Mommy Makeover (Post-Pregnancy Surgery) in Uberlândia, Brazil
Abdominoplasty and breast surgery in a single operation, planned for the body after pregnancy.
Mommy Makeover
Mommy Makeover is the name given to combining, in a single operation, an abdominoplasty — often with repair of rectus diastasis — and a breast procedure, which may be an augmentation, a mastopexy or a reduction. Liposuction of adjacent areas is usually part of the plan.
It is not a new or exclusive technique: these are established plastic surgery procedures, each with its own indication, brought together under one anaesthetic when the assessment shows this is safe for that particular patient. What changes is the planning — which procedures are included, in what order and within what operating time.
The decision to combine or to operate in stages is a clinical one. It depends on the expected operating time, the liposuction volume, body mass index, history of thrombosis, smoking and each patient's overall health.
- — Assessment of the abdomen: excess skin, localised fat and presence of rectus diastasis.
- — Assessment of the breasts: volume, degree of ptosis and the effect of breastfeeding on the tissue.
- — Joint decision on what goes into the same operation and what is better done in stages.
- — Assessment of thrombotic risk, body mass index and smoking before combining procedures.
- — Planning support at home for the first weeks — especially with small children.
- — Post-operative follow-up with a direct concierge channel.
What goes into a Mommy Makeover
Abdominoplasty
Removes excess skin and fat from the lower abdomen and repositions the navel. It is the component present in virtually every definition of the term — and also the one that weighs most on operating time and recovery.
Rectus diastasis repair
Pregnancy separates the rectus abdominis muscles. In a prospective Australian cohort that followed first-time mothers with ultrasound, 30.3% of the women assessed 12 months after delivery still had a separation above 30 mm. When indicated, plication of the aponeurosis brings the muscles back together during the same operation.
Breast surgery
It may be augmentation with an implant, mastopexy — with or without an implant — or reduction, depending on volume and degree of ptosis. The choice is individual and often changes considerably with the history of pregnancies and breastfeeding.
Liposuction of adjacent areas
Refines the contour of the flanks and back. In Brazil the aspirated volume has a regulatory limit (CFM Resolution 1,711/2003) and is part of the safety calculation for the combination: when volume and area approach the admitted maximum, association with other surgery should be avoided.
How the surgery is planned
Consultation and physical examination
Assessment of the abdomen and breasts, measurements, obstetric, breastfeeding and weight history. This is where what makes sense to combine is defined.
Pre-operative work-up
Laboratory and imaging tests according to age and history, cardiology clearance when indicated and estimation of thrombotic risk. Smoking must be stopped in advance.
Defining the operating time
Which procedures go under the same anaesthetic and which are kept for a second stage. Operating time and liposuction volume are the two factors that weigh most on this decision.
Surgery
Performed in a hospital setting, under general anaesthesia, with an anaesthesiology team and continuous monitoring. Duration depends on the combination defined.
Supported recovery
Scheduled follow-ups to monitor healing, swelling and the gradual return to activities, with a direct channel for questions.
Common questions about Mommy Makeover
What exactly is a Mommy Makeover?
It is the name given to combining, in a single operation, an abdominoplasty with a breast procedure, often with liposuction of adjacent areas. It is not a single technique: these are established surgeries brought together in an individual plan.
Is combining the surgeries safe?
A systematic review and meta-analysis of 8 studies and 138,020 patients found no statistically significant difference in complication rates between combining abdominoplasty with breast surgery and performing each procedure on its own, concluding that combined procedures are safe in carefully selected patients. Three caveats matter: certainty of evidence was rated moderate to very low, the included studies were highly heterogeneous, and the analysis covered abdominoplasty with breast surgery — not combinations that add large-volume liposuction. Patient selection is what determines the outcome.
Is the risk the same as operating separately?
Not exactly. In the same meta-analysis, the complication profile of the combination was comparable to abdominoplasty alone but higher than breast surgery alone — in other words, it is the abdominoplasty that carries the risk of the set.
