The Mommy Makeover Solution

All moms are beautiful! They’ve struggled through nine months of backbreaking pregnancy and have “delivered” onto this planet a beautiful child (all children are beautiful, too). It truly is amazing, the sight of a newborn and the glow on a mother’s face. And, we have a wonderful opportunity on the second Sunday in May to celebrate moms everywhere.

Equally amazing is the toll pregnancy takes on a woman’s body. Multiple pregnancies add up to change a woman’s shape, especially in the abdomen and breast area. The term, “mommy makeover” was originally a marketing gimmick, but it is now a fairly universal term for procedures that help restore a woman’s body to pre-pregnancy condition.

These procedures are typically a breast augmentation and/or breast lift, a tummy tuck (either full or mini depending on the desired result), and possibly liposuction. Choosing the right operation for the right patient is extremely important and that’s why choosing a surgeon certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery is critical.

During pregnancy, the breasts enlarge to accommodate the milk glands, which increase in size as the nursing baby’s appetite grows. After the baby is weaned, these glands shrink, leaving behind breasts that are less full and smaller and moms may experience droop of the nipple. These issues can be corrected with or without an implant, depending on the individual patient’s needs. Several options are available for breast lifts, again depending on what each woman is trying to accomplish.

The abdomen is the other area of concern for moms. As the fetus develops, the tight tissue holding a woman’s belly relaxes, due to hormonal changes.

This also helps to allow the bones of the pelvis to move slightly as the child is born. Unfortunately, that relaxation remains after the baby is born, and the little “bulge” of the lower abdomen worsens with each subsequent pregnancy. A tummy tuck or abdominoplasty re-tightens the belly wall, recreating that tight, pre-pregnancy abdomen. It also gets rid of the hanging and stretched out skin. Liposuction of problem areas can be done in conjunction with a tummy tuck but liposuction alone doesn’t tighten and doesn’t fix the excess skin.

These procedures can all be done at the same time, or individually, but the recovery period is the same – approximately six weeks. Ideally, the procedures would be done six months after the last planned pregnancy.

Invest in yourself. Speak with a Plastic Surgeon about the areas that bother you. Make sure that the surgeon’s certification is by the American Board of Plastic Surgeons so you have every opportunity to get the best possible mommy makeover results.