Bringing a child into the world is one of life's most beautiful moments. After nine months of pregnancy, you're finally able to hold the precious life that's been growing inside you. But as wonderful as childbirth is, the aftermath isn't always so glamorous. Pregnancy changes your body. You nurtured a baby for nine whole months - your entire body is bound to change. Stretch marks, weight gain, loose, and more are all inevitable after giving birth.

Getting your body back to the way it looked and felt pre-pregnancy isn't easy, especially when you consider the months following birth are often filled with restless nights and minimal free time. This is why some women choose to get a “mommy makeover”.

You probably have quite a few questions right now. What exactly is a mommy makeover? What does a mommy makeover include? What does the healing process look like? We'll be answering all of that and more below.

A mommy makeover is essentially a series of cosmetic procedures done to restore a woman's pre-baby body. A mommy makeover is customized to each patient's specific goals - whether that be a tummy tuck, breast augmentation, or various other procedures. The ultimate goal of a mommy makeover is to help mothers feel confident again in their bodies. To know more about what a mommy makeover entails, continue reading this blog post.

What Does a Mommy Makeover Include?

There are various procedures you can get done under the umbrella term of “mommy makeover”, but ultimately, it is up to the patient to choose procedures that will address her personal concerns. The procedures can either include cosmetic surgery or non-surgical procedures, depending on the patient's preferences.

Surgical procedures in a mommy makeover can include:

• Breast augmentation
• Breast lift
• Breast reduction
• Tummy tuck
• Liposuction
• Feminie rejuvenation

A breast implant restores fullness and volume in a woman's breast that is often lost after childbirth. A breast lift can fix sagging skin and improve breast shape. An abdominoplasty, or tummy tuck, is done to remove excess skin from the stomach to make it appear flatter. Liposuction is another option you can get done to remove fat from specific areas of the body. Other surgical procedures you can get done during a mommy makeover include feminine rejuvenation, Brazilian butt lift, arm lift, or thigh lift. In many cases, women choose to have multiple procedures done in one sitting to shorten the recovery period.

The other option is to get non-surgical procedures done, which includes:

• Non-surgical fat reduction
• Cellulite reduction
• Skin tightening treatment
• Botox and fillers
• Skin resurfacing treatment

These non-surgical procedures are significantly less invasive than the surgical ones but can still provide great results. Non-surgical procedures are ideal for someone who wants to improve their physical appearance but doesn't have the time to take off for several weeks of healing or doesn't want to undergo a serious surgery.

How Much Weight Do You Lose with a Mommy Makeover?

It's important to note that the goal of a mommy makeover is to restore a woman's appearance to how it was pre-pregnancy. The goal isn't to lose weight. A mommy makeover can smooth, tighten, firm, and lift different parts of your body, but that doesn't mean you're just going to instantly shed a bunch of pounds.

Although weight loss isn't guaranteed, it is possible, depending on the type of procedure you get. For example, if you choose to have liposuction done, you can lose anywhere from 6-8 pounds.

However, weight gain is also possible depending on the type of procedure you get. If you choose to get a breast augmentation, you can expect to gain a couple of pounds. In most cases, women gain 3-5 pounds following a breast augmentation. If you have liposuction done, it removes fat cells in that part of your body. But that doesn't mean you can't ever accumulate fat in those areas again. The removed fat cells in that area won't return, but you can still accumulate fat on your body, thus leading to weight gain.

This is why it's crucial to be aware of the fact that a mommy makeover is not a weight loss solution. If you don't make the proper lifestyle changes, you can end up gaining the weight you lost back. Changing your diet, exercising regularly, and sleeping more are all things you can do to lose weight in the long term.

When to Consider a Mommy Makeover?

A mommy makeover isn't an easy, 1,2,3 type of cosmetic surgery. Depending on the type of procedure you choose, it requires weeks of healing, which may impact your personal and professional life. So it's important to be absolutely positive a mommy makeover is right for you.

Deciding if you should get a mommy makeover is ultimately a personal decision, but there are a few factors that can influence your decision. If you're having a difficult time restoring your body's pre-pregnancy appearance naturally, a mommy makeover may be something to consider. It's also a good idea if you're not seeing results from diet and exercise or you don't have the time to focus on getting your body back to shape.

At the end of the day, whether or not you get a mommy makeover is up to you and your surgeon. It's not a choice you should spontaneously make. You should think long and hard about it prior to walking into that surgery room. It's also important to not let anybody else's opinions impact your own. If you want to get a mommy makeover, go for it. But if you don't, that's totally okay too. The decision is yours.

