Mommy Makeover: Info, Photos, Rewiews, Q&A

For most women it would be appropriate to have a tummy tuck at least 6 months after giving birth, and 9 months after would usually be fine. Other factors such as weight stability and desire for future pregnancies also play a role in the proper timing of the tummy tuck.

These issues can be addressed at your consultation. (Arnold S. Breitbart, MD, FACS, Long Island Plastic Surgeon)

When to perform a tummy tuck after pregnancy & childbirth
Each surgeon may have a different set of rules as to when to consider a tummy tuck after childbirth but I generally prefer to see patients at a stable weight for up to 4 months and cessation of breast feeding.

However, there are some plastic surgeons (not many) that are even willing to do a tummy tuck at the time of delivery. This is something that the vast majority of plastic surgeons will NOT do. (Otto Joseph Placik, MD, Chicago Plastic Surgeon)

I usualy have my patients wait at least 6 months to one year after having a child before undergoing a tummy tuck.

This also means that they have returned to their prepregnancy weight and they are not breast feeding. (Steven Wallach, MD, New York Plastic Surgeon)

My preference is for you to be at least 3-4 months after pregnancy, 3-4 months after stopping breast feeding, and be sure that you are not planning to have any additional children before considering doing any abdominal surgery.

I also think it is a good idea for you to have lost most of the weight you gained during pregnancy and be within 10-15 pounds of your pre-pregnancy weight.

It is OK to lose some additional weight after the procedure (though it is best to lose as much as possible prior) as long as it is less than 10% of your body weight. (Scott Greenberg, MD, Orlando Plastic Surgeon)

Mommy Makeover after pregnancy

A Mommy Makeover is the perfect way to improve your body after pregnancy to address the changes to your breasts, tummy, and body. You need time to recover and should not be breast feeding. 3-6 months should be fine, however. (Randy J. Buckspan, MD, Austin Plastic Surgeon)

When is it safe to conclude the Mommy belly’s appearance would benefit from a Tummy Tuck / Mommy Make Over

By 6 months after pregnancy it is largely safe to assume that the changes visible are the permanent changes you are left with. Every woman is changed to a different extent depending on your size, the size of your baby/babies, the rate of baby growth and your skin’s compliance.

As a rule, the most common appearance is a mild to significant sagging of the breasts, stretching of the tummy with 6 pack (Rectus) muscle separation (Diastasis), excess skin with/without stretch marks, some loss of waist curvature, sagging of the Mons pubis and fat deposits on the lower back, hips and thighs.

All of these areas are commonly addressed and corrected with a Mommy Make Over set of procedures customized to each woman. (Peter A. Aldea, MD, Memphis Plastic Surgeon)

A tummy tuck would help your belly.

A tummy tuck would most definitely help the appearance of a belly after pregnancy. A tummy tuck can address the extra skin, the stretch marks that you may have, the excess fat, and loosens the muscles.

In our practice, we always perform liposuction at the same time as a tummy tuck. This is because liposuction is an excellent technique that allows us to access areas in your abdomen that normally would not be able to reach with a tummy tuck alone.

At this stage it is best to consult with an experienced and board-certified plastic surgeon so that he or she may address your concerns and let you know what your options are. (Pat Pazmino, MD, FACS, Miami Plastic Surgeon)

Patients vary when losing post-pregnancy weight. A picture would be very helpful to determine whether you are a good candidate for abdominoplasty. Sometimes the skin may bounce back or the quality of the skin may have been damaged from stretching.

This may result in lose excess skin which may only be removed by a surgical procedure. A tummy tuck involves repair of the rectus mucles and removal of lose skin in the abdominal region. I recommend my patients to wait till after they have stopped lactating/breast-feeding and at least 4-6 months after giving birth.

Usually patients are encouraged to reach their baseline or goal weight before proceeding with a tummy tuck procedure to avoid further surgery. For more information regarding a mommy makeover, please check out and compare before and after photos of patients. (Tom J. Pousti, MD, FACS, San Diego Plastic Surgeon)

Timing for Tummy Tuck after pregnancy
My general rule of thumb is to wait 6 months after pregnancy to let everything “settle in”. However, if a patient is overweight and has thick fat under the abdominal skin, the result will never be as good as expected.

My recommendation is to be as close to ideal weight as possible in order to obtain the best result. However, even if you are slightly (10-15 pounds) above your ideal weight but the abdominal skin is thin and loose, you will see a dramatic change after tummy tuck. (Michael A. Jazayeri, MD, Santa Ana Plastic Surgeon)

Tummy Tuck timing
You say you hate your belly. What exactly do you dislike? Usually there are 3 things that can occur to women postpartum regarding their belly area. One is that the muscle wall stretches and sometimes despite exercise, the abdomen will protrude when you relax the muscles of the abdomen.

Next you may have developed stretch marks and red striae lines. Lastly you may have a “pouching” of the abdominal fat below the belly button or even above and in the pubis and hip rolls. All these factors determine whether you’re a candidate for liposuction, abdominoplasty or both.

A consult with a board certified plastic surgeon is indicated now so you at least can understand what your issues are and the possible remedies; be they surgical or not. (William Aiello, MD, Orange County Plastic Surgeon)

Post Partum tummy
I think it is time for a visit to the PS. Lipo is not much of an issue, but it is usually best to wait until after childrearing is finished for the tummy tuck. (Scott E. Kasden, MD, FACS, Dallas Plastic Surgeon)

Timing of tummy tuck

If 9 months have passed since delivery and you are within 10-15 pounds of prepregnancy weight, you are seeing the tummy that you will have the rest of your life unless you have a tummy tuck plus minus liposuction.

