"Mommy Makeover" Anyone?

[nuthinbutpink]

I know most people on here are TTC or pregnant but for any that just hang around like I do, LOL, has anyone sought drastic measures to correct your mid section after you were finished having kids? I have a hernia that needs to be corrected and I now need my uterus taken out because, well, it is falling out on its own apparently!!

I am not interested in the chest, just the stomach! Anyone have any of this done??

[Mrsandmama]

I haven't had anything done but I have this very ugly skin hang over/ fold, whatever you want to call it where my old csection scars are. It is so embarrassing and I was told I would need plastic surgery to correct it. I'm quite tempted to have it done after I've had all my babies.

[atomic sagebrush]

I haven't yet...but I need to have my...er...rear end region fixed... :hair: I had to go to the butt doctor and he was the cutest man I have ever met in person! Maybe I will have a bun lift at the same time ;)

What we endure for these children!! At least we should end up looking fab after it's all said and done.

Good luck and I can't wait to hear how it goes!!!!

[hotdogz&boyz]

My aunt did :) She had a hernia repaired after she had her twins and got a tummy tuck at the same time. It looked great (she had lots of extra skin that they removed). I would consider it if I had to be there anyway!! I will probably have a boob reduction (and possibly repositioning of...things!) if they don't shrink on their own after I'm done. I don't want to deal with them my whole life and once I'm done nursing, I don't see why not!

Good luck!

[queen-bee]

lol, this is definitely next project for me, now
that I can happily close my ht chapter. I've never
been so out of shape in my entire life. My boobs are
like melons, meters of extra skin and newly acquired muffin top.
Must be all the hormones.. Wonder how much these procedures cost.

[nuthinbutpink]

lol, this is definitely next project for me, now
that I can happily close my ht chapter. I've never
been so out of shape in my entire life. My boobs are
like melons, meters of extra skin and newly acquired muffin top.
Must be all the hormones.. Wonder how much these procedures cost.

It's expensive. I have been saving and I am not sure if I will have enough for when I want to have it done! It will cost me around $10,000 here. I have to have 3 surgeons- a plastic surgeon to do the abs, a general surgeon to do the hernia and my OB to take out my uterus! How many doctors does it take to put Humpty Dumpty back together?!? 3!

The hernia and uterus will be covered by insurance but the plastic surgeon is elective and all out of pocket. I'm just not sure I will look $10,000 bucks better at the end!!

[Pearl327]

So far the only thing I would like to have done is to get my stretch marks removed. But I hopefully have another two pregnancies and c-sections to go so I would imagine that that list will get longer as I get older.

[MatildaMai]

Ask me on April 9 after my operation! I know one other member in Sydney who had one and its been great & she is really happy. She's had 5 kids so had no muscles left and lots of saggy stretched skin. She didn't even have that much discomfort etc after the surgery. I have a terrible diastasis (very badly separated stomach muscles) because of my enormous twins and my spine is falling apart because I have no core and no amount of private pilates can get them anywhere close to back together. I had to have my lower spine fused late last year and now I have 2 herniated discs about the fusion. Proper bloody mess. Will cost me about the same $9000 out of pocket (and that's after Medicare and Private health rebates). Am praying like hell that it helps my back. And if not then at least it will look a lot nicer!

[signingmommyfor3]

After I have my last one it has been decided that I will save money to get a breast lift and if I can't get rid of my "butt" (its what i call my pouch of a stomach because it looks like a little butt) I will have the skin taken.

[ThreeMenAndALAdy]

I started going to the gym a few weeks ago. I also have one breast that's a bit larger than the other due to 5 nursing babies....lol. And I'm only a small C cup but I think a lift would do me good. It's so weird to think about myself again and not about having more babies.

[Abifasc]

I would love to have a tummy tuck and boob job.

[MatildaMai]

Thought I would update this thread as I had my surgery a week early. I'll be a week post-op tomorrow. Drains came out and I got home yday. Bloody hell it hurts so much! And I pride myself on my high pain threshold. Part of the problem is that I am horribly sensitive to all opiates (I get uncontrollable vomiting with morphine, pethidine, tramadol, endone, fentanyl, targin all of them) and even all the anti-emetics in the world can't stop the nausea which at its best is like terrible morning sickness. I guess if you can take more than paracetamol it probably wouldn't be so bad!

So the scar is hip to hip and low - below where my csection scars were. I have the same burning pain I had post-csections. But it feels like my whole stomach is on fire - I suppose because they've sewed the muscles together from up under my ribs all the way to the pubic bone. And they also had to cut a new belly button and stitch around that. My tummy is amazingly tight and its kind of hard to stand upright. I also have to sleep on my back with tonnes of pillows under my head and knees so I'm curved up and it takes the pressure off the scar. Cannot lie on my side at all. Total agony. Sitting for short periods is ok though. I lost a couple of kilos in skin and stuff during the surgery and although its still quite swollen my shape looks a lot better. No muffin top! I didn't need any lipo or anything.

