Dubbed “Mom Jobs” and “Mommy Makeovers,” having plastic surgery after baby seems to be the trend of the day.
Honestly, who can blame us with the celebrity moms of today?
Pregnancy is an emotional time for all of us. Between the ups and downs of hormones, lack of sleep, constant nausea and Chinese food cravings, this point in our lives definitely takes a toll on us emotionally, mentally, and physically.
While some women come out of pregnancy looking as good as they did before, others don’t. Our bodies undergo a lot of changes throughout pregnancy, such as fluctuating weight, acne, and the development of stretch marks. During this time, confidence and self-esteem can be at an all-time low, meaning that attempts to feel better and restore the sense of pre-pregnancy self are important. However, they are difficult to deal with.
If you think you need a mom job or a mommy makeover, wait a minimum of six months after giving birth before enhancing procedures. Some believe that waiting a year is more appropriate. In the end, the procedure you want to have done will be one of the determining factors behind how long you should wait.
***Important note: In most cases, plastic surgery is an elective procedure, and few plastic surgeons will perform a procedure during pregnancy, and rightly so. Unfortunately, there have been cases where women have not revealed that they are pregnant or think they may be pregnant before the surgery is scheduled.
Most reputable doctors and plastic surgeons will not operate on women in the first six months after giving birth to ensure the women’s bodies have time to get back into shape naturally.
DO NOT DO THIS!
The fact that you are pregnant will be shown through pre-op blood tests anyway.
There are four main areas that women focus on after having a baby:
- Breasts
- Abdomen
- Love handles
- Labia and vagina.
1. Breasts
There are several important considerations as to why waiting is the best plan before considering breast enhancement after pregnancy. Your breasts will be changing for several months after delivery. If you’ve decided to breastfeed, the changes will continue until you’ve stopped breastfeeding. Breast surgery is not advised until the skin and breast tissue have stabilized.
Wait time: Three to six months after breastfeeding, or three to six months after delivery if you are not breastfeeding.
2. Abdomen
Even at six months postpartum, there may be changes that are occurring in your abdominal wall and the skin and fat of your abdomen. Undergoing liposuction or a tummy tuck at this time may still be premature. Depending on when you began to show, your skin has been stretched out for anywhere from three to eight months.
Wait time: It can take up to a year for the abdomen to reverse the effects of pregnancy, and even longer for multiples or for pregnancies that are within a year of each other.
3. Love Handles
Fluctuating hormones, even without pregnancy, can affect fat loss and fat gain. Just think about how your body changes when you’re on your period. Imagine how much more dramatic these fluctuations are during pregnancy and in the postpartum period. Add to that the hormone shifts involved with breastfeeding. It can take up to one year for hormones to normalize after pregnancy.
Wait time: Liposuction can be done before one year is up, but give yourself some time to work the excess off, especially if love handles are a new phenomenon for you.
4. Labia and Vagina
Elongated labia and widening of the vaginal canal are some of the possible consequences of childbearing. If this has happened to you, know that as with the stomach and breasts, some time needs to pass for these areas to adjust after delivering a baby. If you feel as if your vagina is looser than it was before having a vaginal delivery and it is affecting your sex life, a vaginoplasty is a possibility, but should be done at a minimum of six months after delivery. If you’re considering having more children, it may be prudent to wait until all childbearing is done.
As for the labia or vaginal lips, these will shrink after delivery. Elongated vaginal lips are not always a consequence of pregnancy, as some women have them after puberty. If you find that they get in the way of intercourse, exercise, or inhibit your clothing styles, a labiaplasty may be the surgery for you.
Wait time: The body needs time to adjust – at least six months- before considering these procedures after pregnancy.
Wait time for all elective surgeries is at least six months after birth.
However, elective plastic surgery is generally not recommended shortly after childbirth.
You should wait until the tissue of the stomach, breasts, and other areas shrink and settle back down which takes at least six months.
Most reputable doctors and plastic surgeons will not operate on women in the first six months after giving birth to ensure the women’s bodies have time to get back into shape naturally.