If you are done having kids now, go see a qualified plastic surgeon for an evaluation. (Richard P. Rand, MD, FACS, Seattle Plastic Surgeon)

Waiting after pregnancy for a Tummy Tuck

There are no hard and fast rules to answer this question. If this is your first baby and you are planning more, then you should wait until you have had your last child.

If this is not your first child and you never regained your shape after the first, it is unlikely that you will snap back after subsequent pregnancies.

You should be aware that having surgery might effect your milk supply so if you are still nursing, it is probably a good idea to wean the baby so that your surgery and recovery do not disturb that aspect of your relationship with your child.

Also, breast feeding is a nutritional drain on your body and you will need all your resources to heal as well and as quickly as possible. All of that having been said, if this was your last planned pregnancy and you are unhappy with the way your belly looks, it makes complete sense for you to have a consultation with a plastic surgeon.

It might be that together you decide that it is appropriate to wait, or that you will benefit from tummy tuck now.

You don’t have to sit and quietly hate your belly, you can get evaluated and plan appropriately for surgery. Make sure that you are seeing a surgeon certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. (Elizabeth Slass Lee, MD, Bay Area Plastic Surgeon)

Timing of Tummy Tuck after Pregnancy

that a woman can have a tummy tuck is a very common one, often asked and never easy to answer. Understandably, women are different, the pregnancies are different, the response of a woman’s body and skin is different and the anticipation of additional pregnancies and children is different. Added together there is no answer that would cover the question for all women. But there are guidelines that reflect all of the different situations listed above.

I would first reflect the considerations on the woman who knows for sure she is not going to have any more pregnancies as a result of a permanent sterilization procedure already performed.

After completion of the pregnancy, and depending upon the age of the patient and the number of pregnancies and the size of the abdomen at the time of the pregnancy, time must be allowed for her body to settle down, all possible skin contraction to occur and hormones to return to normal. Nursing can delay the return of a woman’s body to normal so consideration of a procedure is normally delayed until nursing is finished.

The next guideline would relate to the woman’s body coming to some stable state in regards to weight and appearance. The patient would want her weight to be as small as desired and the abdominal skin contracted as much as possible so that the end result of the abdominal surgery would be as good and as lasting as possible. Additionally, the abdominal surgery would prevent many necessary child carrying activities that the mother routinely performs without assistance.

Diaper changing, placement in a high chair or car seat and other associated lifting and carrying responsibilities are generally not allowed or possible for at least two weeks after abdomnial surgery and in some instances longer. Arrangement for this intensive long term care of a child around the clock is not easy for most new mothers. Finally a few words about a tummy tuck on a woman who may have other pregnancies and children. Obviously, this has occurred in the past and many times as a matter of fact.

Unexpected pregnancies, unexpected changes in marital status and such make for situations where a pregnancy occurs even though the woman never expected to have another child. In most instances there is no harm done by the tummy tuck to subsequent pregnancies. The skin will once again stretch and any internal repairs done on the muscles will stretch out as well. I have even seen women come out of a pregnancy after a tummy tuck with virtually no significant changes noted.

I have also seen all the hard work and surgery disappear with the new big pregnant tummy and another tummy tuck being necessary. In conclusion, it would be ideal to have a tummy tuck after you have had all of your children so that you would not take the chance of needing the operation more than once.

But if you do not like your tummy, and you want it fixed, then you wait until your body is stable, have the operation at the appropriate time and then expect to look so good that another pregnancy is inevitable. (John K. Long, MD, Houston Plastic Surgeon)

There is no rule of thumb, just a judgement on the part of your plastic surgeon. In all likelihood, your condition now will dictate whether or not you should have a tummy tuck. (Howard T. Bellin, MD (retired), Manhattan Plastic Surgeon)

There is no magic formula to follow. Most recommend to wait from 4 to 6 months before having tummy tuck surgery. This allows the return to pre-pregnancy appearance. Then see 3 boarded plastic surgeons in your area. (Darryl J. Blinski, MD, Miami Plastic Surgeon)

Wait six months to have a tummy tuck after pregnancy

My rule of thumb is to wait 6 months and until you are done losing weight following pregnancy before having a tummy tuck. At that point what you see is pretty musch what you get.

As long as you have no plans for additional children, now would be a reasonable time to make a consultation appointment with a board certified plastic surgeon. (Robert B. Pollack, MD, San Diego Plastic Surgeon)

Weight is a factor for post pregancy tummy tuck

First of all, what is your weight and height? I will do tummy tucks any time after 3 months from delivering a child, but you should be at a good weight where your bmi is well below 30 and probably no more than 27 – 28. Check out the weight charts online and lose the pregnancy weight first, then have an abdominoplasty. (William B. Rosenblatt, MD, New York Plastic Surgeon)

Abdominoplasty for post pregnancy belly

At 9 months after your pregnancy, I think it is safe to say that it is not going to get flatter on its own. Many women have some variation of an abdominoplasty to achieve a flatter, more youthful stomach after a pregnancy. (Darrick E. Antell, MD, Manhattan Plastic Surgeon)

Timing of seeing a plastic surgeon for pregnancy belly

The timing is based on when you are close to your pre-pregnancy weight and whether you have help with childcare. You won’t be able to do any lifting for a few weeks so chasing a toddler around or lifting the child are things you will have to make accomodation for after tummy tuck surgery. You need to be the focus of attention during recovery. (Richard Baxter, MD, Seattle Plastic Surgeon)