What is a Mommy Makeover?
A mommy makeover is a plastic surgery that addresses post-pregnancy changes to the body, typically focusing on the breasts and abdomen. You adore your children, but you may not love all the ways that pregnancy and breastfeeding changed your body.
After having children, many women experience undesirable body changes such as weight gain, skin stretching, and breast sagging. The mommy makeover addresses all of these issues, often in a single surgery. A classic mommy makeover involves a tummy tuck and breast lift or augmentation, but we can tailor the procedure to you, combining whatever surgeries you need to address your personal aesthetic goals.
What procedures are included in a mommy makeover?
A mommy makeover typically addresses the breasts and abdominal area, but the procedure is highly customizable. Think of it as an à la carte menu of plastic surgeries that you can choose from. If the procedures you desire can be safely combined into one surgery, we will happily do so. In some cases, however, it is better to stage the procedures.
While the specific procedures included will vary depending on your individual needs and goals, some of the most common ones include:
- Breast Augmentation – Some women feel that they’ve lost a cup size when they stop breastfeeding and their milk supply dries up. Breast augmentation can help reverse this effect.
- Breast Lift – While some women find that their chest shrinks after breastfeeding, other women have the opposite problem. Pregnancy causes weight gain and swelling in the breasts, and sometimes the ligaments are just stretched too far to recover. A breast lift can help hoist the girls back up where they belong.
- Tummy Tuck – Pregnancy doesn’t just stretch the skin on your stomach—it can also permanently split the muscles of your abdominal wall. No amount of exercise can fix that, but a tummy tuck can. This procedure tightens the abdominal muscles, removes excess skin, and creates a flatter, more toned stomach.
- Liposuction and Lipo 360 – It’s healthy to gain some weight during pregnancy, but it’s nice when it goes away after you deliver. Unfortunately, you may have gained some fat where you don’t want it, and it may not be going away. Liposuction can remove unwanted fat from almost anywhere, including the abdomen, flanks, back, and thighs.
- Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL) – They call it “mom butt,” and it refers to the way the buttocks flatten and sag after pregnancy. It’s caused by changes in your hormones, posture, and exercise levels during pregnancy. A BBL can give you back some of the curves you may have lost.
These are just some of the many procedures that we can include in a mommy makeover. During your surgical consultation, you can discuss your individual concerns to determine the best combination of procedures for you.
Mommy Makeover Recovery
Your plastic surgeon will provide detailed aftercare instructions based on the specific surgeries included in your mommy makeover. Generally, patients need about two weeks off from work to recover. It’s vital that you arrange for help with childcare and household tasks during this time. You won’t be able to lift more than five pounds for several weeks, and this includes lifting your children. Although couch snuggles are encouraged, you won’t be able to pick up or carry small children.
You will need to arrange transportation, as well, since you won’t be allowed to drive yourself home after your mommy makeover. Driving will continue to be off-limits while you’re taking prescription pain medications. Most women find that their usual daily routine has resumed in about two weeks, minus intense exercise and lifting. Life is pretty much back to normal in about six weeks.
Mommy Makeover Benefits
Looking better is certainly a common mommy makeover goal, and looking better is certainly a confidence booster. But a mommy makeover often runs deeper. Pregnancy requires sharing your body with another person in ways that nothing else does. While motherhood clearly gives so much, it can also feel as though it has taken away parts of your identity. Reclaiming their pre-pregnancy bodies helps many women reconnect with themselves after having children.
Before & After Results
Frequently Asked Questions
Pregnancy after a mommy makeover is perfectly safe for both mother and child, but we recommend waiting to have your mommy makeover until you’re done having children. Another pregnancy will change your body again, and it could do so in ways that alter your plastic surgery results.
Generally, prime mommy makeover candidates are able to maintain a stable weight, are close to their goal weight, and are finished having babies. You should also be a nonsmoker or willing to quit for surgery, as smoking kills red blood cells and can greatly impair healing.
No. Most patients prefer to have a single surgery whenever possible, as doing so can save money on things like anesthesia fees and facility fees. But sometimes it’s safer to perform certain chosen procedures separately. We can also separate your surgeries if that is your preference.
Absolutely! Mommy makeovers are about addressing your post-pregnancy body concerns. If you don’t need or want a tummy tuck, you don’t have to have one. Some women instead have abdominal liposuction, which may be enough to flatten the stomach if there is no diastasis recti (torn abdominal muscles). There is no standard package. We fully customize the procedure for you.
Mommy makeovers are quite safe when performed by a qualified and experienced plastic surgeon. They’re not, however, without risks. All surgeries carry some amount of risk. Although uncommon, mommy makeover patients can experience problems with anesthesia, blood clots, seromas, and hematomas. The best way to protect yourself from surgical risk is to choose your surgeon wisely and closely follow their post-op instructions
Maybe. That is not a primary goal of the procedure, but excess abdominal skin is removed during a tummy tuck. If the skin we remove happens to contain your stretch marks, they will be gone after your surgery. Sometimes, however, the skin containing your stretch marks isn’t removed, in which case you will still have them.