Moms often seem to do it all. They can juggle a home as well as multiple kids while also studying, working, or maintaining their social connections. This is so often seen as the norm that women who visit a plastic surgeon to discuss a Mommy Makeover forget to consider how their normal day-to-day life may be impacted. Here, we discuss the unique challenges that patients with younger children may face after their cosmetic surgery. 

Surgical Recovery: An Extended Timeline

When a patient has a single procedure, such as breast augmentation, they generally expect to be back to work and engaged in the majority of their normal activities after two weeks. The same may be true for a patient who has liposuction or a facelift. The magic of a Mommy Makeover, though, is that the surgeon customizes multiple techniques into a single surgery. Doing so achieves maximum results with just one recovery period. What we don’t see is how that recovery period could be extended. This is especially true when abdominoplasty is involved and doubly true when abdominoplasty repairs muscle separation. Women who want to restore their shape through a Mommy Makeover are in good hands with Cincinnati plastic surgeon Dr. Donna Krummen. Here, we discuss all facets of treatment, including how to plan accordingly for a smooth recovery. 

Restrictions After a Mommy Makeover

All surgical patients expect some activity restrictions after their procedures. For the woman who gets a Mommy Makeover, these restrictions are very likely going to affect her family life for a few weeks. What patients need to prepare for the most is the fact that they cannot pick up their small children. They cannot run and chase and play in the same ways they did before surgery. For a period of up to 6 weeks, patients will be restricted from lifting heavy objects. They will take showers instead of baths and, due to restrictions in bending, be advised not to bathe small children. 

What Can I Do?

Hearing what feels like a long list of “don’ts,” many women ask what they can do after their Mommy Makeover? This is an important question for any mother who has her procedure while her children are still living at home. The younger the children, the more important the question. For mothers with small children, it is essential to get help. A second or third set of hands can significantly reduce unnecessary stress during recovery. While others do the lifting and the playing, mom-in-recovery can read wonderful stories. She can watch movies and play board games. She can prepare healthy meals and school lunches. She can sit with her children at bedtime and hear all about their day. She can make up stories and songs or color imaginative paintings with her children. She can stay engaged even if not physically so, and in so doing, Mom can also ward off some of the post-surgical blues that are common after surgery. 

Learn more about the value of a Mommy Makeover. Call 513.985.0850 to schedule your visit with Dr. Krummen. 

Mommy Makeover treatment addresses the various areas of the body that are affected by pregnancy and breastfeeding. This makeover is popular because concerns are addressed in a single surgical process. The typical Mommy Makeover consists of 2 to 3 surgical techniques, such as breast lift, breast augmentation, liposuction, and abdominoplasty. By combining techniques, risks and recovery are diminished while rewards are maximized. Understandably, the idea of multiple procedures at once can seem intimidating. Not to worry, we’ve got you covered with simple tips to help you recover well.

Arrange Sufficient Time Off

Surgeons typically advise patients to take 2 weeks off from a desk job and 3 or 4 weeks off from a job that is more physically demanding. It is important to acknowledge motherhood itself as a physically demanding job. Therefore, for the month after a Mommy Makeover, patients will need additional hands on deck taking care of children, pets, and the home.

Healthy Habits to Embrace after a Mommy Makeover

Healthy habits feed the mind and body during the healing process. Suggestions from doctors and patients include:

Manage stress. Moms fill many roles, most of which need to be handed off to lower stress after surgery. Prepare with tasks such as:

• Meal prep before surgery so quick, healthy meals are readily available.
• Create a chore chart for the family.
• Create a “caregiver” list to include those who will help with bathing, medications, and keeping company.
• Handle all loose ends at work before surgery. Let work associates know you are unreachable for at least one week after surgery.
• Change your voicemail to reflect that you are unavailable until a certain date.
• Have the house cleaned the day before surgery so you return from surgery to a stress-free environment.

Prioritize Hydration

We are advised to drink 8 glasses of water a day. That equates to 64 ounces. However, when recovering from surgery and taking prescription pain medications, dehydration may occur more easily. At this time, it is beneficial to increase water consumption to at least 80 ounces of water a day. Prioritize hydration by:

• Keeping a large water bottle on the nightstand or wherever you are resting. Make water more interesting by adding sliced lemon or cucumber to the bottle. Cranberry juice can also be mixed in to add flavor.
• Eat water-dense foods like cucumbers, celery, watermelon, and citrus fruits.
• Keep a humidifier in your space to hydrate from the outside in.

Read Some Books

One of the toughest parts about surgical recovery is that boredom can set in very quickly. After a Mommy Makeover, you cannot exercise for several weeks. While you can take short walks, this doesn’t take up much of your time. The recovery period after a Mommy Makeover is a great time to read that book you bought but never opened. Other options include coloring, word-searches or crossword puzzles. The point is to keep your mind occupied and fed with uplifting or intriguing entertainment. This strategy is very useful in preventing the blues that can occur after surgery.

