How Long Must I Wait after Giving Birth Before I Get a Mommy Makeover?

Having children marks the start of a new phase in life. You’ll experience numerous changes as you start focusing on caring for your little one. Enjoying milestone moments like your child’s first time crawling, walking and speaking will be memories that stay with you forever, and they make the trials and tribulations of parenthood truly rewarding.

However, not all the changes you experience as part of motherhood are desired. Your body undergoes significant changes from pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding, and many of these aren’t easily addressed with diet and exercise. In addition, the sacrifices you must make as a new mother (it can be challenging to get enough sleep, exercise and nutrition) can make it even more difficult to regain the figure you enjoyed prior to having children.

For these reasons, a mommy makeover is one of the most popular procedures offered at Midsota Plastic Surgery. A mommy makeover consists of a combination of plastic surgery procedures intended to address the changes that occur to your body during pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding. Depending on your unique needs and goals, this may include:

• Breast augmentation
• Breast lift
• Tummy tuck
• Liposuction

Determining the Right Time for Your Mommy Makeover

A common question our plastic surgeons receive during a consultation involves how long you need to wait after having children before getting a mommy makeover. The simple answer is that you should wait at least six months after giving birth before undergoing your procedure. This ensures your body has time to fully recover from the rigors of pregnancy and childbirth.

However, every woman is different, and the exact timing of your procedure should be determined by a variety of factors, including:

• How rapidly your body recovers from pregnancy and childbirth
• Whether you choose to breastfeed (you must wait until you’re done breastfeeding to undergo a mommy makeover)
• The ways in which the rigors of motherhood impact your daily routine
• Future pregnancy plans

Common Changes to Your Body during Pregnancy

Pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding impact every woman differently. However, it is common to experience one or more of the following changes to your body:

• Lost breast volume
• Sagging breasts
• Stretch marks on your breasts or stomach
• Loose skin and excess fat in the abdominal region
• Loose, stretched or torn abdominal muscles
• Increase in body fat, resulting in small areas of fat that aren’t responsive to your diet and exercise efforts

Some of these changes will correct on their own. It’s important that you give your body the time necessary to heal in order to determine which of these changes are permanent and which ones will resolve naturally.

Changes to Your Daily Routine after Having Children

Raising a baby is physically and emotionally exhausting. Even though your body has fully healed after about six months, you may not feel ready to handle the rigors of caring for your child while recovering from major surgery. When your child is six months old, you are most likely still experiencing nightly disruptions in sleep, and you may not be able to build in enough downtime necessary to achieve the best possible results from surgery.

In addition, many of the procedures included in a mommy makeover will require you to refrain from heavy lifting for 4-6 weeks after surgery. This would make it very difficult to pick up your baby. As a result, many women prefer to wait until their children are a little older and more self-sufficient before they choose to undergo a mommy makeover.

Are You Planning on Having More Children?

Future pregnancy plans should definitely factor into your decision regarding when to have a mommy makeover. Your body will experience the same changes each time you become pregnant, and this can potentially undo many of the benefits you achieve from your mommy makeover. As a result, our plastic surgeons typically recommend that you wait until you’re finished having children to move forward with plastic surgery.

You should always discuss any potential future family plans with our plastic surgeons during your consultation. Even if you’re undecided about these plans, it may factor into the timing of your procedure. Delaying your mommy makeover until you are confident that you are done having children is the best way to ensure your results last a long time.

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