The weirdest thing is that I can't eat or drink more than a few mouthfuls each meal as my stomach presses against the newly tightened muscles it hurts and it also makes my stomach feel full. Normally my stomach would just kind of push thru the gap so I look 5mths pregnant by the end of each day. My DH joked that the surgeon must of given me a gastric band surgery while he was in there! I'm a bit worried that with the nausea and discomfort with eating, I will lose more weight and it will make the skin all loose again.

At least its school hols here so I've farmed the kids out to the grandparents so i have a week of peace at home to recover a bit. Not sure I could look after the kids if I had to.

[SamS_TTCPink]

Sounds painful but I'm sure all worth it in the end! Make sure you rest up as much as you can.

I wish I could afford to get my tummy and my boobs done! But I doubt I ever will.

Hope you're recovery is fast! x


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[nuthinbutpink]

Thanks for the update. They told me I have to pretend like I don't have kids for 2 weeks and not to expect to be able to do anything on my own the first week. I have to have my uterus taken out too so they said that will add to the misery.

So you are not on any real pain meds? Can you get out of bed on your own?

I know you need that wedge pillow thing to prop yourself up to sleep- people online said it was better than trying to use a bunch of pillows so you won't slip off and hurt yourself.

Is it really bad?

[HopeandDreamG]

Congrats MM. The pain will be worth it on the end. In my late 20s I had breast aug & lift. It felt like I had a truck sitting in my chest. I couldn't even pull up my own pants after going to the bathroom. I needed assistance getting up out of bed- someone supporting my back. Felt like my boobs were going to fall off. The pain will fade and you will look HOT!!!

[maidentomother]

I'm not a mommy yet but I have been wanting lipo since I was 11...I have a scoliosis (curved spine and loss of 4-6" of height), and as a result of it and a natural tendency to store weight in my midsection, I've always had a pooch and lovehandles, which I hate. Having my torso so compressed really makes it worse. Bc I am quite thin everywhere else it makes finding clothing a struggle, plus I can't have a good shape unless I'm rail thin at which point people start worrying about me.

I put off having the surgery since I was TTC, but since I will now be taking a break from that for at least 3 months, I will be getting it ASAP. I am hoping that I won't need a full on tummy tuck but that just lipo will be adequate. I also hope I won't need any more work done after I have kids - ie that getting it done now will mean I can't gain much weight in my midsection ever again. My mom, aunt, and aunt's daughters and I all have the same body and they've all had kids and their pooches have grown as a result.

Update in a month or two!

For those of you considering it, do it sooner rather than later if at all possible, as skin looses elasticity fairly quickly as you age. Less work is needed and recovery is faster with better looking results the younger you are. I still regret not getting it in my 20s! I didn't have the money then but I should have tried somehow to finance it.

[MatildaMai]

Well I live with pretty bad back pain all the time so for me to comment at all on pain raised everyone's eyebrows. I don't take meds (other than steroids when I have a bad flare up). Most people with my back issues are on daily opiates, plus muscle relaxants like valium and often sleeping tablets as well. I can't drive a car and look after the kids like that so I just deal with it.

NBP - they wouldn't take the 2 drain tubes until the 4th night - so that's about how long you need in hospital. The got 10-50ml out of each side most days so until its less than 20ml the tubes stay in. I think if you can handle taking Endone (percocet, tramadol) or one of those it would be totally manageable. Day 2 out of hospital and I feel ok now. I still pulls constantly and if I stretch it or move suddenly it hurts a lot. Cannot lift anything heavier than a couple of pounds. Under NO circumstances can you cough, sneeze or laugh. I sneezed yday and thought I had ripped all my stitches! Took ages for the pain to settle down again.

Surprisingly I've got used to sleeping with a pillow under my knees and wedged upright a little. I have a tempur mattress and that is a tonne more comfy than the hospital bed. And each day is a little better but if you overdo it - man it lets me know straight away.

Would I do it again? Hmmm probably as I didn't have any choice given the state of my back. There's nothing left to try except a total lumbar spine fusion….. Would I do it just to make my tummy flatter and look pretty? No bloody way! But if you can take pain relief then its a whole different story. But doing it with practically none was utterly miserable.