Stay in the Positive

Being surrounded by positivity is good for all of us at any time, but especially when healing from surgery.

• Put positive quotes where you can see them
• Write in a journal
• Diffuse calming or uplifting essential oils (think lavender and wild orange)
• Open the windows to enjoy fresh air and sunlight
• Play uplifting music
• Keep in touch with close friends

Now is a great time to learn more about a Mommy Makeover. To schedule a consultation in our Cincinnati office, call 513.985.0850.

For as long as plastic surgery procedures have been performed in our country, there has been a stigma around them. Celebrities who had plastic surgery were “outed” later, after vehemently denying the work they’d had done. We may be told in subtle and not-so-subtle ways that we should look younger naturally, without any assistance. Some people who express an interest in plastic surgery are questioned about their motives and even their emotional health. These viewpoints do not exist in other countries. In Brazil, for instance, plastic surgery is viewed as a pathway to enhance self-esteem, not to correct something that is “wrong.” A woman in Brazil would receive no flack for wanting plastic surgery. For a woman in America, wanting to reverse what pregnancy and breastfeeding have done to her body may be met with disdain and shaming.

Motherhood is an honor that comes with sacrifice. Not all of the sacrifices a woman makes for her children have to go on forever, though. At some point, children grow up and leave the nest. Why should Mom be left with a lasting “badge of honor” that robs her of her self-confidence? When a Mommy Makeover can correct the common cosmetic concerns of motherhood, there is no reason NOT to do this for you and you alone.

Reasons for a Mommy Makeover

A Mommy Makeover may be sought for several different benefits, such as perkier breasts or a flatter stomach. Beyond benefits, though, a Mommy Makeover by be sought because:

Healthy Habits May Not Be Enough

A woman may eat all the right things to lose the baby weight. She may walk or swim or hit the gym several days a week to drop pounds and tighten her muscles. However, many women discover that this isn’t enough. To eat well and exercise can feel like an amazing thing to do for the body. But when results fall short of expectations, there is an inevitable let-down. Diet and exercise may help with overall weight, strength, and vitality, but they may not fully tighten the abdomen and are very unlikely to lift the breasts.

Pregnancy-Related Changes aren’t Merely Cosmetic

Sometimes, the stretching that occurs during pregnancy expands the midsection to such an extent that the abdominal muscles separate. This is referred to as diastasis recti. Exercise can tone the abdominal muscles but will not cause them to grow back together. Other medical concerns related to severe abdominal laxity include urinary incontinence, hernia, and low back pain.

It’s Nice to Regain Control

Motherhood changes a woman in many ways. A woman may quickly learn that much of what happens in motherhood is beyond her control to prevent. Pregnancy-related physical changes don’t have to be included in that. A Mommy Makeover can reinstate the shape that reflects a woman’s sense of her feminine self beyond motherhood.

Learn more about your ideal Mommy Makeover process. Schedule a consultation at our Cincinnati office by calling 513.985.0850.

Undergoing a mommy makeover gives a woman a new chance to love the way she looks. In our last post, we focused on one of the top questions about this beneficial treatment: how to get ready. Here, we tackle the next big question: what to expect during mommy makeover recovery. Understandably, there is more to think about in this recovery process because there is more healing to do. There is a lot going on internally after a combination of plastic surgery procedures but that doesn’t mean the journey has to be long and unpleasant. Here, we discuss some of the recovery points you may not see everywhere.

Your surgery day may be a blur.

The day you come to the surgery center for your makeover, you will be very excited and probably slightly unnerved. Perfectly normal. Before your surgery, you are given general anesthesia. The sedative medication will take hours to wear off completely. For a short time after your surgery, the nursing staff will watch over you in the recovery area. Once your anesthesia has worn off a little and you can stand and take a few steps with assistance, a caregiver will be able to take you home. You will probably go straight to bed and be given your first dose of prescription pain medication within a few hours. The first 24 hours or so will most likely not be remembered at all due to the combination of medication and fatigue.

You may develop unusual sensations.

Most patients anticipate some tenderness and soreness in areas that are treated during surgery, such as the breasts and stomach. However, they may not expect to feel low back pain. This is a common effect of abdominoplasty, in particular, because the stomach muscles are unable to fully stretch for a few days. As a result, you are not able to stand upright. When you stand or walk, you will slouch forward, exerting more pressure on the low back than is normal. Once your posture straightens, your low back should feel much better.

Your medication may cause constipation.

This side effect is no fun, we understand. However, constipation is not a reason to stop taking prescription pain medication. There are remedies that can protect comfort as you recover from surgery. Make sure you are drinking plenty of clear fluids and consuming fresh fruits and vegetables as much as possible. If you do become constipated, talk with your doctor about the use of a stool softener.

