Can you have a baby after a tummy tuck?

The effect of pregnancy on your abdomen

If you ask any medical professional about what you can and can’t do when you have a baby growing inside of you, or even just planning on having a child, the list of things which you’re meant to avoid is relatively extensive, purely for the sake of the baby’s health.

One of the reasons for this, even if you’re not pregnant, is that pregnancy can seriously affect your body, in a number of unpleasant ways, not least of all, abdominally. The effect that pregnancy can have on the abdominal region of the body is alarming- during pregnancy, the abdominal muscles are stretched abnormally far by the growing uterus, and don’t recover easily, or even at all in some cases. Additionally, fibrosis can form in the intestinal region, among other major health concerns.

What does a tummy tuck do?

A tummy tuck, or abdominoplasty, is a procedure wherein excess skin and fat are removed from the stomach in order to make it flatter or more shapely. Tummy tucks are a form of cosmetic plastic surgery and have been around for well over a century. Ostensibly, a tummy tuck is tightening the skin and muscular structure around the abdomen in order to form a tighter look in the stomach.

Why should I get a tummy tuck?

There is a number of reasons for wanting to receive a tummy tuck treatment. Obviously the most common is for the sake of looking ready for beach season- having a tight stomach is a sign of youthful vigor and is considered highly attractive by society at large- and is, therefore, an enviable quality, and one sought after by way of abdominoplasty.

There are other reasons, though, for needing tummy tuck. It is sometimes used in the treating of hernias, and field medics during the world wars would sometimes use it to remove foreign objects- like bullets, shrapnel, and blades- lodged in a soldier’s abdomen. While that’s less common today, it’s undeniable that there can be medical benefits to abdominoplasty.

You might need several tummy tucks

It may be necessary, if you have a particularly stretched abdomen from a bout with obesity or in the postpartum body of a new mother, to get multiple tummy tuck treatments done. In this case, they should be spaced more than 2 weeks apart each, and you should clear it with your physician before going through with multiple abdominoplasty treatments.

Is it safe to have a baby after a tummy tuck?

Since they’re so closely related to the same body part, many women fear that going through with a tummy tuck treatment may prevent them from having a baby in the future. Fortunately, the answer to this simple fear is both pleasant and simple- yes, having a baby after a tummy tuck is completely feasible, though most medical professionals advise waiting a few months after the procedure before you and your partner begin trying for a child.

How long should I wait after a tummy tuck to get pregnant?

The majority of medical professionals advise that at least 2 months after the procedure is an appropriate amount of time to wait before you attempt to get pregnant. While any damage to the abdomen is healed inside of a week after the procedure, the constant changes made in the abdomen could lead to permanent damage if you became pregnant immediately following a tummy tuck treatment.

What happens if I get pregnant right after a tummy tuck?

If you do end up pregnant, however, immediately following receiving a tummy tuck treatment, then it isn’t necessarily the end of the world. The human body- especially the abdomen of a young woman- is almost ridiculously resilient and elastic, allowing for lots of fluctuation to barely put a dent in it. The advised two month waiting period is mostly done out of caution for those whose abdomens have experienced pre-existing conditions, or for the particularly frail.

Will the pregnancy have any complications after a tummy tuck?

If there are any complications with pregnancy after one has a tummy tuck, it is not the product of the abdominoplasty. If there would be any complications, then it would have been ammunition for the argument against becoming pregnant following a tummy tuck treatment, which is thin on the ground as it is.

Can you have a C-section after a tummy tuck?

The question of whether or not one can safely have a cesarean section following a tummy tuck treatment isn’t one of medicinal safety or ethics, but instead of aesthetic. Because the abdomen had undergone surgical procedure prior to the c-section, there will be some degree of light scarring.

Combine this with the scars one might expect from your abdomen being cut open a second time in order to remove a baby-sized object from the patient’s uterus, and you may be able to imagine the incredible amount of scarring that could result from the procedure. That said, however, if the patient is comfortable with accepting the risks of that procedure, then there is no medical reason it might be unsafe to perform a c-section because the patient formerly received a tummy tuck treatment.

Will the tummy tuck survive pregnancy?

Unfortunately, because of the effects of postpartum weight gain, there is no way that a tummy tuck is likely to survive the ravages of pregnancy. However, that isn’t to say that there would be anything preventing you from receiving another tummy tuck treatment after the pregnancy- though the best way to lose excess weight always has been and likely always will be a regular and healthy diet and plenty of exercises.

What to expect from pregnancy after a tummy tuck

Pregnancy after a tummy tuck is just the same as pregnancy in an otherwise unaffected abdomen. With the exception of perhaps increased abdominal pains than the ones which typically accompany pregnancy. If you experience anything that deviates from the normal pregnancy, you should contact a physician or emergency medical services immediately.