Childbirth is one of the most precious, memorable, miraculous experiences a woman can have. It also does more damage to your body than just about anything else you’ll ever do, short of being involved in some kind of traumatic accident.
The most obvious area of damage is usually seen in the stomach. During the nine months of gestation, the abdominal skin is forced to stretch beyond its normal limits, not only an extreme amount, but also in a relatively short period of time.
As your baby grows, the tissue between the two halves of your “six-pack” muscles is softened by hormones, allowing the tissue to stretch as the uterus pushes against the stomach wall.
Your Tummy Will Likely Never Be The Same
As the abdomen stretches, the body creates extra skin tissue to accommodate the ever-increasing expansion. If a C-section becomes necessary, strength and tone is also lost in the lower part of the abdominal wall as well.
Between the weak muscles and the extra skin tissue, the body loses sufficient support for the internal organs and the torso. As a result, many women find they’re left with a tummy paunch that looks like a pot belly once the pregnancy is over. All too often, diet and exercise offer very little help, if they even have any effect at all.
There is Help for Post-Pregnancy Pot Belly
Many women find a tummy tuck offers them the help they need. A tummy tuck is a surgical procedure that not only gets rid of the excess skin that developed, it also serves to tighten the abdominal muscles. This helps flatten the stomach, giving a slim, more contoured shape, closely resembling their pre-pregnant body silhouette.
How Long Should You Wait Before Having a Tummy Tuck
It’s advisable to wait a minimum of six months after you have your baby before scheduling a tummy tuck. If you’re still breastfeeding, it’s best to wait until six months after breastfeeding is finished.
The main reason for the delay is to give your body enough time to heal from the damages done by the pregnancy. Another big reason is that following a tummy tuck, the frequent lifting of the baby can cause stress on the body as the tummy tuck heals and may cause damage to your results.
What Does a Tummy Tuck Do?
A tummy tuck starts with an incision, usually a horizontal incision along the pubic bone, and sometimes with another incision in the area of the belly button. Excess fat and skin is removed and abdominal muscles are repaired or tightened as necessary. The remaining skin is pulled down tautly, resulting in a tighter, flatter tummy area.
How Much Recovery Time is Necessary After a Tummy Tuck?
Recovery times for a tummy tuck, like most surgeries, can vary widely between patients. Generally speaking, most women are able to resume their normal activities within about two weeks.Strenuous activities may be restricted and heavy lifting should be avoided for up to four weeks following tummy tuck surgery.
How Much Does a Tummy Tuck Cost?
Much like recovery times, the cost of a tummy tuck can be different from one patient to the next, and can fluctuate due to other variables, such as which surgeon you choose, the area of the country and the amount of work needing to be done.
Tummy tuck surgeries can range from $3,000 up to about $12,000, with $5,992 as an average, according to statistics from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons in 2017.
Your total cost can be provided at the initial consultation when you and the surgeon discuss your desired results and work together to create a customized treatment plan for your specific situation.
Contact us today to schedule your consultation or to find out if a tummy tuck is the right choice for you.