis pooch) and a tight long sleeve shirt and a puffer vest over that (it was 62 degrees today which is the tundra in SoCal haha).

Anyway.... made sure to put my binder nice and smooth and tight for bed just now. Not sure if this kind of swelling is normal or if it's my fault. Eeeeeek!

Otherwise, I'm not in toooo much pain. Just sore. But that seems to be the new normal.

Side by sides are cool when there's progress!

The photo with 4 shots: left side is July; right side is November a week before surgery. There's a 20 lb weight difference thanks to Whole30 and Pilates. Diastasis persevered.

Next two pics are the belly and sides at 15 days. WHO IS THAT?!?!