Vent Sesh: Yup, I Got the Boob Job

I vividly remember going bathing suit shopping a few years ago when Everything But Water opened locally. The store is amazing, and the staff was so helpful, polite and comforting, however I literally left in tears after maybe two dozen suits didn’t fit well in the chest. Either the smallest size didn’t work or they were out of my size. I felt so sad, so deflated… not only in my chest, but in my heart. It shouldn’t matter, it’s only clothing, but it got the best of me.

In that moment I don’t recall considering implants or that I even had the ability to change anything, I just felt frustrated and sad. Years of being heavier set and then losing weight, the size fluctuations from pregnancy and then nursing, left my breasts in a sad state.

Four weeks ago today, I got boobs. Yup, my pancakes are gone, inflated with a gel implant perfectly sized for this girl. Not too big, and in fact, my gram kept saying how proportionate and nice they looked. She literally kept mentioning it, I think because in her head when I told her on the phone about my decision she thought I was going to show up with porn star size cleavage in her face. #relief

Getting a breast augmentation wasn’t an easy decision or one that I made lightly. Read the back story and my rationale here. Part of me can’t believe I put it out there. I mean, I’m so glad I shared it because, why not? And, most importantly, it’s clear this resonated with so many of you, and that it’s discussions you’re having with your girlfriends. But, then reality hits over here: there are random people I know, professional men, clients and who else that I met each day who clearly know about a pretty personal decision.

But, YOLO — I so appreciated hearing from many of you so I wanted to follow up more specifically since I’ve only half mentioned it in a few posts and on social media. You might not have even realized but a few of my most recent outfit posts have included the girls… see here, here, and here, for example.

And, here’s a before and after wearing the same workout tank. The “before” photo quality sucks as I jokingly took it to share with a friend who recently got a breast augmentation. The “after” is for an upcoming post about fitness.

So, with my new chest in tow, I went last weekend to Athleta for a new bathing suit. (which, PSA: they’re now all on mega sale).

Ladies, the day was a game changer. I literally had to text a few trusted friends with bikini photos because I couldn’t narrow down all the awesome suits; they each fit amazingly. My breasts filled out a size small and my booty a small or medium. My heart swelled and my confidence increased in that fitting room. When the heck does that happen while trying on bathing suits or jeans? I think I literally swaggered a bit with glee as I walked out of the store, and I just ordered two more suits thanks to this sale.

Generally though, I’m still settling into my new look. Honestly, they seem completely natural to me, I mean, it’s my skin except inflated. Seeing them exposed in bathing suits is the only shocker my brain is still adjusting too. I laughed because my pre-boob job boobs never went outside the triangle of the bikini… now they do. At first I thought the suits were too small but I was alerted from friends that nope, that’s just what happens when you have a fuller chest. 😉

To go back a few weeks, the surgery was on a Thursday in my doctor’s office and was so different from every medical experience I’ve ever had. I sat in a comforting room, talked again with the doctor, and then went into the doctor’s surgical suite. Within an hour, it was done. I left in a sports bra (seriously, no tight bandaging!) and was home around mid-afternoon. I kept frozen peas on my chest for pretty much the next 72 hours. I binge watched The Bachelorette and Girlfriend’s Guide to Divorce, and tried my best to not screech in pain as I hugged my little ones.

The pain was worst on Saturday, and then started to subside. My right side hurt for a solid two weeks, as I had a smaller space to begin with and he lowered the fold below both my breasts since they were a bit high. Dr. Cooper and I were on the same page in terms of my size goals, though I did tell him if he was between two sizes during surgery to go larger. A few readers suggest that pre-surgery and I know a few others who wished they went just a little bigger. When you’re super tiny, everything feels big so it’s hard to comprehend. Looking back, I’m glad I let him make that decision.

I also learned that the cc of implants are largely subjective. It’s based on so many factors including current skin/breast tissue, the size and width of the chest cavity, and more. I now have 325 cc implants and likely will be a small C cup. I wore a tight sports bra the first two weeks and now will bralettes (no underwire), including to sleep.

When you lose weight like I did now 10 years ago (I lost 35 pounds), and when you are pregnant, the change happens over months so even while it can be hard for your brain to catch up, you see gradual changes.

This is, BAM… hello chest!

It’s now good/weird to lean over the sink when I’m brushing my teeth and my perkier boobs just stay there, they don’t flap forward in a little sad way (awesome visual, yes?) as they used to.

It’s been fun seeing how most of my clothes still work, the fit is just so much better. I love how dresses look, how even a t-shirt falls better with my new curves. My waistline looks a bit slimmer, which is amazing since I can’t work out for about six weeks. In. The. Summer. While. Wearing. Bathing Suits. (help!).

Honestly, at the end of the day, I’m so proud of my decision and that I went through with it after six years or more thinking about it. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I’m not someone who ever envisioned having plastic surgery but it’s really incredible the positive difference it can make if you’ve been struggling with a specific area that you can’t fix with diet and exercise.

Email or comment with any specific questions (and thank you for open-heartedly following my personal journey). Can’t fully express my gratitude for your personal thoughts, perspectives, caring and kindness along the way.