Mama Wants Her Body Back!

Let me start by saying, "It's been a long time! I shouldn't have left you without some dope (blog posts) to (sate) you!" Pardon me while I channel my inner Rakim.

Alright! It's obvious I haven't been on here in quite a while, and so very much has transpired. New career path, new truck, divorce, new love interests etc. However, my most recent life challenge has compelled me to Tell All About it!

I'm talking about 20 years of being dissatisfied with how I look naked. 

I am realistic with mine (most of the time). I understand that I will not look the way I did before all the children. Heck, I wasn't even fully-grown when I had my first child. What I do know, is that I can improve my physique.

So, this time last year, I was still keeping off the 25 pounds I'd lost the year before. I was going in hard and "gettin that money" at FitCamp and following the advice of a nutritionist by way of my bestie. These actions yielded noticeable results, but also revealed something problematic that would not be denied.

My face slimmed down, my arms were diesel, my ass had dwindled, and my legs were more muscular. But the major body part I wanted to change the most was looking like a slightly smaller hot damn messness. My belly was flabbier than ever and looked like a shriveled front butt.

How did that happen? I gave birth to 5 children. Four out of my five babies were over 8 pounds. Both prior to and after having my kids, I had 2 laparotomies. A laparotomy is an abdominal surgery that leaves a large scar. I had benign tumors that needed to be removed. That's another story-- the point is, I was improving everywhere but my tummy. You can't work off saggy loose skin. My elasticity was shot, and I ended up with scar tissue from being cut open.

This discouraged me. I stopped exercising as hard and regained some of the weight. However, I've remained conscious of my eating habits because you can't un-know things once you're enlightened. (Thanks a lot Jeanna's nutritionist.)  

A tummy tuck is what I want.

As a divorced mom with 5 kids to support, an abdominoplasty seemed unattainable. But if you actually know me, you'd know I will find a way to get what I want done.  

Mama wants her body back! And she's about to get it. You heard right.

After researching for more than a year, I found the answer on RealSelf.com. A community member posted information about the Penn Plastic Surgery Clinic. They offer affordable cosmetic procedures performed by a Chief Resident Surgeon. These procedures are overseen by a Board Certified Attending.

Initially, I was freaked out by the fact the Chief Resident Surgeon isn't yet Certified. They did an excellent job at gaining my confidence. Here's why...

Penn now offers a 6 year program. Not long ago, the program was 5 years long. There are 250 applicants and only 3 are chosen to be Chief Resident Surgeons. That's less than a 2 percent chance of selection so, the docs are top notch. They've performed numerous procedures to perfect their techniques. Lastly, the mix of the more experienced Attending and the fresh take of the Chief Resident creates a cutting edge combination.

You have to schedule your consultation well in advance. Appointments for the doc I wanted to see were set for the third Tuesday of the month. My appointment was to be with Dr. Bianca Chin. A black female Chief Resident who specializes in scar-less wound healing and Mommy Makeovers. I thought she was perfect for me! The Chief Residents are on a fiscal year rotation of July to July. To my surprise, she was on her way out and heading to Connecticut. That also meant some new blood had just stepped on the scene.

Luckily, I meant another qualified Chief Resident Surgeon. The young stunna Dr. Jonas Nelson has worked in reconstructive microsurgery. He has created breasts from scratch by taking belly tissue and transplanting it up top.
  
Stay tuned for more on how mama plans to get her body back!