A New Mommy and Her Makeover

My Mommy Makeover – The Beginning

Camille, our practice administrator, and her son Kai.

About 4 months ago I had a baby. He is insanely adorable- all cheeks with a toothless smile that could melt the heart of the abominable snowman. He was unplanned (don’t judge) and by far, the most exciting surprise of my life. I worked really hard the first trimester to not gain a ton of weight by eating really clean and exercising often. By the second trimester most of that intention was violently thrown out the window. Between the pregnancy hormones and the insane buildout of our new practice I was stretched thin and would reach for whatever carb was closest to my chubby, swollen fingers. By the end of the third trimester I had gained 42 pounds and was so ready to be thin-ish again.

On January 10th I had my last day of work before maternity leave and on January 13th at 6:15am I felt my first contraction. 41 hours later, and by way of an unplanned c-section, Kai arrived. He was a perfect 9lbs 5oz baby. I had heard people say they loved their postpartum bodies and I completely respect and understand why. My body was squishy and comfortable, a perfect spot to hold a newborn. My body was strong and capable of feeding and protecting my son. My body had endured 9+ months of incredible things and 2 full days of incredibly painful things. But, despite all my body’s capabilities it really didn’t feel like it was mine. It felt jiggly and wide and pale and hairy. Everyone kept telling me that “the weight will fly off your body when you start breastfeeding” and other crazy things that seemed unbelievable. And, for me they were. Here we are, 4 months later and despite losing 20 pounds within a week of his birth I’m still 22 pounds heavier than I’ve ever been in my life.

Now, let’s talk about my face. My face and I have had an on-again, off-again relationship. I battled with childhood acne, then adult acne, then fine lines that started in my late 20’s and rosacea. The trifecta of facial concerns. When I started working for South Bay Plastic Surgeons I began my first skincare regime. An adult one, not just Neutrogena and cheap CVS brand moisturizer. I had my first chemical peel and vowed to stay out of the sun. I had Botox and laser treatments and never looked back. My skin was finally glowing and clear and what I always thought skin should look like. When I found out I was pregnant I stopped the Retin-A and hydraquinone products along with the lasers and the Botox. I also started having hormone-induced breakouts and random hairs pop-up everywhere. Good times. Luckily, my lion’s mane of beautiful, thick, shiny hair almost made up for it. Once my son was born I stopped sleeping and the large bags under my eyes haven’t left. My beautiful thick hair started falling out in clumps. Lucky for me the acne remained and dry skin has crept in.

“I battled with childhood acne, then adult acne, then fine lines that started in my late 20’s and rosacea. The trifecta of facial concerns”

My son is obviously worth all these things. My husband couldn’t care less about the weight gain or tired eyes (and he loves my new big breastfeeding boobs). My friends still think I’m beautiful and random strangers say things like “I can’t believe you have a 4 month old!” All of that is very sweet but I don’t feel great. I want to feel better for my son and for my husband and most importantly, for myself. So, my Mommy Makeover has begun. I will be documenting my transformation through this blog so that others can read along and see if anything rings true for them. It was hard for me to understand what I can and can’t do while pregnant and now breastfeeding so hopefully this will help shed some light. I don’t think that having fine lines and sunken cheeks and extra fat and sagging breasts is important in the overall scheme of things. I do, however, think that every mom deserves to feel good about themselves. When I feel good I feel happy and that goes a long way to helping the people around me.

Cheers,
Camille

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The statements in this blog have not been reviewed by an OB/GYN or pediatrician so please check with your own doctor before following any new skincare or aesthetic regime.