For most women, pregnancy comes with a lot of physical changes that can be permanent – unless they’re addressed with plastic surgery, anyway. A “mommy makeover” is a collection of cosmetic procedures that are designed to restore a woman’s pre-pregnancy body. It can include several different procedures, but at minimum it involves a tummy tuck, breast augmentation, and liposuction.
This may sound like the perfect solution for any unwanted changes that happened during pregnancy, but there are actually several criteria to fulfill before becoming a candidate. For instance, you’d have to complete any weight loss goals before the surgery, and give your body plenty of time to recover from giving birth before stressing it out all over again with invasive surgeries. These are the types of questions that any responsible plastic surgeon will ask during a consultation, and make no mistake – you want a doctor who will make sure that a mommy makeover is the right thing for you. If you’re curious about what this procedure would entail, just keep reading to learn about the 7 most important things to know before committing to a mommy makeover.
You should be getting the procedures done for the right reasons
If you’re frustrated with the physical changes caused by pregnancy, that’s totally understandable – many women report feeling out-of-touch with their femininity due to the presence of loose skin, stretch marks, or drooping breasts. However, some women are motivated to get these procedures done to satisfy the expectations of their partner or family members. Remember, this is your body, and you should be the only one calling the shots when it comes to plastic surgery. The results might still be amazing, but if you weren’t sure that you really wanted them in the first place, it’ll definitely be something you regret.
You should be physically and mentally recovered from delivering a baby
Whether you gave birth vaginally or via C-section, childbirth is no easy thing. Various hormones are running riot throughout your body, not to mention the actual physical difficulty of delivering a tiny human. Some women take a few months to recover from pregnancy and delivery; however long you happen to take, it isn’t really something you should try to bypass with cosmetic surgery. Your body already knows how to bounce back to some degree, so you just need to give it some time to do its thing. Lose some pregnancy weight if needed, give your skin a chance to tighten on its own, and take all the time you need to prepare for a mommy makeover.
You should be fairly healthy
Pregnancy recovery aside, how’s your health in general? Women who have pre-existing medical conditions may not be good candidates for a mommy makeover. The same goes for women who smoke, as this decreases the availability of oxygen in the body. If your health or habits mean that you’d have a hard time healing from several invasive surgeries at once, you might be told to hold off on getting them done until the issue is resolved (or at least temporarily halted).
You should have a support network
Moms all over the world are known for taking care of people, but if you’ve recently had a mommy makeover, it’s time for everyone else to take care of you. This means that you should recruit family or friends to pick up groceries, fix meals, make sure the house is cleaned once in a while, and even take care of the pets.
This is especially crucial in the first 24 hours after completing the surgery. Not only should you not move, you probably won’t want to move. In this case, it’s fine to be a little selfish – and it’ll help a lot with your recovery.
You should pick the right time
It’s understandable to want this type of cosmetic surgery ASAP, but you need to carve out plenty of time for recovery – at least a month, if not more. Unfortunately, few people can simply drop everything for weeks at a time whenever they want. That’s why it’s helpful to plan ahead for this kind of procedure. Stop accepting commitments for a certain time frame, make sure you have consistent help lined up, and don’t rush yourself just because you want to see the results. Both your physical and mental state will thank you when the time finally comes for surgery and recovery!
You should be done having children
A mommy makeover can nip, tuck, and liposuction your body back to something close to its pre-pregnancy state – and that isn’t something you want to reverse with yet another pregnancy. Aside from the expense, this represents a huge investment in time and effort; if you think that could be undone in a few years, it makes a lot more sense to wait.
On a more practical note, this approach is also better for your abdominal wall; a pregnancy that takes place after a tummy tuck could send you back for revision surgery on your abdominal muscles.
You should be done with breastfeeding
The physical changes don’t stop after the baby is born; your abdomen might be slowly tightening back up, but your breasts are probably still changing as you breastfeed. Since you’ll probably have increased blood flow and enlarged mammary glands, you’d be risking complications if you tried to get a breast augmentation while you’re breastfeeding.
Another consideration is whether or not you plan on breastfeeding in the future. A mommy makeover won’t affect your ability to carry a baby, but it may impact your ability to feed that baby once it’s born. If you’re concerned about this, bring it up during the initial consultation; the surgeon may have some recommendations that could lessen the risk of issues with breastfeeding in the future.
The takeaway
If you’re still interested in what a mommy makeover could do for your appearance, try booking a consultation with a plastic surgeon. Even if you aren’t ready for it at the moment, it couldn’t hurt to get the ball rolling!