Gearing Up for a Mommy Makeover? Your Ultimate Pre-Surgery Checklist Awaits

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There is no joy like that experienced by a new mother. You have just brought life into the world, and with every smile and giggle from your baby, you find yourself on Cloud 9. Yet no matter how many benefits come with being a mother, the reality is that pregnancy and childbirth leave their marks on your body. 

Many mothers find themselves frustrated with excess weight and sagging skin around their midsections along with smaller and drooping breasts that no longer look the way they once did. 

However, plastic surgery procedures, such as a Mommy Makeover, can help to correct these issues and restore your pre-baby body as well as the confidence and comfort you once felt. 

Mommy Makeover surgery is a customizable combination of cosmetic procedures that help to correct the issues that many women experience after childbirth. These procedures can include breast augmentation surgery, breast lift surgery (mastopexy), breast reduction surgery, liposuction surgery, and tummy tuck surgery (abdominoplasty). 

While this combination procedure can rejuvenate your appearance, it is necessary that prospective patients understand what to expect as well as how to prepare for their surgery. 

If you are ready for a Mommy Makeover, then the checklist below will help you get yourself physically and mentally ready to have that hot-mom bod you so desperately want!

How to Prepare for Your Mommy Makeover

1. Lose the Baby Weight

While your Mommy Makeover will include liposuction and tummy tuck surgery, the reality is that these procedures, along with other body contouring surgery, are not meant for weight loss. You may lose a few pounds from these procedures, but it is important that you shed as much of the excess baby weight as possible. 

Additionally, it is important to note that any major fluctuations in your weight (up or down) after your Mommy Makeover can erase many of the stunning results that you achieve from your tummy tuck and breast procedure, so you will want to get yourself to or at least very near your ideal weight before your surgery.

2. Quit Nicotine Use 

By now, everyone has heard of the health risks caused by smoking and nicotine use, especially when you’re pregnant and around children. 

However, if you use nicotine products (including cigarettes, vaping, and other forms of nicotine), then you will want to make sure that you quit your usage at least six weeks prior to your surgery. That is because nicotine can cause numerous complications both during and after your procedure, such as increasing the risk of blood clots and infection, among many other issues.

3. Limit Alcohol 

While it is perfectly okay to drink alcohol in moderation, you will want to limit the amount of alcohol you consume during the weeks leading up to your procedure, and you will want to stop drinking alcohol completely at least two weeks prior to your surgery. 

This is because alcohol thins the blood, which can increase the amount of bleeding you experience, both during and after your procedure.

4. Avoid Certain Medications 

After your procedure, Dr. Pincus will prescribe you medication to help during your recovery. However, it is important that you refrain from taking other medications before and after your procedure, such as aspirin, NSAIDs, and blood thinning medications, as these medications can cause complications during the procedure and your Mommy Makeover recovery. 

If you take prescription medications for anything, it is very important that you discuss this with Dr. Pincus during your Mommy Makeover consultation. 

5. Fill Your Prescriptions 

You will be prescribed medications to take during your recovery, including antibiotics and pain medication. 

During your recovery, it is important that you keep yourself rested, which means that driving to the pharmacy to get your prescriptions filled is not the best thing. Instead, it is helpful if you fill your necessary medications before your procedure so that you have whatever you need no more than a few feet away.

6. Clear Your Schedule

You can expect downtime of several weeks after your Mommy Makeover surgery. That is because your body has gone through a traumatic experience and needs to rest and heal. Because of this, it is vital that you allow yourself time to recover, so you will need to be at home, away from your place of work for some time. 

Make sure that you schedule time off work before your procedure so that you can keep all your attention and focus on yourself and your recovery. 

7. Set Up Childcare 

While your child is the most important part of your life, the reality is that you are undergoing your Mommy Makeover because of the effects that your child (or your children) have had on your body. And while you give your every waking moment to your child, your Mommy Makeover recovery is a time that you deserve to achieve the look and feel that you desire. So make sure that you are focusing on yourself. 

Additionally, you will be physically unable to drive your children to and from school, as well as other extracurricular activities, so it is important that you have someone there to help look after your child (or children) while you recover.

8. Make Sure You Have a Ride 

Immediately after your procedure, you will be in no shape to drive. This is because you will be just coming out of anesthesia, and your body will likely be feeling the effects of the surgery. Because of this, you need to make sure that someone is available to drive you home and get you situated. Additionally, you will want to make sure that someone is available to drive you to and from your follow-up appointments.

9. Prepare Meals Ahead of Time 

Since you are a mom, you probably already know how helpful meal prepping can be with saving time and making life a little easier. This is certainly true during your recovery. Preparing healthy, ready-made (or easy-to-prepare) meals before your surgical procedure can help alleviate stress and unneeded physical movement in the day following your procedure. 

10. Set Up Your Recovery Zone 

Since your recovery will, for the most part, take place in one or two areas of your home (usually the couch and/or the bed), you will want to make sure that you are going to be as comfortable as possible. That means making sure that you have enough pillows and blankets available as well as entertainment options (books, magazines, a TV, the remote control, etc.). 

11. Get Enough Rest

While the days leading up to your Mommy Makeover can be full of worry and nervousness, it is so important that you get enough rest. Doing so can help your body prepare for the procedure as well as get you mentally ready for the surgery and recovery period. Going into any procedure feeling well rested and comfortable can make all the difference. 

Interested in Learning More?

Dr. Pincus is dedicated to helping his patients look and feel their absolute best. If you think that you are a candidate for a Mommy Makeover procedure, then schedule your consultation with Dr. Pincus at his New York offices by calling us at 631-352-3556.