Why Mothers May Want to Consider a “Mommy Makeover”

“There’s a reason it’s called labor,” is a phrase all mothers are familiar with, but the extent of that labor is sometimes discounted by those who have not undergone the experience. In fact, researchers at the University of Michigan have determined that childbirth can impact a woman’s body with stress fractures and muscle tears and sprains equivalent to damages sustained by hardcore athletes. And while that potential damage is limited to an extent by the duration of the actual period of labor, a woman’s body also undergoes substantial stress during both the months preceding childbirth and during those first few months after she has given birth.

Motherhood’s Toll on a Woman’s Body

Pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum factors such as breastfeeding all result in changes to a woman’s body. The pregnancy itself can encourage the body to create new reservoirs in the waist and hips in which to store fat, while the expanding womb can stretch skin and stomach muscles to a point at which many women find it impossible to regain their previously tight abs. The bulk of pregnancy and lactation can similarly impact the breasts, with the original shape, firmness and contour of some women’s breasts not likely to return, even after nursing concludes.

Impacts of Motherhood Different for All

Just as no two babies are alike, motherhood’s impacts on the body differ significantly from mother to mother. Some women do manage to emerge from the postpartum period with bodies looking hardly any different than they did before pregnancy. Of course, such women are the exception rather than the rule, and most women are likely unsatisfied with at least one aspect of their postpartum body.

Survey Shows….

In fact, BabyCenter.com surveyed 7,000 postpartum mothers to gauge their feelings about their after-pregnancy bodies, and determined that more than half of postpartum mothers tended to be disappointed with the changes and failure to return to a pre-pregnancy figure. Among the findings were:

• 64 percent reported having a negative body image since becoming a mother
• One to two years after childbirth, 86 percent said their bellies had not returned to normal
• Almost 50 percent said that their breasts are “different”
• While about 20 percent were able to return to their pre-pregnancy weights within a year, 22 percent were struggling with 10 pounds or more of their pregnancy weight (in a similar survey in 2008 the number was 38 percent)

It’s Not Just Motherhood

Impacts caused to the body by motherhood can also be caused by age. Weight gain, sagging breasts, stretch marks and lost muscle tone similar to that caused by motherhood also inevitably impact women as they age. But a Mommy Makeover, as offered by Dr. Paul Gardner of Gardner Plastic Surgery in Naples, Florida, can be tailored to help restore the natural beauty of those impacted by the labor of love known as motherhood, as well as those impacted by the natural course of aging.

Just Call for a Consultation

A Mommy Makeover is not a singular procedure, but is a series of procedures undertaken as needed to address impacts to the body caused by childbirth, motherhood and aging. Among the procedures are tummy tuck, breast lift, breast augmentation, breast reduction, and liposuction to various parts of the body. Dr. Gardner meets with each patient to discuss their aesthetic goals to create a tailor-made plan to achieve the best results possible. Call Dr. Gardner today at 239.566.2611 for your Mommy Makeover consultation!