Motherhood is all about giving. Your body gives everything to each of your children for nine months — and that is only the beginning.
From forgoing self-care activities to sacrificing new wardrobe items to ensure your children have the very best, moms continuously put others before themselves, especially their children. Over time, this can snowball to the point that doing something that is just for you can feel foreign, or even wrong.
This is highly problematic. Yes, your children deserve the very best in life. But this includes a healthy and happy mom — something they can’t have if Mom never puts herself first.
Mommy Makeovers and Happy Moms
When we look our best, it gives us a confidence boost that translates into feeling happier, more outgoing and even healthier overall. Unfortunately, many moms just don’t feel that great about themselves after childbirth. While “mom bods” have done amazing things, not every woman takes pride in sporting the marks pregnancy and childbirth have left behind.
Sagging skin. Excess fat around the middle. Loss of breast volume. Even changes to vaginal tone and dryness. All of these differences can chip away at your self-confidence and leave you wishing you could make some changes just so you could feel better about yourself. A mommy makeover is a great way to address these concerns and can help you to feel like yourself again.
Addressing the Mommy Guilt
The idea of getting cosmetic surgery makes many mothers feel guilty. If you hesitate even to buy a new pair of pants, how can you justify a whole mommy makeover?
Because it benefits your whole family.
We’ve all heard the phrase, “Happy wife, happy life.” But this can be extended to motherhood as well. When mom is happy, everyone is happy, and when she isn’t, no one is. Your self-image impacts how you interact with your children and your partner, and it also sets an example for your little ones. A happy, confident and energetic mother sets the tone for the entire household.
So, if you are feeling some guilt at even considering a mommy makeover, set that aside. This is for you, yes, but it helps the whole family.
Mommy Makeover Benefits
Mommy makeovers, like most cosmetic surgery, come with physical and psychological benefits to the patient. However, the specific benefits you enjoy will depend on how you choose to customize your procedure.
Mommy makeover is a term for any combination of procedures the patient selects to help address changes that resulted from pregnancy and childbirth. This is fully customizable based on what things you wish to change about yourself. Typically, it includes a tummy tuck with liposuction and either a breast lift or a lift with augmentation. Patients often choose to have liposuction, vaginal rejuvenation and even facial cosmetic surgery, as well.
Here are some benefits a mommy makeover could bring you:
A Flatter, More Stable Core
Pregnancy doesn’t just stretch your abdominal skin and put more fat around your middle; it changes your muscles. For many women, these muscles remain loose or even separated long after pregnancy. A tummy tuck tightens the muscles and brings them back together. It also removes excess skin and fat and can involve remodeling the belly button if needed.
Fuller, Perkier Breasts
After pregnancy, and especially after breastfeeding, your chest changes. The skin can become looser, and many women experience a loss of volume once their milk supply dries up. This can leave the breasts looking smaller and deflated, sitting against the chest wall rather than projecting out. A breast lift helps to make the breasts perkier and can, to a degree, alter their projection and shape. Breast augmentation adds volume and also changes projection and shape. Together, these procedures give you a lot of control over your look.
Renewed Self-Confidence
Ultimately, this is what it is all about. Cosmetic surgery isn’t a replacement for therapy when you are feeling down and depressed. However, if your self-image is at the core of what’s got you down, giving yourself a confidence boost can help you get back on the right path.
Many patients report that this improved self-image helps them be more outgoing and confident, allows them to start exercising again and helps them have the energy they need to be truly present with their kids.
While a mommy makeover isn’t a cure all, for many women, it is what they need to help them look and feel their best.
Author: Dr. Joseph Castellano
Dr. Joseph Castellano is a native Floridian who grew up in the Tampa Bay area. After medical school and residency, Dr. Castellano returned home and has opened a practice in Tampa, Florida focusing on breast augmentation, abdominoplasty, liposuction, facelift, and eyelid rejuvenation. He is a member of the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery, American College of Surgeons, and American Medical Association
