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C section and tummy tuck?

8 replies

PixieCake · 21/06/2010 12:30

Does anyone really have a tummy tuck at the same time as a c-section or have I been reading too much celebrity gossip?

It is just a case of snipping off the excess skin (so seems sensible) or is it another major bit of surgery with it's own additional risks etc?

I haven't dared ask this to anyone in real life - I'm already being branded 'too posh to push' for choosing an elective CS. Thought I'd sound out mumsnetters before I mention it to the consultant - worried he might not take me seriously if I start asking about things like that.

Has anyone had one or know anything about it? Could the obstetrician do it or would a separate cosmetic surgeon need to be brought in? Would it cost lots more money?

Please don't judge me for asking this!!

OP posts:

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LittleMissSnowShine · 21/06/2010 13:13

This isn't from personal experience but I saw this online - and bearing in mind it comes from a website promoting getting plastic surgery done privately, if they are discouraging anyone from getting this and therefore doing themselves out of making a few grand, then I would imagine it's really not the best idea to have them done at the same time?

Studies have shown that performing a tummy tuck at the same time as a c-section increases the risks and complications of surgery. Additionally, it is best to be healed from a c-section and down to a stable weight prior to undergoing an abdominoplasty. This way, the best possible aesthetic result can be achieved in the safest fashion.

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fragola · 21/06/2010 13:14

I think it's one of those things that isn't true. For a start, your uterus needs to contract before you start chopping off the extra bits of skin!

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ticktockclock · 21/06/2010 13:17

It is true, but not practiced over here (not even sure it is allowed here tbh). It is very, very common in Brazil (but they have the third highest plastic surgery rate in the world). I have a Brazilian girlfriend whose sister had it done after giving birth to her 3rd and last child by section.

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5DollarShake · 21/06/2010 13:24

OP - is this your first baby?

You might just be surprised at how quickly you do get back into shape (some people more quickly than others), especially if you're breastfeeding.

By the time you're in a fit state to go for a tuck, you might not even need it.

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LittleMissSnowShine · 21/06/2010 13:29

I'm buying a Belly Bandit off ebay - lots of women in the states swear by them for helping them get their stomach back into shape after having a baby. Not sure if you could wear one until after the stitches have healed post-C section but would prob still be useful afterwards anyway...

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DomesticG0ddess · 21/06/2010 13:35

I don't know anything about the surgery, but agree with 5dollar - you might not feel like you need a tummy tuck at all, so I think it is something you should wait and see about, not rush into. I am pg with second now, and certainly didn't need a tummy tuck after No 1, even if it felt like it at the time. Just some sensible eating and LOTS of exercise.

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Haliborange · 21/06/2010 13:49

I see a plastic surgeon sometimes to get moles whipped off.
He tells me that it does happen, but he considers it to be a very bad idea to perform cosmetic surgery on someone whose body is going through such a lot at the time.

You would absolutely have to get a plastic surgeon in. Having an OB do it would be like letting a dentist loose on your heart transplant. The thing is you might well find an OB distinctly unwilling to have extra bodies in theatre so you would have to shop around privately. And of course you wouldn't get any of this on the NHS! A cs privately costs £10-£15k (although maybe you are paying this already?) and I guess for a tummy tuck you'd be looking at a couple of grand on top for the plastics consultant (you're already paying for theatre time etc).

Much better for your wallet, health and post-birth recovery to wait and see how things go.

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PixieCake · 21/06/2010 16:10

Thanks all. I had thought it might be a case of 'if you don't ask you don't get', but it sounds like it is unwise to do it at the same time as a CS, and would require another surgeon and more money.

Glad there is some optimism here about getting your figure back. My tummy is a problem area for me which is why I wondered if it could be fixed quite simply during the CS. I don't think I'd want to have a tummy tuck by itself, so just thought it might be a case of 'while the surgeon is down there...'.

But clearly not.

I will avoid making a fool of myself by mentioning this in my consultant appointment!