Many moms are concerned about getting their pre-baby body back after their pregnancy, and a tummy tuck is a great way to do that. Made to remove excess skin and fat, this procedure will tone and smooth out your body, but it’s important to know how much recovery time you should give yourself before enduring another intense procedure.
Pregnancy Changes
During the time of your pregnancy, your body is going to undergo many changes—other than having someone growing inside of it, of course. This nine-month period has caused your body to stretch to accommodate its guest, and this means your abdominal walls and uterus are going to be larger than they were before. Because your skin has stretched with the changes, it’s going to lose its previous shape and tone as well.
It takes about six to twelve weeks post pregnancy for these organs to return to their original size, but that doesn’t mean you’re in the clear just yet.
Strengthening the Body
With these major changes, your body is going to need more time to recover and regain its strength; you have, after all, just been through some very taxing months. It’s going to take between six to twelve months for your muscles to tighten up. This period will also give you the time necessary to lose your baby weight. Although you might be too excited to consider waiting much longer than the six-month minimum, you should keep in mind that the twelve-month mark will help you lose more weight and ensure a tighter post-operative result.
C-Section
Having a Cesarean-section does not make a difference time-wise regarding how long you should wait. It is still suggested to wait six to twelve months post pregnancy to get a tummy tuck, or resulting bulges from not yet healed tissue could reverse the work you are paying to have done.
If you have any questions or would like to schedule an appointment, contact Dr. Richard J. Martin at Connecticut Surgical Arts. Our main office is in Norwich, but we proudly serve the Colchester, Mystic, Waterford, and Glastonbury communities.