My one regret is that I didn’t have the surgery sooner.

I´d first considered breast augmentation at about age 32 – nearly a year after the birth of my second (and last) child.  I had spent the months following child birth working hard to lose all the weight I´d gained.  But the hard truth is, there are some things that pregnancy and nursing do to a woman’s body, that can´t be shaped up with exercise.

I had always been small on top – barely a 34 A my whole life.  When I nursed my first child for 9 months I´d swelled up to a full 36 C cup. Breastfeeding was certainly a pleasant bonding experience… HOWEVER, it really wreaked havoc on my chest.

Going back to my perky 34As was not in the cards after all that swelling and shrinking. At 32, I had lost all the baby weight, plus some. I was a fit and trim 116lbs (I´m 5´7″), but had the breasts of a saggy old woman.

I broached the subject of surgery with my husband – who was in complete support of whatever decision I made.  After researching online for about a month, I had a consult with a plastic surgeon.  In hind sight, I wasn´t really crazy about this particular doctor.  He spent about 10 minutes with me, and was quite a bit condescending when I asked questions.  Most of our time was spent in the accountant’s office going over paperwork for payment.

Approximately, 3 weeks before my surgery – I cancelled the procedure.  My biggest concerns were.

1. The likelihood I´d have to have additional surgeries.  After all, these implants don’t last forever.

2. What would I tell my mother?  I didn´t expect her to be supportive of the financial outlay involved.

3. What would having this surgery say to my daughter about body image?  Although she was only 2 1/2 …someday she would know about my breast implants, and I wasn´t sure if I would be setting a bad example.

Flash forward eight more years.  Just a few months before my 39th birthday I started to think about augmentation surgery again. Plain and simple, I felt freakish. My breasts were empty water balloons that were sliding their way down to my navel.  And somehow, my breasts seemed to be even SMALLER than before. In order to look half way decent in my clothes, I had to resort to buying ultra padded bras. I felt like I was wearing a costume or some sort of prosthetic all the time.

I started to research augmentation again. Of course, there wasn’t much that had changed. All my previous concerns were still valid.  My husband laughed when I brought up the idea of surgery again. When I cancelled the last surgery, we went out and bought a boat instead (which we secretly named C-Cup). Just as he had 8 years earlier – he offered his support in whatever I chose to do.

One afternoon I discussed the idea of surgery with a girlfriend. I´d known her for about 7 years. She had been blessed with a curvy figure and ample breasts, so I wasn´t sure she´d be able to empathize. Low and behold, she told me right then and there…she had her own augmentation surgery 12 years earlier.

This time, I researched many doctors online. My husband and I spent weeks researching and scouring over photos of before and after.  In the end, we created a list of three doctors we both liked. Over three weeks I had three different consult experiences. Some charged fees, some didn’t.  One was female, two were men.

Dr. Dembny was my last consult. I knew by the time I left his office, that he was the surgeon I wanted to do the procedure.  Oddly, the doctor I related LEAST with was the woman.  She may be a great surgeon….but of the three consults, only Dr. Dembny really took the time to answer all my questions. I was most surprised by how much time he spent measuring me during the consult. The other doctors spent little time examining me. In fact, the female surgeon never asked me to disrobe at all.  How in the world can a surgeon have a clue of what type of surgery is best for you – if they don’t even examine you?

Everyone in Dr. Dembny´s office assisted in making my surgery a success.  In fact, once I made up my mind that I was ready to have the procedure – Dr. Dembny´s staff got me scheduled in less than two weeks time.

The first week I was a bit sore, but I was up and around within 24 hours.  My breasts were a bit swollen and I felt a little strange in my clothing.  But as the swelling subsided, things began to look more natural. On a scale of one to ten….I´d say the worst of my pain during recovery was a four.  To my relief, I was back to doing my aerobic workout at two weeks.  Three weeks post-surgery I was wearing a new bikini on our family Spring Break vacation.  By five weeks, I was lifting weights again.

My one regret – is that I didn´t have the surgery sooner.

I´m a full 34 B now…,and in all honestly – no one has made mention of a difference. My own mother lives with me, and even she hasn´t noticed.  My surgery was scheduled while my children were at school. I spent the afternoon and evening in bed – and I think my children just thought I was under the weather.

If my daughter asks someday, I will of course tell her the truth. But for now – she hasn´t noticed a thing…which I hear is a sign of a successful plastic surgery procedure.  I look about the same as I did before – just without the padding!

Clearly, this is a very personal choice. I worried about what this procedure would say about me as a person. But, I still feel like myself. In fact….now I really feel more at ease in my own skin. No more old lady boobs and fake padded bras!