I am 5 ft 3 in about 120 pounds with a stomach that resembles a brain… Im not kidding a brain… I take good care of myself but no matter what the stomach is here to stay… so I have saved my money and now I have found the perfect surgeon for me and I’m going through with it!!!!! If you can afford the surgery and ensure your health is not in jepordy… go for it! Stop complaining and do it! Save your money and be happy about YOU!

Here is the reality: pregnancy stretches the rectus abdominus, which is a paired muscle that runs vertically from the pubic to torso region. These muscles are separated by a connective tissue (linea alba) that is stretched (sometimes split) in pregnancy. It does not return to former size, and therefore, the paired abdominal muscles are never pulled tight again. That is why all mothers have a protruding belly that won’t disappear, no matter how many crunches are piled on top the aerobic workouts!

TUMMY TUCK, or abdominoplasty, pulls the two paired rectus abdominus muscles back together. It also removes the sagging stretched skin, pulling down skin from the torso to create a new, smooth tummy (with new doctor made belly button to replace the post-pregnancy stretched belly button).

After birthing twins, there is absolutely NO WAY Angelina could have worn that skin tight dress UNLESS she had the abdominoplasty! Her abdominals were absolutely, totally flat … and that is humanly impossible for someone who just delivered a few months back!

BUT GOOD FOR HER FOR DOING WHAT WAS NECESSARY TO GET HER BODY BACK! It is a shame that so many women are forced to go through life feeling lousy about themselves due to the changed body of motherhood. Tummy tucks should be part of the birthing process. GYN doctors should be trained in the plastic surgeon methods of tightening the muscles and closing the wound. Mothers should be returned to their former physical self.

After having two children, I returned to my exercise routine of running 5 miles a day, along with weights, pilates, crunches, etc. After ten years, I realized the ‘mommy tummy’ was never going to respond to exercise. I saved for three years money to afford the tummy tuck. WOW was I happy! I had my flat tummy back again and immediately felt like myself again!

It is terrible that people hide this operation, equating it to vanity. It’s not. Correcting the abdominal muscles not only affects a woman’s sense of identity, but also her self-esteem, and her physical health. Sagging stretched abdominal muscles puts heavy strain on the back muscles, while also leaving little support for the interior organs. Woman should talk openly about it, letting other women know that this is an outcome of pregnancy. The majority of women DON’T know. They become frustrated and eventually give up on trying to look like their former selves. If they KNEW, if they were allowed the corrective surgery as part of the birthing process (once done bearing children), more women would continue lifelong exercise. I already explained to my daughter that this is something she’ll need to have done someday. And I told my son to make sure he allows his wife to have this operation!

Unfortunately, medical treatment is still based on male definitions of ‘necessary’. If men also endured changed body figuration due to parenthood, we’d have had plastic surgeons in the birthing rooms long ago!

I’ve always felt I was much more attractive when I was pregnant (inflated) than when I was not pregnant (deflated) – that is why I had a third child. But what I didn’t factor in was how that third child would exponentially increase the size of what I call my “apron” – which has this uncomfortable way of moving a few seconds later the rest of me when I run. Nice!

Second: I think you are so right about the good bags. My mom had three c-sections, so I grew up with her excuse of “they didn’t put things back right.” I was shocked to find I had the same stomach after 2 vaginal births! And here I was praying for a miracle in the form of sit-ups. This sucks.

And I pity celebrities, sure they can afford tummy tucks, but they are stalked and criticized for every move. Like I care if Angelina Jolie had tummy tuck; last I heard her carreer depends on it.

If I could afford it, I’d have everything put back where it started. I wouldn’t go back to no kids in exchange for the old body, but if I could have both, I’d totally do it.