(My son was born in January 2021.)
And that includes body talknamely, commiserating about how much ourboobs, stomachs, and hipshave changedsince giving birth.
Were all in our 30s, and of course body changes are to be expected as you age.
Jade Wade top and skirt. Alexis Bittar earrings
Some peopledosnap backlike its NBD.
My ribcage grew two inches.
And I, like the other three members of the Baby Club, have started thinking about surgery.
Courtesy of Dr. Chidester
And Id like to feel like her again.
TheNew York Timesranan articlein 2007 asking if mom jobsas they called themwere really necessary.
Thats about five years after an anaesthetic called Propofol was first FDA approved for use in the U.S.
Courtesy of Dr. Rednam
It revolutionized surgery, as patients could have a more pleasant experience, says Dr. Doft.
detailed theNew York Times.
(RIP to my formerly perfect, 32DD breasts.)
Courtesy of Dr. Mahmood
For Dr. Mahmood, mommy makeovers can also involve arm lifts, thigh lifts, and breast reductions.
Dr. Doft thinks that the mommy makeover has gotten more popular in recent years for several reasons.
Dr. Doft often performs a blepharoplasty (upper and/or lower eyelid surgery) during a mommy makeover procedure.
Courtesy of Dr. Rednam
(Although can we all agree its better than mom job?)
Also, adds Dr. Mahmood, restoration is a more accurate term.
Most mothers simply want to restore what has changed in their bodies from pregnancy.
Courtesy of Dr. Chidester
They were like wind socks on a windless day.
My oldest was 13 and my youngest was six when I had the surgeries.
But no matter how much I exercised, it just wasnt happening.
Courtesy of Dr. Tutela
After surgery, you should probably have someone there to take care of you.
My husband was like my nurse.
I dont do well on narcoticsthey make me sick.
Courtesy of Dr. Chidester
So I was only on them for 24 hours beforeI switched to Tylenol.
I had a drain on each hip for about two weeks.
One came out a few days before the other one.
Courtesy of Dr. Tepper
You have to keep an eye on the fluid until it runs clear.Lymphatic massagesmade a big difference with swelling.
Myscarsare so thin, light, and smooth.
After every shower, I put oil on.
Courtesy of Dr. Sarhaddi
Do you know what the hardest part was?
Wearing the compression garment for three months.
A lot of people wonder about the financing.
Courtesy of Dr. Hill
I saved up for three years, and it was worth every single penny.
I can lift my legs in the airI could never do that before.
Im able to do ab workouts again.
Courtesy of Dr. Rednam
My back pain is gone.
Not only am I happy aesthetically, but my functionality has gotten a lot better.
When I breastfed each child, the breast tissue in my armpits got larger.
Courtesy of Dr. Hill
I couldnt wear sleeveless shirts.
I saw that you could get rid of a significant amount of stretch marks with a mommy makeover.
I met with plastic surgeons all over Texas, but no one really clicked until I met Dr. Rednam.
Courtesy of Dr. Tepper
It was a very in-your-face first meeting.
Youre in a gown and Dr. Rednam walks in and then you get naked in front of a mirror.
After that consultation, there was no going back for me.
Courtesy of Dr. Mahmood
The first few days after surgery are easy because youre medicated, so you dont really feel the pain.
Youre just walking like an old lady, hunched over, because the stomach feels very tight.
And being in that position strains your back.
Courtesy of Dr. Shafer
That lasted a little over a week.
The drains were the hardest part.
I was happy when they removed it after three weeks.
Courtesy of Dr. Mahmood
Week three was my turning point.
I was feeling a lot better.
I was off of all the medications, even Tylenol.
I was just taking my herbal remediesorganic turmeric and arnica tablets for inflammation and a plethora of vitamins.
I got tired pretty fast so I would take cat naps.
Around that time, the scars got reallyitchy.
You feel this dire need to scratch but you cant because you dont want to disrupt the healing.
So I did cold compresses and topical Benadryl when necessary for about a month until it stopped.
Another thing I didn’t expect?
My kids became a lot more independent in the weeks that it took me to recover.
One of myarmpitstook longer to heal than the other one.
About two months post-surgery, that incision kept opening up and it was really frustrating.
It set me back emotionally.
I tried limiting the movement in my arm so it wouldnt open.
I had it re-stitched, but that didnt really work eitherit opened back up after a few days.
So I was like, Im not going to focus on this.
Another thing I didnt expect?
Stuff that they normally werent doing before.
My oldest started unloading the dishwasher!