Emotional disruption: someday you’ll look back and laugh.

Surgery is a major event both physically and mentally. Highs and lows are common after all kinds of surgical procedures, including the mommy makeover. If you’re calm and happy one minute and crying the next, you are doing what just about every surgical patient before you has done; you are instinctively releasing the stress your body and mind have held. Let it go as a part of your healing.

Is it time for your makeover to begin? We’re here to help. Schedule a consultation at our Cincinnati office by calling 513.985.0850.

Getting ready for a mommy makeover can take as much time, or longer, than it takes to get ready for parenthood. Although there are numerous benefits and joys that stem from customized cosmetic procedures, there are also questions. We know what they tend to be and will cover them in this month’s blog posts. If you’re in the beginning stages of considering your mommy makeover, here’s where you can start:

Put your Best Foot Forward

The whole purpose of a mommy makeover is to correct cosmetic changes that have developed as a result of pregnancy, breastfeeding, and Mommy-ing; to help you put your best foot forward. How can you start out this way? By arranging your very best experience from the get-go. Mommy makeover surgery is not something to schedule after a single consultation with a plastic surgeon, it is a life-changing journey that needs to begin with some good old-fashioned self-reflection.

Why do you want a mommy makeover? What exactly do you want to accomplish and what do you think your makeover will do for you? After you have answered these questions, do some research on local board-certified plastic surgeons. Choose a few and schedule a consultation with each. Yes, this process might take a few weeks or even a few months, but the results of your surgery can last forever, so you want to take care in choosing a surgeon you trust.

Next Steps:

1. Make your health a priority. Eat well to nourish your body, priming it for recovery. Avoid alcohol as your surgery approaches, and do not use tobacco or nicotine products. Nicotine inhibits blood flow and can diminish the body’s capacity to heal. Tell your doctor all medications, drugs, supplements, and vitamins you are taking. Some may need to be stopped or modified to ensure a safe surgical procedure.
2. Take time off. If you work outside the home, you may want as long as two weeks off work. It can take a good 10 days just to start feeling like yourself again, and another several days to regain optimal energy. If Mommy is your primary job title, arrange childcare assistance for at least two weeks.
3. Prepare helpers. You won’t just need help with the kids during your recovery, you will need help with everything. For this short time, you will not be the one doing the cooking, you will not be caring for pets or doing household chores. No school lunches or carpools, only healing. Before your surgery, it is beneficial to prepare yourself and your helpers to know the extent of assistance you will need. Even getting to the bathroom is a two-person job.
4. Get the necessary supplies. These may include gauze pads, compression garments, medications, extra pillows, magazines, pre-made meals, and more.

Cincinnati plastic surgeon Dr. Donna Krummen knows the ins and outs of mommy makeover treatment. To learn more about her training and experience, schedule a consultation at 513.985.0850.

Mothers are presented with a lifetime of joys and challenges. Usually, the good experiences outweigh those that test patience. That doesn’t mean that a mother has to live with little details of life that cause unnecessary frustration. Many women who have given birth and breastfed lose a sense of confidence in their body. On the one hand, they can feel proud of what their body has accomplished and, on the other, miss the contours and smooth skin they once had. Instead of enduring unappealing physical attributes, why not address them with a mommy makeover?

What a Mommy Makeover Does

The term “mommy makeover” has so commonly been used to describe breast and tummy procedures that it’s easy to make assumptions about what this series of procedures does. Ultimately, every mommy makeover is a personalized protocol developed to meet a woman’s desire for a new and improved shape. This may include addressing:

• Lingering fat. After pregnancy, the body may seem to be extra fond of the fat it has stored. Fat cells don’t necessarily localize around the midsection, either. During a mommy makeover, liposuction may be performed on the abdomen, the flanks, back, hips, thighs, or even under the chin to recreate a sense of curves.
• Muscle laxity. The intense stretching of the abdominal muscles and skin during pregnancy may cause lasting effects that degrade self-confidence. Mommy makeovers often include abdominoplasty, or the tummy tuck procedure. This technique reinstates the integrity of muscle tissue that had separated during pregnancy and can even minimize the appearance of stretch marks or a C-section scar.
• Breast deflation. It isn’t only the abdomen that undergoes a dramatic transformation during pregnancy; the breasts also grow to facilitate breastfeeding. Even if a woman does not breastfeed, the expansion of her breasts may ultimately lead to deflation after her body has returned to normal hormonal stasis. The shape, size, and situation of the breasts can be refined with augmentation, lifting, or even reduction surgery.

Mommy makeover surgery is tailored to your personal preferences and desired outcome. Learn more about this protocol and the long-term gains it has to offer. Contact our Cincinnati office at 513-985-0850.