Patient’s Perspective: Everything You Want to Know About Mommy Makeover
A recent Neinstein Plastic Surgery mommy makeover patient journaled her entire before and after journey to share with other moms considering the procedure. Below are her notes that range from exercise and diet choices, to aftercare and recovery insights.
1 Month Prior to Surgery
- Cut out alcohol
- Made sure to drink (at least) 64oz of water a day
- Prioritized my protein intake (aimed for around 75gs a day. I like a good clean whey protein)
- Took a daily collagen supplement
- Limited unnecessary sugar and wheat and cooked straightforward simple meals consisting of protein fat and fibre
- Prioritized antioxidant rich foods (dark berries, leafy greens, pigmented veggies and fruit), salmon, sardines, oysters etc. for omegas, high quality fats like avocados, nuts, olive oil, olives. Probiotic rich foods like fermented foods, yogurt, kombucha, kimchi), lean meats
- Stuck to my workout routine (HIIT training 3x a week + yoga) and made sure to get my body moving as much as possible
- Got adequate sleep and rest
- Made sure that all of my surgery supplies were ordered and packed
- Got mentally prepared by doing a lot of additional research and reading reviews, as well as listened to the podcasts Dr. Neinstien has done.
- Leaned on the Neinstein team to answer any and all of the logistical questions I had which greatly eased my worries
- Organized childcare and booked my NYC hotel stay + private nurse care for 3 nights post
- Relaxed and reminded myself that life is short, we only live once. If something bothers you, fix it. The healing and downtime is worth the end result.
Day Before Mommy Makeover
- Checked into hotel. Set my room up with all necessary items. Had staff bring extra pillows. Ordered an extra fridge to room and stocked it with the weekly healing meal program from Sakara life to ensure my nutrition was taken care of (breakfast lunch and dinner).
- Blew up avocado cushion (with the handy air pump I brought)
- Set up my skincare regiment in bathroom … can’t miss a night of retinol!!!😂
- Stocked up on a few liters of bone broth from Brodo. Had a thermos with warm broth waiting for me on my nightstand for when I returned from surgery. It was so comforting.
- Stocked my room with all my healing potions and supplements (outlined below)
Post Mommy Makeover Surgery
- I did hyperbaric chamber, everyday for 8 days. (starting at 3 days post op)
- Protein shake (to mix w. water): 1 scoop of whey protein powder w shaker cup, collagen powder (I used viral protein collagen peptides), organic Jerusalem artichoke powder
- Athletic greens powder (to mix in water for easy vitamins and mineral boost in the morning)
- Constipation remedy: I mixed these 3 things in water each night: benafibre, calm magnesium supplement + a TBSP or 2 of chia seeds
- Liquid IV hydration multiplier electrolyte mix (if drink 1 of 2 of these throughout the day)
- Rest. I slept and rested but I also made sure to move around and walk a lot. I think the first night after surgery I walked the halls of the hotel about 10x.
- 3 days of nurse care was an absolute minimum in my opinion and a must. They help you do everything, explain processes, make sure you’re taken care of and help manage your pain. I really believe this helped my recovery go so much smoother than it would have had I gone home and relied on my husband to do everything. I was in great spirits and off pain all meds within 3/4 days.
- Lymphatic drainage 2x a week starting day 4 post-op.
- Once I got home, I kept on my plant based Sakara diet. Continued all supplements, drinks and shakes as outlined above. Drank lots of water. Drank bone broth everyday. Rested but also walked and moved my body often. I wore my compression for like 20 hours a day, everyday.
- I ordered myself a cheap power recliner off Amazon (about $400) for the living room that came in very handy. I’m happy I did this and would do this again.
- I didn’t like the avocado. I ditched by day 1. It felt cumbersome and too large to get up into. I bought two (one for back up in case the first broke) and am now the proud owner of 2 avocado floats that are as big as my whole NYC apt. Kidding. But I did like the wedge pillows I ordered on Amazon as well as a large pregnancy pillow. These helped with being in a proper position for sleeping in my bed and kept me elevated in the right spots.
- Ordered 2 bbl pillows. One for home, and one round shape one for taking to restaurants with me. Would do this again.
- Extra long phone charger chord was helpful.
- Lanyards we’re great for clipping my drain onto when I showered.
Items I bought But Did Not Use:
- Medical walker. I think I thought I was going to be really beat up after this surgery but did not need a walker for even one second.
- A medical shower chair with arms. I read ALOT of reviews from people who said this was a must. It’s not.
- A toilet seat booster chair with arms. Lol – All this one did was cause me embarrassment me upon my doorman delivering it to my apt. Did not use once.
- Get more than 1 compression garment + bra. You will want one to wear while the other is in the wash daily.