Do I need to wean my baby from breastfeeding before I can have my tummy tuck?

A woman’s body will change, often dramatically, during the postpartum and nursing phases. It is common to gain a decent amount of weight during pregnancy, and then lose it after delivery due to reestablishing your exercise routine as well as breastfeeding.

If you continue to breastfeed, it will continue to make you lose weight. Even if you are close to your pre-pregnancy weight, you do not know what your new baseline weight will be until you are done breastfeeding. When you have a tummy tuck, it is very important that you are weight-stable (you aren’t gaining or losing weight) for a good month or two. The tummy tuck is a snapshot of you in time. When it is performed, I tailor it specifically to your body. If you gain or lose a significant amount of weight after your tummy tuck, it can negatively affect your results.

Therefore, I would not proceed with a tummy tuck until you are done breastfeeding and you know your weight is stable. It is also important to reestablish your normal nutritional baseline. When breastfeeding, the body is in a constant state of “catabolism”, which means you are breaking down fats to produce milk. Your nutritional balance is negative (there are more calories going out than coming in). This puts you at risk for postoperative complications such as infection, wound healing problems, and bad scarring. Your body should be in a neutral or positive nutritional balance prior to surgery. This is another VERY important reason to finish breastfeeding prior to a tummy tuck. It is an elective cosmetic surgery — do yourself the favor of making sure you are in the best physical condition to ensure the best results!