Weve kept those habits going.
If I could do it all over again, I would have taken the step three years ago.
So I ended up there for a consultation.
It wasnt until later that I found out she wasnt the person my coworker recommended.
By then I just felt so comfortable with her, though.
I breast-fed, so I lost firmness.
Im an athletic person and exercise is my therapy.
I didnt have to have lipo.
It was just the excess skin that doesnt go away no matter how much you exercise.
Think of a balloon deflating.
Luckily, I had my breasts done first, then the tummy tuck three months later.
Recovery-wise, the breasts werent a big deal.
They were swollen and felt huge for about a week.
It feels kind of like after you give birth and you have that need to breastfeed.
I dont think I was totally recovered until the 18-month mark.
The tummy tuck is a lot.
Your bodys going through trauma because she sewed my abdominal muscles back together.
My stomach was so firm.
It wasnt even that tight before I had kids.
So when I first came out of surgery, I was pretty hunched over for almost two weeks.
The compression garments were tight.
I usually sleep wearing nothing but a tank top so it was hard to get used to.
It was claustrophobic but you have to do it.
The first question I asked Dr. Mahmood was when I could go back to exercising.
I had to wait a little over six weeks after the tummy tuck.
But its so importantsurgery isnt a one-and-done situation.
One thing to consider is scarring.
Mine isnt that bad, but Ive seen some people with just a very thin line.
Im used to the scars now.
You have to think about whats more important to you, the shape or the scars.
Would you rather have incision scars or stretch marks?
My advice is to be prepared for a long recovery period.
I dont mean just until youre walking around again.
The whole process takes time.
After six weeks, I thought I was going to run 10 miles again.
It doesnt work that way.
You must give your body a chance to recover.
I felt numbness all around my tummy for about a year.
I dont think I was totally recovered until the 18-month mark.
Courtesy of Dr. Mahmood
Lasha B. I started as a 36E and I’m a 36C now.
I was very pleased with the outcome.
For the first couple of days of recovery, I was pretty much asleep.
I most definitely needed him.
After three days, I no longer needed any pain medicine at all.
I wasn’t really sore.
I was moving around the house.
A week later, I started having a hard time breathing.
I was like, This just doesn’t feel right.
I called Dr. Rednam right off the bat.
She immediately had me call 911 and go to the emergency room.
Lo and behold, I had a blood clot in my lung.
Luckily, it was just the beginning stages, and they put me on blood thinners.
I was unaware that blood clots ran in my family until this.
Afterward, my grandmother told me, Oh yeah, I get blood clots like crazy.
I wish I would have known that ahead of time.
She immediately had me go to the emergency room.
Lo and behold, I had a blood clot in my lung.
Then, the following week, I started feeling lightheaded.
I feel like everything they said could possibly happen, happened.
It was just like, Oh my God, why me?
But after that, everything was smooth sailing.
I was nervous and happy about getting a new belly button because of the hernia.
Before, it used to stick out every time I ate, but now its just perfect.
So I have to be careful how I scratch.
My scars look greatyou can barely see them.
I’m light-skinned, so I was afraid of getting dark lines.
I wore silicone tape on the incisions under my breasts and on my tummy.
I used BioCorneum scar recovery gel around my areolas since its hard to put tape on in a circle.
I feel like the surgeries were well worth it.
The stomach was most definitely showing!
After having five kids, I started having bad back problems.
Plus, I wanted to wear a tube top or go braless.
I wanted to get rid of thestretch marks.
I just kind of wanted to put things back to where they were before the kids.
I found Dr. Chidester on social media.
The day of surgery, I got there at 6am and I left at about 2pm.
They had already pre-gamed all my meds and set them up for me in a box.
I just came home and slept.
I slept in that for two weeks.
I had to tuck pillows underneath my legs because you cant straighten out.
Those first two weeks are a mental game.
You go into the surgery having full function and youre willingly choosing to take yourself out for two weeks.
Then once or twice a week after that for six weeks.
It is nothing like a regular massage.
The massage therapist pushes fluid along your lymphatic drainage pathways.
Losing the stretch marks was a great added bonus to finally having abs that work again.
I didnt really notice how bad my ab function was until after surgery.
Now I have lessback pain, and when I run, everything just feels tighter.
This was a total reclamation of my body and, in a lot of ways, my sexuality.
I feel confident in my body again.
Its really helped my marriage because Im excited to be in lingerie again.
I was literally pregnant from 2010 to 2020.
I nursed for years.
I didnt dye my hair.
