Motherhood changes you completely inside and out. Some changes are physical whereas some are emotional. After having a baby your breast size, clothing size, hip width, and even your shoe size changes.

These changes are the proof of work that your body has done. As you balance your new life with the baby, it is important to remember that your emotions and mind are also changing, so be sure to give yourself the support you need. Physical changes you may experience after pregnancy:

• Stomach bulge
• Larger feet
• Change in breast size
• Stretch marks
• Back pain
• Wider hip
• Hair loss
• Incontinence
• Sweating
• Mood swings

What changes can you expect after delivery?

Vaginal Discharge (Lochia)

It is a vaginal discharge that you have after vaginal delivery. It has a musty, stale odor like menstrual discharge. The bleeding generally stops within 4-6 weeks after delivery. Mothers who have cesarean sections may have less lochia after 24 hours than mothers who had vaginal deliveries.

Incision Drainage

If you had C-section, it is normal to have a small amount of pinkish, watery drainage from the incision. Wash the incision area with soap and warm water and keep it dry.

Breast Discharge

When you are breastfeeding, your breast may leak fluid. The leaking may occur initially, but it will stop within 1-2 weeks after delivery. Breasts pads worn inside your bra may help keep you dry.

Breast Engorgement

It is breast swelling characterized by a feeling of hardness, heaviness, and warmth in the breasts. It is caused by increased circulation to the breasts. When breastfeeding you can prevent engorgement by feeding your baby or pumping your breasts frequently.

Uterine Contractions

Few hours after birth, the upper portion of your uterus is almost at the level of your navel. It remains there for about a day and then gradually descends each day. Your uterus will return to its approximate size, in about six weeks.

5 ways you can get your pre-pregnancy body back

Eat Healthy

Right after birth is not the time to jump on the crazy diet for weight loss. Your body needs sufficient nutrition to heal properly during this time. If you are breastfeeding, the extra food will help you produce nutritious milk to keep your child healthy. Intake of fruits and veggies should be more to replenish your lost nutrients.

Light Workout

Postpartum body doesn’t require vigorous exercise too early. During pregnancy, your body produces a hormone i.e. relaxin, that causes joints to become a little loose. This hormone stays after childbirth, therefore increasing your chances of injury during intense workouts.

Start with a normal 30 min walk daily. You can do core-strengthening workouts at this time. Exercises you can try after childbirth with the approval of your doctor are:

• Plank
• Yoga
• Bridge
• Cycling
• Swimming
• Low impact aerobics
• Pelvic floor workouts like kegels and pelvic tilt

Prenatal Vitamins

Your body needed more nutrients to care for the baby growing inside you even after childbirth, your body still needs the extra nutrients to help you heal. Keeping up with your prenatal vitamins helps you to provide your baby much needed nutrition through breast milk.

Breastfeeding

The AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) encourages new moms to breastfeed their children for at least 6 months of life. Breastmilk contains vitamins and minerals that help your baby to stay healthy which means fewer infections, colds, and less frequent hospitalization. Breastfeeding your child for the first 3 months of life could help you lose weight within a year of your childbirth.

Mommy Makeover

While exercise and diet are essential for maintaining our health and our figures, sometimes they are not enough to achieve the results we want. You may be regularly working out and eating right, but you still can’t see the progress you want. In this case, you might want to consider a mommy makeover. A mommy makeover is a combination of procedures that are designed to help mothers recover their pre-pregnancy bodies.

The aim of a mommy makeover is to restore the appearance and shape of a woman’s body after childbirth. There are several areas of the body that can be addressed most commonly are:

• Abdomen
• Breasts
• Buttocks
• Waist
• Genitalia

Types of procedures in a mommy makeover are:

• Breast Augmentation
• Breast Lift
• Liposuction
• Vaginoplasty
• Tummy Tuck
• Body Contouring

Breast Augmentation

Sometimes also referred to as ‘boob job’ by the patients involves breast implants or fat transfer to increase the size of your breasts. This procedure can restore breast volume which was lost due to pregnancy or weight reduction by giving a more rounded breast shape or improving breast size asymmetry.

Breast augmentation can:

• Increase projection and fullness of your breasts
• Improve the balance of breast and hip contours
• Enhance self-confidence and self-image

You can be a good candidate for breast augmentation if:

• You are physically healthy
• Not pregnant or breastfeeding
• Your breasts are fully developed
• Your breasts are asymmetrical

Breast Lift

Also called as mastopexy, is the procedure in which the breasts are raised by removing the excess skin around the breasts and tightening the surrounding tissue to reshape and support the new breast contour.

