The baby shower I helped host this past Saturday was just beautiful. I loved seeing all my girls again and I sure wish I could see them more often, but it was still so nice to see them all together. Baby Jacqueline is already one loved little girl.
These little macaroons were so delicious!
We all signed the sweetest baby book with notes to Emily and baby Jacqueline.
The beautiful mama to be 🙂
Lots of cousin love was had this weekend. Watching them together brings me so much happiness.
As you can tell by these smiling faces, they feel the same way!
Mini Tummy Tuck FAQ
Last week I got quite a few questions through email about my mini tummy tuck. I thought it would be easier if I just answered the most frequently asked questions here on the blog. I actually took these questions straight from one reader, but I get these general questions quite frequently. I am always happy to answer anything about this procedure. I would have certainly appreciated having someone that had it done to tell me their experience before I had it done.
What is difference between full and mini?
A mini tummy tuck is just like it sounds, mini. The way it was explained to me was that a mini is a smaller scar, less recovery time, and the only results are below your belly button. A ‘full’ is your entire stomach, plus a hip to hip scar.
Why did you choose mini?
I knew that I would not have the two full weeks to recover with the full, plus I didn’t want the huge scar. I was hopeful I could get the results I wanted with the mini.
Still right decision?
Yes and No. I know, what a funky answer, right!? Yes, because like I said, I wouldn’t have had the recovery time I needed, and I am also very happy that I don’t have a rounded hip to hip scar. No, because I still have loose skin above my belly button and it still bothers me a little. That being said, besides the loose skin, the other main reason was to remove the pocket of scar tissue above my c-section scar. That is now completely gone, which makes a world of difference to me.
Did you get to a goal weight or level of fitness before surgery or committing to it?
Yes, before I even consulted a surgeon I worked my butt off in the gym and I got my weight down to 113, which is pretty much the lowest I’ve been since I was 21. I wanted to make sure that if I got as lean as possible that I would still need the surgery. I pretty much knew the answer was going to be yes, but I wanted to know that I did everything in my physical power to fix it before turning to surgery.
Have final results been what you hoped for or expected? Not exactly what I had hoped for, buy yes, what I expected. Going into surgery I was told that with a mini, you get mini results, so I knew the change would not be drastic. I just really hoped that it would remove my stretch marks, or at least make them less visible. I was not promised this, and my surgeon made it clear that there was a chance they would look the same. That being said, I think he was also hopeful they would fade more.
Since you did the research, what type of price range exists for this type of surgery? I assume insurance does not cover? All doctors have different price ranges, it really just depends on the surgeon. A good ball park figure for an average mini is between $4,000-8,000. No, insurance does not cover this procedure.
Did stretch marks go away? Is retin A working? No, they didn’t. I am still using the retin A, but I can not tell a real difference at this point.
Hi sweets – i think you look absolutely fantastic!!! i am sure you may have already tried this for the stretch marks but if not its worth a shot because i love this stuff!
http://www.amazon.com/Bio-PACIFIC189878-Bio-Oil-2-Ounce-Bottle/dp/B000VPPUEA
I'm sorry you didn't get exactly the results you were hoping for, but I really appreciate your sharing your thoughts on this procedure. Also, I think you and your abs look amazing!