I didnt even wear nail polish.
I wasnt comfortable in it.
In 2021, I almost died of Covid.
And surgery was on it.
I had been following Dr. Tutela on social media for years.
I wanted aflat stomach, Ill tell you that.
At first, I was going to have a breast lift but I didnt want the extra scarring.
I was like, How did you do that?
The thing that sucks withlipois the swellinga very uncomfortable, tight feeling.
Lymphatic massage was a must, especially in the beginning when my swelling was at its worst.
you’re able to feel the relief.
I had some numbness after lipo, but the feeling came back within three months.
The lipo was a walk in the park compared to thetummy tuck.
I was sick from the anesthesia.
And the first day, my husband had to help me to the bathroom because I could barely move.
I had sharp, intense pain.
You cant straighten out because youre at risk of ripping kick off the sutures.
On day two, I showered and it was horrendous.
I was kneeling, crouched on the shower floor in tears.
My husband had to wash my hair.
Six months after surgery, I still have some numbness.
Ive been told it can take a year for it to go away.
I knew things were bad because I took muscle relaxers and Percocet for five days.
Thats not like meI didnt take anything after lipo.
After day five, things felt easier and by week two I was almost standing upright.
I was driving by the end of that week.
I was taped up until week four.
Dr. Tutela takes yourbelly buttonand just kind of moves it to where it has to go.
He makes beautiful belly buttons.
There was a dressing or gauze that you have to insert into your belly button and then tape it.
That keeps the belly button from closing up.
But Im back in a bikini this summer.
I even did boudoir photos, which I had never done before.
They came out so tasteful and beautiful.
There was nothing in the photos that needed touching up.
Im finally comfortable with my body.
Courtesy of Dr. Tutela
Amber B. I took that opportunity to consult about a tummy tuck.
After four pregnancies, my diastasis recti was noticeable even when I was at my thinnest.
Obviously youre in pain after surgery, but its not excruciating.
When you have a tummy tuck, you cant stand up straight at first.
That was the most uncomfortable thing.
I was very happy to get rid of my drains after a week.
It was kind of a weird sensation having them pulled out, but it wasnt bad.
For the first two weeks, you dont feel great.
You just have to take the time and know that youre healing.
My practitioner was a nurse and she told me things were healing properly.
The biggest benefit, which I didnt expect, is that I feel physically stronger.
You must prepare yourself mentally and be patient with yourself.
I love to be on the go and recovering made me have to be still and chill.
Its a process to get back on your feet again.
Your energy lags for a while, but I went back to the office two weeks after surgery.
I was driving again at about three weeks, and back to doing mild exercise in a month.
The biggest benefit, which I didnt expect, is that I feel physically stronger.
I always had chronic dull, achy lower back pain.
I realized that I dont have it anymore because my abs were repaired.
I had my first kid 25 years ago.
It had been that long since I havent had that strength, you know?
I dont want to backslide.
I want to be healthier, and Ive changed some behaviors that go hand in hand with that.
I try not to drink soda because I dont want to get a tummy again.
I think about my choices.
I feel super confident.
I can show my stomach.
I wear a bikini now and Ive never done that my whole life.
Oh my god, my body changed.
And my confidence completely changed after that.
I tried working out.
I was going to the gym.
I was trying different diets and all that, which helped.
I lost all my pregnancy weight, but my belly fat wouldn’t leave.
I felt like it was now stuck with me for life.
I knew that it would never be flat.
So I said to myself, let me just fix my body and fix my confidence.
I couldn’t get up from the sofa on my own.
I had two C-sections and that pain was nothing compared to this.
I couldn’t put them to sleep.
I couldn’t do anything.
I would just lie on the sofa all day.
I would give a shot to walk because the doctor said it’s important.
I didn’t have to do anything.
I think any woman who would say [the surgeries are] not painful, shes lying.
I had two C-sections and that pain was nothing compared to this.
I took drugstore Panadol.
[Ed note: Panadol is a brand name for paracetamol, also known as acetaminophen.]
Before, I couldn’t wear tight clothes.
I would always have that bump.
And everywhere I would go, people would think I was pregnant.
So being able to not have that bump anymore and just be flat is a relief.
Courtesy of Danae T.
Kayleigh B. I have large breasts and, after having kids, they were very droopy.
I also had very large areolas that Ive always hated.
I just wasnt happy with my body.
I work out every day.
I do the Peloton.
I do ab exercises.
I didnt want to be 60.
I consulted with Dr. Tepper and it just seemed like perfect timing.
