What Does a Mommy Makeover Include?

Your body is almost guaranteed to change with every baby you have, leaving you with loose skin, excess weight, stretch marks, and more. While healthy eating and exercise can often help you fit back into your clothes, you might consider a mommy makeover to help you feel more comfortable and confident in your post-pregnancy body.

Laughlin Plastic Surgery in Annapolis, Maryland, provides various services that can be combined for a mommy makeover; examples include tummy tucks and CoolSculpting®.  

Dealing with your postpartum body 

After nine months of growing and carrying a child, it’s natural for your body to look and feel different once your little tenant has left. 

Many women describe their middles as bloated or deflated; it can take some time for your postpartum belly to go away. You lose an estimated 13 pounds when your baby is born, including your baby’s weight, fluid loss, and the placenta. 

You'll continue to shrink over the following weeks and months, especially if you breastfeed. Breastfeeding uses calories stored during pregnancy, helping you lose weight faster. After about six weeks, your uterus should return to its original size, but it can take longer to burn off the baby's weight entirely. 

If you still have a noticeable postpartum belly after six months to a year, don’t fret. It can take time for your body to bounce back and even longer for your skin to snap back. There’s a reason women say it takes nine months to put on the weight and nine months to take it off. 

However, if you’re feeling impatient and want to speed things along, a mommy makeover might be just what you need. 

What’s included in a mommy makeover 

What’s included in a “mommy makeover” depends on the mother, but these makeovers have always existed. Women just sought out operations separately instead of receiving them together. 

In recent years, many mothers and surgeons have learned which procedures are most common and effective following pregnancy and how to best “bounce back” from having a child. You might benefit from non-invasive body sculpting or a more intensive treatment like a tummy tuck depending on how much your body has changed. 

Body sculpting 

Even if you manage to lose all of your excess weight, the scale might not reflect what you see in the mirror. Stubborn fat deposits are impossible to target naturally, and eating less and exercising more while raising a baby can be detrimental to your mental and physical health. 

If you’re unhappy with belly fat or love handles, CoolSculpting® can help you slim down those areas specifically. This form of body contouring works by freezing fat cells, which are then re-absorbed by your body’s lymphatic system. It can take multiple sessions to get the desired results, but the noninvasive nature of the treatment can make it preferable for new mothers. 

Tummy tucks 

A tummy tuck will deliver if you’re looking for more immediate, drastic results. While the surgery requires bed rest and recovery, an experienced surgeon can quickly correct a postpartum belly by directly removing excess fat and skin.

For women who experienced diastasis recti, or abdominal separation, Dr. Laughlin can tighten and smooth the midriff by addressing the separation of the muscles. This saves you months or even years of healing. 

At Laughlin Plastic Surgery, Dr. Laughlin and his team offer both options to mothers looking to bounce back after pregnancy. To learn more about which mommy makeover method is best for you, call 410-205-5629 or visit the contact page for more information.