You can go for a breast lift if:

• You do not smoke
• You are physically healthy and maintain a stable weight
• You have saggy breasts
• Your one breast is lower than the other
• You have stretched skin or enlarged areolas

Benefits of breast lift:

• Improves shape and symmetry of breasts
• Good fit of clothes
• Increased self confidence
• More youthful appearance

Vaginoplasty

Also called posterior colporrhaphy, it is a procedure that is designed to tighten the vagina. Another option is noninvasive vaginal tightening through heating tissues with radiofrequency waves or a laser. If patients have little to no laxity, they may not experience improvements from these treatments and would likely be better candidates for vaginoplasty surgery.

The procedure of vaginoplasty brings the separated muscles together, and the extra mucosal skin from the back side of your vagina is removed. The external skin can also be removed if you want a more aesthetic appearance.

Ideal candidates for vaginoplasty:

• Women who experience pain or soreness during sexual activities
• Women who have loose or altered vagina due to childbirth or aging
• Women who want to improve their vaginal appearance

Benefits of vaginoplasty:

• Restores the strength of vaginal muscles
• Tightens the vaginal muscles
• Decreases the soreness and pain during sexual intercourse, therefore enabling better orgasms

Liposuction

It removes the excess fat deposits and improves your body contours and proportion. Liposuction can treat:

• Abdomen
• Arms
• Buttocks
• Cheeks
• Chin
• Thighs
• Neck
• Ankles
• Waist

A good candidate for liposuction includes:

• Adults with 30% of their ideal weight who have firm, good muscle tone, and elastic skin
• Individuals with good health who do not have any medical conditions or a life-threatening illness that can impair healing
• Nonsmokers
• Individuals with a positive attitude, outlook, and specific goals in mind for body contouring

Tummy Tuck (Abdominoplasty)

It removes excess skin and fat and restores the weakened muscles to create a smoother and firmer abdominal profile.

Many of us strive for a well-toned and flat abdomen through dieting and exercise. Sometimes these approaches cannot achieve our goals.

Ideal candidates for a tummy tuck are:

• If you’re concerned about the way your abdomen looks
• If you are physically healthy and have a stable weight
• You have realistic expectations
• You are a nonsmoker

The benefits of a tummy tuck are:

• Tightens the weakened muscles
• Improves the posture
• Strengthen abdominal muscles

Body Contouring

Body contouring or body sculpting is a medical or surgical procedure that aims to reshape certain areas of the body. Body contouring addresses specific areas of the body where weight loss is not effective or after significant weight loss results in extra skin.

It may involve procedures to:

• Get rid of extra skin
• Eliminate excess fat
• Reshape or contour the area

Ideal candidate for body contouring:

• If you do not want to undergo liposuction, body contouring is a good option for you
• If you are committed to the treatment process as well as maintaining results after the process

Benefits of body contouring:

• Desired sculpting
• Reduces wrinkles, stretch marks
• Reduces sagginess of the skin
• Improves overall body profile and appearance.

Recovery

You will be given certain instructions by your doctor about:

• How to take care of the surgical site and drains.
• Instructions on medications to apply or to take orally in order to aid healing and reduce the potential risk for infection.
• When to follow up with your surgeon.

Be sure to ask your surgeon some certain questions about what you can expect during your recovery period if you have undergone any of the above procedures:

• What medications will I be given or prescribed after my surgery?
• Will I have bandages/dressings after surgery? If yes, when will they be removed?
• When will be the stitches removed?
• How will I bathe or how will I clean myself?
• When can I resume my normal day to day activity and exercise?
• When do I return for a follow-up appointment?

Mommy makeover is an all-in-one cosmetic or aesthetic surgery for all women who wish to have a fantastic body figure.

Choosing a team with skill and experience in plastic surgery is essential. They are responsible for your precision and safety throughout the treatment. It is best for you to go for a surgeon with considerable experience for optimal outcomes.

You can get your mommy makeover surgery done at Dr. Anjali’s Cosmetic & Plastic Surgery Clinic. Dr. Anjali Saple is a skilled and experienced plastic and cosmetic surgeon in Vishakhapatnam, India. She regularly upgrades her skills to impart the best possible care to her patients. Book your appointment today!