The thing that surprised me most was the lack of pain.
I thought it was going to be a lot worse.
I have a really low pain tolerance.
I put numbing cream on before a wax!
I was very nervous about pain, but I only took prescription pain medicine for the first 24 hours.
Extra strength Tylenol worked great for me.
On days where I dont want to exercise, Im like, You know what?
I spent $10,000 on my body.
I dont want this to go to waste!
I had a stabbing punch in pain near thebreast liftincision, but it wasnt constant.
The liposuction pain was more of a soreness.
There werent even stitches that you could seetheyre inside.
The incisions were pretty scabbed over by then.
I just had to put a little bit of gauze on them.
Those healed up pretty quickly.
I wore a bikini and one of my girlfriends was like, Oh my God, you look amazing.
Look at your abs!
Everything was perky and she could see the definition in my abdomen.
The results motivate me to work out more.
On days where I dont want to exercise, Im like, You know what?
I spent $10,000 on my body.
I dont want this to go to waste!
I dont want to be that person.
Still, I had what I called my power pouch; my belly wouldnt go away no matter what.
I knew at some point I was going to have my breast implants replaced.
I could feel them moving around in there because my skin had sagged so much.
When I saw her work on Instagram, I thought, This is it.
This is what I want.
I wanted to have a scar that wasnt too high on my stomach.
I have a lot of tattoos and we were trying to work around them.
I thought if the incision went all the way around, it wouldnt look great.
But Dr. Sarhaddi said she could keep it to the front.
With the breasts, I just wanted to put them back where theyre supposed to be.
We did my breasts first, and the tummy tuck three months later.
She downsized myimplantsthinking they would fit me better and she was right.
I took gabapentin and Valium after surgeryno narcotics.
I didnt even really take Tylenol.
I was surprised and pleased about that.
The first week, I took it easy and by the second week, I didnt feel bad.
I started slowly, but I was working out six weeks later.
Doing the surgery in two parts gave me a chance to have a little revision, too.
After the tummy tuck was different.
I was so tight!
If I coughed or sneezed, I was terrified I was going to blow out my stitches.
I even called the office [about that]they said there are layers of stitches so youre safe.
I wore compression garments for six weeks to help with swelling.
My first one wasnt a full faja, it was just around the belly, with extremely strong Velcro.
Every time you tore it off, it was real loud.
Then I moved on to a lighter compression garment from hip to rib cage.
It didnt feel like I was trying to waist train or anything.
It felt like a little hug.
So she was able to fix that in the second surgery.
Six months later, theres still some tightness in my abdomen.
It doesnt hurt or anything, its just tight, which I think is normal after diastasis repair.
Dr. Sarhaddi did some lipo sculpting to my belly and now Im like, I have fake abs!
And she says she spends too much time on belly buttons, but it is so worth it.
But my belly button looks like it was there the whole time.
I have never liked my body more.
I bend over, and I dont have a bunch of skin thats hanging off me.
I have cute little nipples now.
I have a cute little belly button.
I will wear a bikini all day.
The confidence boost is the best.
Now, after the surgeries, hes probably like, Can you put some clothes on?!
Courtesy of Dr. Sarhaddi
Sophie Y. Ive always been sensitive about the rolls on my back and my double chin.
I was tired of feeling that way about myself.
I wished I could feel a little bit more comfortable in my own skin.
Then I woke up and was like, Where am I?
The next day, my breasts were very tender.
If anybody even grazed me, it was super painful.
And with the tummy tuck, youre kind of hunched over for a few weeks.
I was sleeping propped up for about five weeks.
I thought I wouldnt be able to sleep like that but I got used to it.
It was hard not being able to pick up my one-year-old.
I was like, Come on, can you love Daddy for the next few weeks?
When you shower, you must see to it all the bandages are dry.
Showering was a process.
I had to have my husband help me wash my hair because it was impossible for me to reach.
I wore a compression garment that was very similar to a Spanx that goes up to your breasts.
Obviously, it was uncomfortable, but I did it because I wanted the best results.
I was like, Come on, can you love Daddy for the next few weeks?
My husband was super supportive.
If you have a partner, they have to take on a little bit more.
Wed split up chores based on what I could physically do.
I would do the dishes and prepare lunch, and he would do diaper changes and stuff like that.
At about six weeks, it was fine for me to carefully lift the baby.
Its been six months, and all my swelling is gone.
When I look back, I cant even remember the pain.
I very much moved on from that short moment in time.