As for my droopy 10DDs I told DH he'll have to learn to love them as is. He's been angling for me to have a lift/reduction and implants to perk them up. He keeps saying its only an overnite op and not a big thing (his ex had hers done). But I can't imagine it would be fun without pain killers! Think I'll suggest he go try a vasectomy without any pain relief and see what he thinks then!!!

[MatildaMai]

Forgot to add NBP - yes I can get out of bed. Doing the roll to the side I've perfected with my back ops and csections. Not only that but Sat night when I got out of hospital I helped make dinner for my 6 kids and in-laws who were all here. Yday I packed bags for my kids to go to their grandparents, cleaned the kitchen, and made dinner for 5 of us. So yeah - no rest for the wicked…… Although now I have the kids away and DH interstate at work this week. I'm thinking I might spring clean the wardrobes!

[nuthinbutpink]

Here, we get ONE night overnight in the hospital! That's it! Drains stay in for one week minimum.

Percocet is my favorite! I'll ask for tons of it!

[nuthinbutpink]

And I am totally doing it to get my flat tummy back and look pretty, lol!

I am a skinny person so with this belly leftover, I look pregnant all the time because I am thin everywhere else. I can't take it anymore.

[MatildaMai]

One nite! Holy shit! Though if you can take to your bed with percocet, I think you'll be just fine. I got up and showered and felt pretty good the day after surgery, but the day after that was the kicker. Apparently its v common to be on a bit of a high after coming out of it and feel really good and then you kind of fall in a hole the next day.

[maidentomother]

And I am totally doing it to get my flat tummy back and look pretty, lol!

I am a skinny person so with this belly leftover, I look pregnant all the time because I am thin everywhere else. I can't take it anymore.

I am the same. It actually means we are ideal candidates for lipo.

I suffer from chronic pain due to severe spinal problems and have been on high dose opiates for years, so I am very familiar with pain...but your experience still sounds very scary, Matilda. I couldn't live without painkillers (as in, I wouldn't want to, I've tried it and it's miserable) - you are a brave woman to endure unrelieved. I get awful nausea too but not aw badly as you do, apparently. It varies widely depending on the opiate. I can't tolerate oxycodone or synthetics like fentanyl, but I do quite well on hydromorphone. I assume you've tried them all exhaustively, though.

[nuthinbutpink]

How is your stomach doing? Are you back to fully mobile?

[MatildaMai]

OMG - don't ask. Not even close. I'm going backwards. I think I felt better after the surgery than I do now! I've done everything right. Sent the kids off to the grandparents as its school holidays. No lifting, lots of rest and walking as instructed. Kept the support garment on 24/7. The 2nd week I also felt pretty good. But this last week (I am 3wks post-op now)…… I have more swelling and hard lumps forming in a couple of places along where they sewed the internal muscles together. It hurts to walk and move about, more so than before. I called the nurses last Thursday before the holiday wkend and they said its probably small haematoma or scar tissue forming and to rest over the Easter wkend and call again if worried today. So I am sitting here waiting for 9am to call! It feels like my upper stitches have separated. I am really hoping that its just the nerves coming back to life and so I am regaining sensation in these areas as they go numb after the surgery and it takes a while for the nerves to re-route themselves. Will report in after I go to the surgeons office.

[nuthinbutpink]

Oh no! They did tell me that when I start to feel better you have to make sure to take it easy for the full 6 weeks because you can go backwards if you over do it!!

I hope it will be okay.

[MatildaMai]

OK so I have a huge seroma (collection of fluid) in my abdomen. Booked in to get it drained tomorrow under ultrasound. Sounds a bit like OHSS! Fun times….

[nuthinbutpink]

Have you been doing too much since you started feeling better? Why did this happen?

[MatildaMai]

Yes, well apparently my version of taking it easy is not adequate! I have been trying, farmed the kids out to grandparents, no cooking or cleaning. Been wearing the compression garment 24/7 trying not to lift anything. But its impossible to do nothing. Dr says its very common and not to worry and draining it is a simple painless procedure. But it may need to be repeated a couple of times.

My tummy is hard as a rock and very sore & uncomfortable but still flat!! I got a clue there was s'thing going on over the wkend as I am eating very little and put on 1.5kg, so I guessed I might have fluid collecting. It still hurts my tummy muscles if my stomach gets full and presses against them, which is why I eat very little. I literally have a small latte, a handful of fruit, maybe a couple of nuts or crackers in the afternoon, small sips of water throughout the day and a tiny portion of dinner. And I can't eat more without being uncomfortable. I feel like I've had gastric band surgery! Probably not a bad thing given I can't do any exercise.

[SamS_TTCPink]

Sounds painful but glad you now know what it is. Hopefully after they drain it you'll feel a bit better. 💛

[Junie]

How are you doing now?

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