Introduction

I'd like to start off by telling you a little about myself so that hopefully you can find some similarities in my case that will help calm your fears and/or make you more knowledgeable of the process of getting a tummy tuck. This blog is dedicated to all the women out there who are contemplating tummy tucks and would like more information. This is especially geared toward Black women who find that info and pictures on our body types is limited. I hope to give all the information I can to help those with similar circumstances.

History

I'm a 26 year old African American mom of two kids. I'm 5''5 1/2 190 (before the surgery). Like most women who get tummy tucks (TT's), I had my my kids and realized that no amount of exercise was going to cure the bulging belly blues. Those two pregnancies tore me out the frame! With both of my children, people thought I was carrying twins. Not because I was fat, but because my stomach was poking out like Octo-mom. I have a few pictures of being pregnant.

I was only 7 mos pregnant with my second child in this pic

Decision Factors

After my first child I realized that I had a gap between my abs... a 2 finger wide gap (when tensed) to be exact. Being that my belly had no signs of going down we (me and the Hubby) considered the tummy tuck operation. However, the biggest reason for getting the TT was to hopefully reduce the strain on the weakest and herniated part of my stomach. For a little history on the weak stomach issue...I got the first hernia fixed after child #2, which was repaired with mesh. In following the doctor's orders, I resumed exercise to get rid of the belly fat that supposedly was a big contributer to my tummy tuck (... which was a hot steaming load BS, in my case). Once I started working to get the belly off, I got another hernia... right on the outskirts of the mesh of the repaired hernia.  I felt that there was no reason for my hernia to be coming back when I start to do exercise. So, I ordered the notes from the previous hernia surgery and found out that my Dr. noted that my "abdominal wall was extremely thin around the hernia". Meaning, I had next to nothing girding my insides inside my body. NO WONDER I HAD SO MUCH BACK PAIN! It wasn't that I wasn't exercising, because my abs were stretched to kingdom come never to return back to the middle of my body! How disheartening and depressing!

To sum it up... In an effort to reduce the strain on my weak midsection and my back, to hopefully minimize chances of another hernia, and to cure my depression from the bulging belly blues, we though that it was best for me to get a TT.

Here is a video to help those of you, that have bulging belly blues, check to see if you have the gap (called Diastasis Recti)