It was painful and it wasnt great.
But I dont even think about it anymore.
I was initially motivated by wanting to feel happy in my skin.
Now I totally do.
My parents were very strict and we werent allowed to wear bikinis.
So I always wore a one-piece.
Ive never shown anyone my whole body before, but I never felt like I was being judged.
I followed Dr. Redmans instructions to the letter starting 10 days before surgery.
I studied them like a Bible.
I didnt eat anything that would upset my stomach or cause any constipation.
I stayed on top of my fiber gummies.
I was hunched over for about three days so I used their recliner.
It helped stand me up and lay me down, then I used pillows to elevate my legs.
I was up and walking the very next day, but I also took my medicinehydrocodone and Valiumlike clockwork.
I weaned off of those prescription drugs after five days or so.
My first faja didnt fit me properly.
It was a little bit too long for my torso.
A little bubble formed in my upper stomach.
It was like a little ball of fluid.
When I went to my first check up, we realized I needed a better fit.
Between the two of us, we drained everything and it went away pretty easily.
I did that for about a month every morning and night.
I used silicone sheets for scarring underneath my boobs and across the scar on my stomach.
I started at the third set and then I worked my way down to the first pretty quickly.
I wore it for three months to help with swelling.
I didnt want to compress where I had thefat graftedand deflate them.
After a couple of weeks, I stopped wearing it and just let them be.
If I could do it all over again, I would have done it sooner.
When I turned 31, I wore my first two-piece ever to a pool party.
It was just two months after my procedure and I still had tape on my stomach underneath.
I have never gotten compliments like this.
I literally had girls come up to me and say that I had a really good body.
I didnt tell them, Oh yeah?
I just got my whole body done!
But it felt awesome.
Sandra B. I gained a lot of weight with my babies, and then I lost 100 lbs.
The older I got, the more unhappy I was in my body.
When I looked in the mirror, I had a little body dysmorphia.
I felt like it was me time.
I have never ever had a flat stomach, so I was excited to finally have that.
At six-months post-op, Im probably still recovering.
But the surgeries were actually not as bad as I thought they were going to be.
Ive had liposuction in the past, so I had an idea of what to expect.
I was not particularly sore.
I actually felt really good.
I wouldnt put my pain above a five out of 10 on the pain scale.
Even the week of surgery, I didnt have to take prescription pain medications.
The drains were annoying and so were the incisions, but it wasnt a big deal.
Youre sweating because you cant really get comfortable in your compression garments, you cant reallybathewell.
It was my entire upper body, and everything was rubbing against everything.
A couple of my incisions did get infected.
The sutures split open because of all the rubbing and the pressure from the swelling.
I actually had buyers remorse for the first four months…
I wish someone had said you oughta wait six months before you judge your results.
One thing I wasnt prepared for was how swollen Id be.
I was upset the first couple of weeks because I looked heavier.
I actually had buyers remorse for the first four months because I couldnt see the changes.
The fluid moved from my upper body down to my legs and even my legs got bigger.
I take a stab at go every six weeks or so, but it doesnt feel great.
I told my boyfriend [the laser treatments] hurt worse than the surgery.
[In my experience,] the results were worth it, though.
I want to be realistic with anyone reading thisits going to be a long journey.
I read the blogs and I talked to doctors.
I wish someone had been honest and said you gotta wait six months before you judge your results.
But my trouble areasmy under arms, my lower bellywouldnt go away with consistent diet and exercise.
It was very stubborn fat.
I noticed a tremendous drop in terms of perkiness in my breasts after breastfeeding both my children.
The volume was still there, but where they sat was lower.
I was really focused on making myself feel better without a bra on.
I wanted to wear a deep, plunging bathing suit in the summer and have my boobs sit up.
I was relieved to hear I wouldnt need an implant or a reductionjust a simple lift.
I was like, I want to feel great for summer.
Patience is a big piece of this process.
Im less than two months out from surgery, but recovery was much easier than I was anticipating.
I had surgery on Thursday and was working from home by the following Tuesday.
I didnt need painkillers.
Extra-strength Tylenol was sufficient.
For the first two days, I wore a compression bra.
Ive been wearing the faja most of the timeI only just stopped sleeping in it the other night.
[Dr. Tepper] is really into lymphatic massage so I saw someone twice a week at first.
I do believe that helped move my healing process along.
The lymphatic massages are quite gentle and they relieve some of the swelling you have.
After having one of those massages, you’ve got the option to definitely feel a difference.
And you could see a difference, too.
