Yes, Your Body Changes After Pregnancy. Stop Feeling Guilty About It!

As every woman can tell you, pregnancy and childbirth permanently alter the female body. And even though your body recovers every time, it is never fully the same as before. The more children you have, the more your skin stretches, the more your abdominal muscles weaken, and the more your breasts will sag and droop. It’s a fact of life that everybody knows and understands.

Out With the Guilt, In With the New Look

Then why is it that we often feel so guilty about not being able to maintain a better body? We have somehow bought into an unshakable belief of self-improvement. If only we dieted a little more diligently, if only we worked out a little longer, if only we had done those Kegel exercises our gynecologist had encouraged us to do! If we persevered a little more at all those things, if we denied ourselves even more pleasures, surely we could get that elusive flat tummy again?

The truth is that no amount of self-deprivation and punishment is likely to transform your body back into its pre-pregnancy shape. In no way do we mean to say there isn’t value in eating a healthy diet and engaging in a regular amount of physical exercise – there is. But believing that our lack of effort is the culprit, that if only we tried harder we could attain Barbie-proportions, can lead to feeling unmotivated, unattractive, and unhappy. Not only does this affect our own psyche, it can have a negative effect on those around us.

In our years working with plastic surgery patients, we have learned that changes on the outside almost always lead to changes on the inside. Perhaps this shouldn’t be so, but it is. If you want to feel better and happier, you can get a huge boost by doing something for your body. For mothers, the one procedure that can have the biggest impact is the Mommy Makeover.

What Is a Mommy Makeover?

A Mommy Makeover is not a set procedure with just one single outcome for every patient. Think of it more like a combination of plastic surgery and other treatments, put together in a way that works best for you to restore your body.

A Mommy Makeover may include a combination of any of these procedures:

1. Breast Augmentation: For most women, the toll of pregnancy and breastfeeding is a decrease in volume and firmness. Our plastic surgeon can augment breasts with a lift and/or implants, restoring volume and a pleasing cleavage, and even the location and shape of the nipples. For some women, a breast reduction to reduce volume may be warranted.
2. Tummy Tuck: The biggest complaints we often get from patients are about their tummy. Excess fat, excess skin, and too much sagging are all results of pregnancy and childbirth. A tummy tuck removes the stretched-out skin including stretch marks, repairs the weakened or split abdominal muscle if needed, and can even reposition and beautify your belly button.
3. Liposuction: While a tummy tuck removes excess skin, additional fat pockets can best be removed with targeted liposuction. At NuBody Concepts, we use our popular and proven Aqualipo procedure for this step, a gentler form of liposuction that reduces downtime while achieving excellent results. Liposuction is not only restricted to your tummy. We have seen excellent results when targeting areas like bra bulges, thighs, and upper arms.
4. Vaginal Rejuvenation: Some women like to restore the inner workings of their body along with the other parts. Childbirth tends to weaken the pelvic floor and vaginal wall, and can change the appearance of the genital area. Labiaplasty and a non-invasive treatment like ThermiVa or Votiva can address all these issues, including mild incontinence.
5. Facial Fillers and Eyelid Surgery: Not done yet? How about addressing those other consequences of childbirth and breastfeeding, namely your tired eyes after so many sleepless nights. Here you can choose from non-invasive treatments like Botox or Juvederm to fill in lines and wrinkles or plump up lips and cheeks, and more permanent solutions like eyelid surgery to lift sagging lids or remove under-eye bags.

Taking it Slow: Start With One Treatment

This may sound like a lot. But as mentioned earlier, a Mommy Makeover can start with just one or a few of these treatments. If you’re unsure about cosmetic surgery, why not start with a round of Botox to give your face a younger appearance? You’ll be amazed at the results. You could then step it up with a little liposuction in one or two areas to remove those stubborn pockets of fat that have flummoxed you for so many years. A breast augmentation and tummy tuck may be your last resorts to get the body you want. They require a little more downtime, but the patients who have had them will tell you that they were worth every bit of it.

The bottom line: When we feel great about our bodies, we feel good about ourselves. We are happier, and it’s more fun to be around us for our families and friends. In this way, having a Mommy Makeover is not just a well-deserved gift for yourself. It may well be the gift that keeps on giving for your entire family.

Guilt can be a terrible thing. We hope that we’ve shown you that there is no reason to feel guilty about things beyond your control. But that doesn’t mean you have to give up. Let us help you love your body again!

If you have any questions about the NuBody Concepts Mommy Makeover or about any of our other procedures, please contact us to schedule a personal consultation with our Plastic Surgeon.