Congratulations! Your little one has arrived and you have now completed your family. For many women, it is time to focus on your family and gentle recovery, but we also get many phone calls asking when it is appropriate to start a surgical journey, especially from mums whose bodies have changed a lot from pregnancy.
So how long after a baby should you think about seeing me for breast or body surgery?
As a general rule I’d say 3 months after you finish breastfeeding. For breast surgery this is particularly important, as it allows your breasts to completely empty and stablise to ensure I can recommend the right surgery for you and it lasts once it is performed.
For tummy tucks, I like to see patients at least 6 months after pregnancy and once they are at a stable goal weight.
Why is it important to see you closer to the time of possible surgery?
I like to see patients once they have finished breast feeding, they are very close to their goal weight and they are ready for surgery for a number of reasons:
- For me to accurately understand your goals and advise how I can assist you in meeting them, I need to see you at a stable weight and once all the pregnancy and breast feeding hormones are out of your system.
- Medicare item numbers to help with post-weight loss surgery (such as a tummy tuck) require weight to be stable for at least 6 months
- The rules for rebates from Medicare and funds can change a lot! So understanding them as they apply close to your planned surgery is important
- Our team is only able to issue quotes that are valid for 3 months to reflect current hospital, anesthetists and surgical fees.
What if I’m not ready yet, but want to do more research?
This website is perfect for that! We have lots of information and answers to FAQS, along with before and after photos, costs, recovery and even animated videos of how the procedures are performed on our pages for tummy tucks, breast augmentation, breast lift,breast reduction and combined surgery.
And is it worth checking your health fund if you are considering procedures with possible Medicare rebate and fund coverage. Our website pages have the Medicare numbers you check if you are covered for by calling your fund.
You may also like to follow us on social media – Facebook or Instagram. We show regularly show new results from patients who are happy to share their experiences and provide links to new articles.
And finally – send us an enquiry on the form below saying you wish to join the mailing list and let us know what procedure you are interested in for further updates.
How long does it take to see me for a consultation?
It generally take 6-8 weeks to see me for a consultation (although you can fast track if you are considering breast surgery by booking a $100 Vectra simulation with my Practice Manager Jessica and the cost can be rebated against my consultation fee).
It then takes another 4-8 weeks to secure a date for surgery, and a little longer in the second half of the year when everyone seems to want surgery and to recover in time for Christmas!
More information or to book a consultation
Need more information about surgery? To contact our team to make an appointment for a consultation, please call 4920 7700 or send us a message via the form below.
Blog Author:
Dr Nicholas Moncrieff, Cosmetic Plastic Surgeon
About Dr Moncrieff
Dr Moncrieff focuses exclusively on breast reductions, breast lifts, breast augmentation, tummy tucks and body lifts.
He is one of only a handful of Plastic Surgeons across Australia with this sole breast and body focus.
Dr Moncrieff has performed thousands of surgical procedures over more than three decades in medicine. Over 20,000 of these procedures have been in Newcastle.
More information about Dr Moncrieff is available here.