Patience is a big piece of this process.
Dont expect to feel like a million dollars right away.
They say it takes three months to fully see your results.
Im already wearing the clothes I want to be wearing.
Dr. Tepper cleared me forrunninga couple of weeks ago.
Im able to lift weights.
I just have to be careful about how much.
The recovery process has been really smooth.
I wanted to be able to bounce back quickly and Im very pleased with the results.
I was looking for a woman plastic surgeon.
Specifically, a woman of color.
For me,representation and visibilityis important.
I wanted someone I could confide in and trust.
Someone that understood the diversity in beauty and identity.
And I wanted someone that understood the higher risk of hyperpigmentation with skin of color.
So, I did a deep dive on Google and I found Dr. Mahmood.
She didnt have a strong social media presence, but she had enough, with consistent reviews.
[And when I went in for a consultation,] she had empathy as well as expertise.
I remember the car ride home [after surgery] was painful.
I only used prescription medication for the first two daysthe pain was manageable with Tylenol.
I was looking for a woman plastic surgeon.
Specifically, a woman of color.
For me, representation is important.
Believe it or not, I didn’t feel anything in the abdominal area other than tightness.
Most of my pain and discomfort came from the breasts.
They felt sore, kind of like when you’re about to get your period.
The worst part of recovery was the drains on my hips.
They were more uncomfortable than painful.
They restricted my movement.
I had to clip them to my shirts.
That was when my recovery took a turn.
I felt so much better.
I just felt more mobile.
I did lymphatic massage for the first month, two-to-three times a week.
Even though they’re doing very light movements with their hands, it was super painful.
Wearing the faja was awful because I had my surgery in thesummertime.
At nighttime, sleeping was so hot and uncomfortable.
Getting rid of it felt so good.
I got to wear the clothes I wanted to wear and also sleep comfortably.
My incisions were placed really low and are super thin.
I can essentially wear whatever and no one can tell.
I got exactly what I asked forI couldn’t be happier.
I don’t have to tuck excess skin into my underwear or my pants.
Having clothes fit differently is a huge confidence booster.
I’m also able to see changes from working out at the gym that I couldnt before.
When there was belly fat hanging, I didn’t know what was going on there.
There are abs there now.
You have to go with whatever changes are happening.
I lost the weight, but then all these stretch marks were there.
I couldnt wear a two-piece swimsuit anymore.
I lost my confidence.
Even if I went out on a boat, Id wear a cover up.
I wouldnt show my body.
Ive known Dr. Shafer for about 16 years.
Youre being watched, which makes early recovery a little bit easier.
I stopped taking painkillers after three days because they make you constipated.
After two or three days Advil and Tylenol were fine.
When you love yourself, its easier to love others.
Self-care and self-love is everything.
The compression garment I got was similar to Spanx.
Its seamless and really thin so you could wear it under any clothing, and it doesnt show.
I loved wearing it because it felt kind of nice.
I started slow, but after six weeks, youre back to normal.
Even after I decided to do this, I was very stressed because I didnt want to look plastic.
That was my biggest worry.
But Dr. Shafer gave me the perfect cup size and a beautiful waistline.
And I dont have a single stretch mark anymore.
My bikini looks so good.
You know that little tummy which even no matter how much exercise you do, its always there?
I dont have that problem at all.
When I look good, I work better.
When you love yourself, its easier to love others.
Self-care and self-love is everything.
Courtesy of Dr. Shafer
Nicole A. I was working out five days a week and my stomach was not going down.
When I went to Dr. Mahmood, she said I could benefit from a tummy tuck.
The hardest thing after the surgery for me was the constipation.
I already suffer from it, and between the anesthesia and the narcotics, it was a challenge.
Maybe because I had previously had aC-section.
If I could compare both, the pain is probably the same.
The only thing that was really uncomfortable was the bending over.
I had to walk hunched over for the first week.
I had drains for two or three weeks, but they werent uncomfortable.
I had a series of 10 lymphatic massages to help with the swelling.
And I wore a faja for four months.
Im so happy I had surgery during the winter because I cannot imagine myself wearing that all summer.
I had the tummy tuck first.
I had the breast lift three months later, which was not painful.
It felt like a bruise.
The only complication was I developed a cord of tissue under my arm.
Im happy when I go shopping for clothes now.
I fit into a small or extra small, and it feels great.
I can wear wireless bras and triangle swimsuits.
Because I have no stomach now, Im able to wear those fitted dresses.
But sometimes I miss my big breasts.
