Mommy makeovers are becoming increasingly popular because moms want to feel comfortable and confident in their own skin.
Gone are the days of many women feeling like they must simply “give up” and always be slightly ashamed of their bodies just because they are mothers.
Not only are mommy makeovers wonderful for moms who’ve had significantly uncomfortable and painful changes to their bodies due to motherhood (enlarged breasts, excess abdominal skin, damaged abdominal muscles, stretched labia), but they’re also body positive. Improving the way you feel about your body can meaningfully improve your relationship with yourself — improving your confidence and self-esteem.
The Joys (and Challenges) of Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Breastfeeding
Becoming a mom is an amazing experience that cannot truly be understood until it happens to you.
From finding out you’re pregnant and experiencing the glow of maternity, to giving birth and holding your little one in your arms for the very first time — motherhood is miraculous, beautiful, and eye-opening.
It’s also challenging in more ways than one.
For most mothers, the most startling change is what happens to your body. The ability to grow a human being right in your womb is truly remarkable — and certainly a gift — but it’s also understandably disconcerting. You’re used to your body being one way. You’re comfortable with its shape and feel. And then overnight, it begins to change drastically.
Pregnant women and new moms must succumb to a range of bodily shifts that can make them uncomfortable emotionally and sometimes, even physically too. Let’s take a look at some of the changes moms struggle with as a result of pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding:
Breasts
Often, a woman’s breasts are they first things to change once she’s found out she’s pregnant. They become tender and slightly bigger at first. Throughout the pregnancy, they become larger, and they are at their largest during the postpartum period when they become filled with milk if the mother chooses to breast-feed. In fact, whether a mom chooses to breast-feed or not, her breasts often fill with milk so that the skin and tissue on the breasts becomes larger and stretched out.
This is the main change that mothers see in their breasts: often, the stretched-out skin and tissue stays stretched out. While their baby will grow out of breast- or bottle-feeding and onto solid foods, and while they may have already stopped producing milk and fat from their breasts has disappeared, their breasts will remain sagging, drooping, and flat.
Naturally, this is uncomfortable for most women. Their breasts no longer look the way they did pre-baby, and the new shape and size of their breasts can even cause back pain.
Abdomen
The abdominal area is naturally the part of a woman’s body most affected by pregnancy. With the growing baby inside, the abdomen must stretch enormously to accommodate both the size and weight of the baby, placenta, uterus, and abdominal fluid.
Additionally, many women tend to exercise less vigorously and sometimes eat slightly more during pregnancy. This can add some additional weight to the prenatal period. While completely natural, that excess weight is hard to lose once the baby arrives. You’re so busy caring for your newborn and recuperating from birth, both physically and mentally, that getting right back onto the treadmill and a super-food diet of vegetables, fruits, lean meats, and whole grains is nearly impossible — sometimes for many months and even years.
As this time stretches on, the excess weight that may still be around the abdomen (as well as any excess loose skin) can cause major discomfort, pain, and annoyance for moms. It can be difficult to find clothes that fit and to feel comfortable running, squatting down, and doing other physical maneuvers that you used to be able to do with ease before becoming pregnant. Any excess abdominal skin can make it especially difficult to exercise. And of course, there’s the emotional discomfort of not feeling like yourself in your own body.
In addition to loose skin and excess weight around the abdomen, often, the abdominal muscles become separated during pregnancy — a condition known as diastasis recti. These muscles often never quite come back together on their own. This can cause discomfort and the common “mommy pooch”. Basically, the “mommy pooch” is a small, prominent area on the abdomen that, once you’ve had a baby, never really cinches back in so that you have flat abs. Separated abdominal muscles can also be uncomfortable and cause back pain.
Why Mommy Makeovers Are so Popular
The issues listed above are prevalent among mothers, but there are only a few ways to fix them.
Naturally, we recommend adopting a healthy lifestyle as soon as possible. This includes abiding by a regular exercise regimen and eating a nutritious diet.
At the same time, we know that even these great habits can only go so far. The only true way to actually fix back pain caused by enlarged, sagging breasts, for example, is to get a breast lift or breast reduction. The only way to remove stubborn fat from the abdomen and fix separated abdominal muscles is to get a tummy tuck and possibly liposuction.
And indeed, these are the main three procedures in most mommy makeovers:
Your mommy makeover can look any way you want it to. At your consultation appointment with Dr. Sieber, you’ll discuss your goals for the procedure, highlighting whatever areas of your body you’d like to change. Dr. Sieber will give you a short physical exam and ask you about your medical history. Then, he will tell you what your best options for the procedure are.
Change Your Life With a Mommy Makeover
A mommy makeover is one of the best ways to get your confidence back after becoming a mother. It’s best to wait until you’re finished having children (and at least six months after having your last child) to get this procedure.
Ready to get started? It all begins with your initial consultation appointment. To book today, give our San Francisco office a call — we look forward to hearing from you!
