A healthy diet and exercise aren’t always enough to get back your pre-mom body. Diastasis, extra skin, stretch marks, enlarged or downturned nipples, urinary incontinence (the list goes on and on) are real. Completely reversing those post-pregnancy changes on your own can be virtually impossible.
Sadly, others may make you feel that you aren’t working hard enough to get your body back or that plastic surgery, such as a mommy makeover, is a shortcut. At our Austin, TX, practice, women who are considering cosmetic plastic surgery want to regain more than their pre-pregnancy bodies—they also want to boost their confidence and feel like themselves again.
In this blog post, I’ll explain why being self-assured about your body can actually improve your mood and, ultimately, make you a happier parent.
No, You’re Not Lazy
Many of the moms we see at our Austin practice who are considering plastic surgery worry that they’re putting their needs above those of their families. One 33-year-old woman on the RealSelf website asked if she was being “selfish and lazy” for even thinking about getting a mommy makeover, which typically combines body contouring such as tummy tuck and cosmetic breast surgery procedures.
Here are the facts: no matter how much a woman works out or diets after having a baby, she can’t tighten loose abdominal skin or repair separated abdominal muscles. And deflated breasts won’t magically regain their volume or shape with exercise and good nutrition.
Confidence and Being a Parent
The adage “When you look good, you feel good” is a cliché for a reason—it’s generally true. That’s not to say great parents don’t come in all sizes. But how a mom feels about herself, both as a woman and a partner, is influenced by her body image and self-esteem. Relationships with her children can benefit when a mother feels confident about her body because, typically, she is happier overall.
Is a Mommy Makeover for You?
There are multiple factors to consider if you’re thinking about a mommy makeover: Do you have a support system to help with young children? Will the surgery put stress on your family’s finances? Do you plan to have additional children? What shouldn’t influence your choice is worrying about putting your needs ahead of a partner’s or child’s or feeling like you should be happy with your body even if you’re self-conscious.
To be clear, it’s important to have realistic expectations about plastic surgery and to understand your motivation. But if you want to feel comfortable in a swimsuit or if you want to stop relying on Spanx® to keep everything together, there’s certainly no shame in that.
It is important that you choose a board-certified plastic surgeon with the experience and expertise to produce excellent results, such as those you can see in our gallery of before-and-after photos of actual patients. You can see that a mommy makeover is truly transformative.
If you’re finished having children and are thinking about getting mommy makeover surgery, you can contact us using the online form to request a consultation or call us at (512) 288-8200 to schedule an appointment.