If you're considering getting a mommy makeover, you should also be fully recovered from childbirth and be finished with breastfeeding. It's recommended to wait at least a few months after finishing breastfeeding so your breasts can return to a stable size before surgery. This is not a surgery you can get just a couple weeks after giving birth. You need to give your body time to heal before you can go under the knife.

Things to Know Before Your Mommy Makeover

So, you've decided that a mommy makeover is the right choice for you. Exercise and healthy eating just isn't doing it for you and you're ready to make the leap to get your body back to how it looked before having kids. If this is something you've decided, there are a few very important things you should know beforehand. Being prepared will help quell your nerves and help you feel more ready for the procedure.

Some things you should know prior to your mommy makeover include:

• You will need to be at a healthy weight- In order to qualify for most of the procedures done in a mommy makeover, you will need to lose most of your baby weight. A mommy makeover is not a weight loss solution! You should be no more than 25 pounds over your goal weight prior to surgery.
• You will need to be overall healthy- Getting a mommy makeover is a serious procedure, so it's crucial that you are in overall good health prior to surgery. You don't want anything to complicate surgery, so before booking a consultation, focus on making sure you are as healthy as possible.
• You will have to stop smoking- This goes hand in hand with being in overall good health. In order to qualify for a mommy makeover, you will have to stop smoking at least 3 weeks prior to surgery.
• You need to make sure you can afford the procedures- Once you know you're physically able to get a mommy makeover, then you need to make sure you're financially able. Since a mommy makeover typically involves several procedures, it usually ends up being pretty expensive. The ultimate cost depends on how much work you get done and how invasive the procedures are, but you can expect a mommy makeover surgery to cost anywhere from $10,000 to $20,000. So before you decide this is right for you, make sure you can realistically afford it. If you can't afford it upfront, many surgeons offer payment plans to make it possible.
• You should be done having kids- Ideally, you should wait until you're positive you're done having kids before getting a mommy makeover. While you still can have kids after getting this procedure, it's not ideal as it can revert your body back to how it was. Your skin and breasts will likely stretch during pregnancy, which will undo the work you had done. So try your best to only do a mommy makeover if you truly believe you're done having kids.

What is the Recovery Time for a Mommy Makeover

Since a mommy makeover surgery involves several, rather invasive, procedures, it's important to know that the recovery time is not short. You're certainly not going to be up and at it the day after your surgery. You need to give yourself ample time to heal.

You will need to give yourself at least two weeks of bedrest to initially heal. Different procedures require different lengths of healing time. The recovery time for a mommy tummy tuck can be between 2 to 3 months. You'll need to wear an abdominal binder for about 6 weeks as well, to avoid fluid buildup and support your abdomen. You also will have to avoid exercise and heavy lifting for a minimum of 6 weeks. If this is too long of a healing time, you can get a mini tummy tuck, which only requires 2 to 4 weeks of healing.

It's also very important to know that you will have mommy makeover scars. Whether you get a mommy tummy tuck, breast lift, or breast augmentation, you can expect to have surgical scars. Fortunately, there are scar kits you can use to reduce the appearance of scars post surgery. Silicone scar sheets can be used to stop the formation of scars after surgery and reduce their appearance. So while scars are invariable, that should not deter from getting the mommy makeover surgery all together.

Once your surgery is complete and you're back at home, make sure you have someone around to help out with various tasks as you will not be able to perform most household functions for the first couple of weeks. Having someone around to help you clean, prepare food, and go to the bathroom is necessary so you can heal properly. Also make sure your bed is comfortable and equipped with lots of pillows so you can keep your head and feet elevated after surgery.

It might take a couple of months before you can fully see the results of your mommy makeover. You have to give your body time to fully heal, so don't get impatient about not seeing results. Swelling and scarring will decrease over time. Give yourself time to heal and soon enough, your new body will give you the confidence you've been searching for.

Final Notes

So now that you know what a mommy makeover is, when to consider getting one, and what the healing process looks like, you can make a more informed decision if it's the right choice for you. Getting a mommy makeover surgery is no joke, so it's crucial you're confident it's what you want to do. If you want to hear more about the surgery, Stanford Medicine offers great information about the various procedures and what they entail. Doing your research, consulting with your doctor, and making sure you're in optimal health are all necessary in order to get a mommy makeover. It might take a while before you see results, but the newfound confidence you'll get in your new body will make it all worth it.