How long after childbirth can I have surgery?
There is no minimum interval defined by a study in the literature. What is considered are indirect references: thrombotic risk remains elevated for about 12 weeks after delivery, and rectus diastasis continues to close spontaneously over the first year. That is why the individual assessment usually takes place after that period.
Do I need to have stopped breastfeeding?
The breast changes in volume and shape during and after breastfeeding, and the result of breast surgery performed before it stabilises tends not to last. The timing is decided individually at the consultation.
Can I get pregnant afterwards?
A systematic review of 17 studies and 237 patients concluded that pregnancy should not be contraindicated after abdominoplasty, with no maternal or neonatal deaths recorded in the included studies. What can happen is partial loss of the aesthetic result.
Does my weight need to be stable?
Yes, that is the recommendation. A high body mass index is an independent risk factor for complications in body contouring surgery, and stable weight also protects the long-term result.
I smoke. Does that change anything?
It changes a lot. Smoking substantially increases the risk of wound-healing complications in abdominoplasty, and it must be stopped weeks in advance to have a measurable effect.
Does diastasis repair fix back pain?
It is a common expectation, but the evidence is still limited. Some cohorts associate diastasis with worse back-pain scores and quality of life, and case series show improvement after plication — but there is no randomised trial comparing surgery with physiotherapy alone. Repair is not indicated as a proven treatment for low back pain.
What type of anaesthesia is used?
Usually general anaesthesia, decided together with the anaesthesiology team at the pre-operative assessment.
How long does the surgery take?
It depends directly on which procedures are included. Operating time is one of the factors weighed in the decision to combine or stage, and the estimate is made individually.
Will I need a drain?
It depends on the technique used. There are suturing techniques that reduce seroma formation and allow drainless abdominoplasty; when a drain is used, how long it stays varies case by case and there is no published standard period.
How is pain managed after surgery?
Among the resources with the best evidence is the transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block, which in a network meta-analysis reduced opioid consumption in the first 24 and 48 hours after abdominoplasty. The regimen is set with the anaesthesiology team.
When will I be able to pick up my child?
It is the most frequent question and the one with the least published guidance: there is no weight in kilograms or period in weeks in the literature. It is a team recommendation, decided case by case according to the procedures performed — and it is worth planning support at home for the first weeks.
Is it better to combine or to stage?
There is no single answer, and it is worth knowing that the available literature has not answered this question directly: the studies compare combined surgery with each procedure on its own, not with the two operations performed at separate times. In practice, combining avoids a second anaesthetic and a second recovery period; staging shortens the operating time of each intervention. The decision weighs the expected time, liposuction volume, body mass index and overall health.
Content reviewed by Dr. Lorena Gidrão de Queiroz — CRM-MG 85769, RQE 71258 (Plastic Surgery). Member of the Brazilian Society of Plastic Surgery. Last reviewed: September 2026.
- Skorochod R, Wolf Y. Risk of Concomitant Abdominoplasty and Breast Surgery versus Isolated Procedures: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. 2026;50(13):5013-5022.
- Karunaratne YG, et al. The Safety and Effects of Pregnancy after Abdominoplasty: A Systematic Review of the Literature. Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. 2023;47(4):1472-1479.
- Fitzpatrick SE, et al. Prevalence of Symptomatic Established Rectus Diastasis of Parity in Primiparous Women: A Prospective Cohort Study From Early Pregnancy to 1-Year Postpartum. World Journal of Surgery. 2026;50(2):344-352.
- Seretis K, Bounas N. The Efficacy of Different Nerve Blocks on Postoperative Pain and Sequelae in Patients Undergoing Abdominoplasty: A Network Meta-Analysis. Aesthetic Surgery Journal. 2023;43(5):NP325-NP336.
- Conselho Federal de Medicina. Resolução CFM nº 1.711/2003 — Estabelece parâmetros de segurança que devem ser observados nas cirurgias de lipoaspiração.